The goal of the OCES program is to provide students a unique integrative education and training experience that prepares them to meet the challenges and opportunities in the multiple dimensions of contemporary marine, coastal, and environmental science disciplines.?

Specifically, the OCES program targets students wishing to pursue a graduate degree with the intention of entering the work force to contribute their gained expertise and comprehensive understanding of complex ecological and resource systems made up of biotic and abiotic components coexisting and interacting with human communities and relevant socio-economic activities in ocean and coastal zone environments.?

This multidisciplinary degree program is designed to provide a rigorous applied and theoretical education in the marine and coastal sciences with emphasis on the environmental impacts of anthropogenic and natural forcings along the Texas coastline and beyond.?

Students graduating from the program will be prepared to take on decision-making positions in a wide range of governmental agencies and NGOs. They can expect a broad set of science careers, within and beyond academia, including private and public sector organizations concerned with marine and coastal systems, recognizing that rivers, estuaries, and the oceans are fundamentally important to our societies.