about us

The Department of Oceanography is located on the University of Hawaiʻi’s largest campus overlooking Waikīkī and downtown Honolulu. As part of the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST), the Department of Oceanography is loosely organized into three divisions: Physical Oceanography, Marine Geology and Geochemistry (MGG), and Biological Oceanography.

Among its many honors and accolades, the Department is ranked in the top 10 in the world.

With more than 50 graduate faculty, we teach and advise students in a wide variety of themes and subject matter within the field of Oceanography. The collective research expertise of our faculty provides invaluable diversity of potential projects and employment paths for our post-doctoral and other graduate level students.


As a crown jewel of SOEST, the Department benefits from a system of world-class supports and is recognized as an “Area of Excellence” bringing extraordinary human, natural and financial resources from the state, nation and internationally.

Interested in being a part of our dynamic community?