Oceanography Masters course sets sail once again!

The Master of Science in Applied Oceanography has set sail once again this academic year, with students hailing from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Vietnam and Malta. The same students demonstrate a variety of academic backgrounds, hailing from the fields of Earth Systems, Biology, Physics, Geology and Communication Studies, testifying to the inter-disciplinary nature of oceanography, which extends beyond the traditional realms of chemistry, biology and physics.

The Master of Science in Applied Oceanography is a one-year, full-time (90ECTS) course spread over three semesters, which is offered each academic year as from the end of September. The same course addresses the multifarious scientific and socio-economic disciplines related to oceanography through a multi-disciplinary and hands-on approach, which features a short study visit abroad, multiple instrument field deployment sessions, a week-long bootcamp out at sea, a week-long placement within a relevant workplace as well as ad hoc study-units on policy-making and communicative skills.

The Course content was extensively revised in 2022 so as to make the same course more contemporary and appealing to prospective candidates, availing itself of strategic alliances with key industrial stakeholders such as public (e.g. the ERA, Water Services Corporation, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the ARM, the EWA, the Meteorological Office) and private (e.g. the Malta National Aquarium, Aquabiotech Limited) entities. Many graduates of this Masters course get the opportunity to publish their dissertation studies within peer-reviewed, journal publications. Over the past four years, since the last major overhaul of the said Course, a total of 33 participants were registered on it.

The course is delivered by the Oceanography Malta Research Group (OMRG) within the Department of Geosciences of the Faculty of Science, with Prof. Alan Deidun acting as Coordinator. The OMRG is grateful to the Faculty of Science and its MSc Committee and to the Department of Geosciences for their administrative support as well as to the University’s Marketing, Communications and Alumni Offices for their assistance in promoting so effectively the same Course, both locally and abroad. Further information about the Course in caption can be gleaned through the dedicated Course website. Applications for next year’s Course are already open!

Photo credits: Kristov Scicluna