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In this premier marine science graduate program, students have the resources of two world-class institutions—Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution—at their fingertips. With unmatched access to instruments, ships, technology and scientific guidance, our students can tackle some of the biggest scientific and engineering questions of our world.

Partner institutions

Fields of Study

The goal of the MIT-WHOI Joint Program is for each student to achieve his/her full intellectual potential in a chosen area of research. The five focal areas are:

• Applied Ocean Science and Engineering
• Biological Oceanography
• Chemical Oceanography
• Marine Geology and Geophysics
• Physical Oceanography

Research on some topics can be carried out within more than one focal area, such as climate and climate impacts, and students can choose the focal area best suited to their specific interests.

Alternatively, research can span two or more focal areas and a student can formulate an individual course of study using guidelines set out in the Joint Program Interdisciplinary Statement.

See examples of interdisciplinary research here.

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Students at Work

The Great South Channel

In just a few weeks, swarms of tiny organisms will begin to aggregate off Cape Cod as they do every spring, attracting hungry whales and fish.

Tracking Toxic Chemicals in Oil Spills

Figuring out where chemicals spilled into the environment end up is a challenge, because different compounds can travel different pathways. They can evaporate into the air, dissolve into surrounding waters, be eaten by microorganisms, or broken down by sunlight.

On the Trail of Mercury in the Ocean

Where and how does elemental mercury released from burning coal get transformed into the toxic monomethylmercury that accumulates in fish?