Part of the campus is designated as a natural reserve and contains undeveloped, ecologically important dunes and wildlife. The university library is a major research facility with approximately two million volumes of books and bound journals. The system-wide computer network provides access to the volumes held by all UC libraries. This gives faculty and graduate students access to consortium data sets for dissertation and other research projects. Ph.D. students use the department's computer laboratory, which supplies a full array of services.
Many students bring their own computers to their offices in the department.
The faculty includes 27 permanent professors and numerous visiting professors and lecturers. The department is large enough to offer a broad range of fields and small enough give friendly support to individual interests. Close faculty-student relationships are encouraged. The program prepares graduates to compete as researchers in the academic, governmental, and private sectors. Of necessity, they also develop substantial teaching skills as teaching assistants.