The MPO program requires students to develop expertise in both systems, and prepares students to conduct leading-edge research using a complementary set of theoretical, observational, and modeling approaches.

The MPO curriculum forms a strong foundation for research on a broad spectrum of topics that include air-sea interaction, the global thermohaline circulation, tropical cyclones, El Ni?o, the Madden-Julian Oscillations, and the evolution of the Earth?s climate.?

The MPO program has a strong foundation in several areas in atmospheric and ocean sciences, including those presented below. Research is conducted using a variety of techniques from direct observation to theoretical and numerical modeling. Students come from a diverse range of educational backgrounds, including marine science, meteorology, physics, mathematics, and engineering.