Research
Alabama's coastaline is small, but the drainage system into Mobile Bay provides nutrients to one of the nation's richest estuarine environments and adjacent Gulf of Mexico waters.

As a result, south Alabama is heavily dependent on a productive well managed coastal region for its continued economic growth and prosperity. The University of South Alabama, cognizant of this natural asset, has developed a graduate program in the marine sciences that is both applied and theoretical. Both, the Master's and the Ph.D. degrees are offered, with emphasis in biological, chemical, physical, and geological oceanography.

There is also a strong component of marine and coastal resource management. The program is administered through the Department of Marine Sciences. Degrees are multidisciplinary, require coursework in diverse areas of marine sciences, and are strongly research oriented. However, research is focused, problem oriented, and often with a strong field component.