As such, it draws faculty and student participation from a number of UNC-CH units. Because the department's instructional emphasis is on training M.S. and Ph.D. students, a broad range of graduate coursework is offered. Research is an integral part of teaching, especially at the graduate and advanced undergraduate levels.
Faculty members maintain active research programs throughout the year.
All graduate students and a select number of undergraduate students participate in faculty-directed research projects, often receiving financial support from grants. The Department of Marine Sciences is located on main campus in Chapel Hill . The department's sister unit, the Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, provides coastal access for field studies and instruction. Shared, flexible laboratory space is also now available at the Institute since the addition of a new wing. Currently housed in Venable Hall, the department contains faculty, student and staff offices, a small conference room, a seminar room, eleven research laboratories and one teaching laboratory, computer rooms and a storage room for field equipment.