A Dynamic Interdisciplinary Laboratory that Crosses Institutional Borders

Education is a key component of the Oceans at MIT mission, as it is with all MIT’s research programs. More than 40 members of the faculty from across the Institute are now at work on ocean-related research in which graduate and undergraduate students play a pivotal role. And new channels of investigation, new intersections between disciplines, new relationships between departments, centers, and institutions are continually creating education and research opportunities.

The Cambridge/Boston Factor

Students with an interest in oceans, the environment, and climate change are inspired by MIT’s highly collaborative, solution-driven approach to research. The wider Cambridge/Boston area, home to some of the most distinguished universities in the world, presents infinite opportunities for cross-institutional efforts. And MIT is just minutes from the ocean, from the Boston office of the National Weather Service, and an hour’s drive from longtime partner Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), a pioneer in marine research and education.

The MIT-WHOI Joint Program—an Ocean Education Milestone.

In 1968, MIT and WHOI launched the premier graduate program for marine sciences—the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Sciences and Engineering. Students have access to the resources and guidance of both world-class institutions, giving them an extraordinary opportunity to tackle some of the most pressing scientific and engineering questions facing our planet.