The academic program is research oriented and multidisciplinary and focuses on providing a broad base of knowledge in marine science, with specialization in biological oceanography, marine chemistry, geological oceanography, physical oceanography, or numerical ocean modeling.
Research includes estuarine, coastal, and open ocean processes of local and global importance.
Faculty and student research is funded in part by several agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Naval Research Laboratory, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Energy. The Department of Marine Science maintains well-equipped laboratories at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. A combination of in situ camera, transmissometers, fluorometers, CTD systems, and computer image analysis is used for measurement of concentrations and particle-size spectrums of marine snow. A clean laboratory and culture facility are also available. The department's location at Stennis Space Center gives faculty members and students the opportunity to interact directly with nearly 1,500 marine scientists associated with national research agencies such as the Naval Research Laboratory, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, NASA's Science and Technology Laboratory, and the National Data Buoy Center.