School of Earth, Ocean and Environment - University of South Carolina

School of the Earth, Ocean & Environment

The School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment (SEOE) was recently formed within the College of Arts and Sciences in order to focus attention on some of the high quality educational and research programs that exist at the University of South Carolina in the “environmental” area. Approved by the Board of Trustees in December 2009, the SEOE includes the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, the Marine Science Program, The Environment & Sustainability Program, the Belle Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences, and the Earth Sciences and Resources Institute
Baruch Insitute

The Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences conducts research and supports education that will improve the management of marine and coastal resources and advance basic science for the well-being of people and their environment. Our field and laboratory studies, focused primarily on the pristine North Inlet estuary, are providing insights into the structure and functioning of our coastal ecosystems. Our programs engage USC faculty, staff and students as well as researchers from other academic institutions and government laboratories.
Earth & Ocean Sciences

The Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences has a wide spectrum of research ranging from deep water oceanography to coastal issues and beaches, the land surface hydrology, weather and climate, subsurface unsaturated and groundwater flow and transport, stratigraphy and characterization of the earth's interior, seismology and earthquakes and occurrence and compositions of volcanic eruptions. The faculty and students conduct their research all over the world - the Andes in South America, the Carpathians in Europe, the semi-arid watersheds of Australia, deep waters off the coasts of western United States and Central America, the tip of South America and Antarctica to name a few. The research work involves field observations and field campaigns, satellite remote sensing observations and computer based modeling.
Earth Sciences and Resources Institute

The Earth Sciences and Resources Institute was created in 1973 to conduct applied research and service in environmental geosciences, engineering and computer applications. ESRI-SC is a primarily extramurally funded institute within the University of South Carolina’s School of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. ESRI-SC's capabilities related to government and private sector sponsored environmental studies and services include integrating geology, hydrology, and geochemistry with advanced computer applications for characterization of groundwater and surface water systems, water quality assessment, prediction of flow and solute transport, state-of-the-art environmental geophysics, and advanced geographic information systems development. Our applied research focuses on both site specific and regional scale projects that involve field, laboratory, and modeling activities. Further, ESRI-SC has extensive capabilities and experience conducting watershed studies, analyzing conservation efforts and best management practices, and developing user-oriented software solutions to a wide variety of natural resource problems.
Environment & Sustainability Program

The Environment & Sustainability Program represents a wide range of synergistic disciplines, with over 140 faculty cutting across the Columbia and regional USC campuses. Through our Masters in Earth and Environmental Resource Management (MEERM), graduate students are trained for management positions in earth and environmental resources, such as minerals, water, sustainable development within ecosystems, or safe and effective use of man-made materials in the environment.
Marine Science Program

The Marine Science Program (MSCI) is an interdisciplinary academic program offering curricula that lead to Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Marine Science. With over 30 internationally recognized faculty, and more than 250 undergraduate and graduate students, the marine science program is a highly regarded center of research and teaching excellence at the University of South Carolina. Our diverse and collaborative program provides students with award winning instruction and hands-on technical and field experiences that allow them to successfully pursue careers in industry, government, and academic settings.