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Hydrographic Science


College or University: University of Southern Mississippi

Type of degree: M.S.

Brief overview of program: Hydrographic Science is the science of measuring and depicting those parameters necessary to describe the precise nature and configuration of the seabed, its geographical relationship to the land mass, and the characteristics and dynamics of the sea. These parameters include bathymetry, tides, currents, waves, physical properties of sea water, geology and geophysics. The Department of Marine Science (DMS) is one of the few programs in the country to offer a graduate degree in the field of hydrographic science. This demanding and intensive curriculum covers all aspects of geodesy and hydrographic science leading to a Masters of Science degree. This is the only accredited academic program in Hydrographic Science in the United States that is certified at the Category A level by the Féderation Internationale des Géométres/International Hydrographic Organization (FIG/IHO) International Advisory Board. This curriculum was recognized at the Category A level by the FIG/IHO International Advisory Board on Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors in April 2000. Stennis Space Center is the home of the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO), a U. S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) detachment, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Data Buoy Center. NAVOCEANO, primarily an operational data collection and production center, additionally hosts the Navy's Supercomputing and Visualization Center, the Warfighting Support Center, and the Matthew Fontaine Maury Oceanographic Library, the world's largest military oceanographic library. In addition, NAVOCEANO presents a well-established, certified FIG/IHO Category B level course. The USM Department of Marine Science maintains various academic and research activities that focus on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary aspects of the marine sciences in coastal to offshore environments. The unique aggregation of academic faculty, hydrographers, oceanographers, and facilities at the Stennis Space Center provides an ideal location for this program. The proximity of DMS to these programs enriches the curriculum and research at DMS and has often provided employment opportunities for graduates. Students at DMS enjoy all the rights and privileges accorded to their counterparts on the main campus. This includes the use of libraries and computer centers, low-price admission to sporting and theater events, and other such common student services. The Department of Marine Science is part of USM's College of Science and Technology. The marine sciences are represented within the college by faculty and staff members from the Department of Marine Science; the Department of Coastal Sciences, located at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and J.L. Scott Marine Education Center in Ocean Springs; and the Department of Biological Sciences in Hattiesburg. DMS faculty also interact with other USM faculty in the College of Science and Technology on the main Hattiesburg campus.

Website: Click here for program website

Number of students enrolled in 2007: 10

For the students that enter the workforce, what are the most common occupations that they pursue with this degree or certificate? -Marine hydrographer or surveyor for government or private agency -Military surveyor -Environmental research with government or private agency

Description of Facilities: All DMS graduate courses are taught at USM's Stennis Space Center facilities. Additional information can be found at www.usm.edu/marine.

Program Faculty: Dr. Vernon Asper (Geological oceanography; marine particle fluxes; marine technology) Dr. Charlotte Brunner (Geological oceanography; biostratigraphy; paleoceanography; taphonomy of foraminifers) Dr. Jerald Caruthers (Acoustical oceanography; acoustical scattering; ocean acoustic tomography) Dr. David Dodd (Coordinator of the Hydrographic Science Program; real-time kinematic global position systems; marine surveying and navigation) Dr. Laodong Guo (Marine chemistry; biogeochemical cycling of natural organic carbon and nutrients in aquatic systems; aquatic colloids/nanoparticles and their role in governing the fate/transport/bioavailability of chemical species; isotope geochemistry) Dr. Stephan D. Howden (Physical oceanography & hydrographic science; coastal circulation processes; remote sensing) Dr. Vladimir Kamenkovich (Physical oceanography; ocean circulation) Dr. Steven Lohrenz (Biological oceanography; marine bio-optics; remote sensing; carbon and nutrient cycling in marine ecosystems) Mr. Charles Meador (Hydrographic and nautical science; undergraduate education) Dr. Scott Milroy (Ecosystem modeling; dynamics of harmful algal blooms; undergraduate education) Dr. Dmitri Nechaev (Physical oceanography; data assimilation into numerical ocean models) Dr. Karen Orcutt (Biological Oceanography; phytoplankton molecular ecology, nanostructured probes, marine nitrogen fixation) Dr. Don Redalje (Biological oceanography; marine phytoplankton ecology; physiology; bio-optics; primary production; taxonomy) Dr. Alan Shiller (Aquatic biogeochemistry & chemical oceanography; trace elements in natural waters; marine and estuarine chemistry; geochemistry of rivers and weathering) Dr. David Wells (Hydrographic science; multibeam echo sounding; mapping and surveying, global positioning systems) Dr. Jerry Wiggert (Large scale ocean and ecosystem modeling; coupled physical-biological modeling; high performance computing) Dr. Kevin Yeager (Geological oceanography: sediment sourcing and transport dynamics in rivers, lakes, estuaries and the ocean; human impacts on surficial processes; fates and impacts of terrestrial and aquatic contaminants)

Student Support: Some scholarships and assistantship opportunities may be available. Students not on a scholarship or assistantship pay a tuition of $2,297* per semester. Non-resident full-time students pay an additional out-of-state tuition fee of $3,014* per semester; the non-resident fee is also waived for students on an assistantship. *The University reserves the right to increase or modify tuition charges without prior notice, but with approval of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.


Program Point of Contact: Dr. David Dodd

Email: David.Dodd@usm.edu

Department: Marine Science

Institution address: The University of Southern Mississippi 1020 Balch Blvd.,
                             Stennis Space Center,MS 39529

Phone: (228) 688-3177

 



This project is supported, in part, by the NationalScience Foundation.  Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Foundation