Ocean Exploration and Surveying

Ocean exploration and surveying addresses one of the most significant frontiers in contemporary science: the oceans cover more than seventy percent of the Earth's surface but remain less well mapped and understood than the surface of the Moon. Marine surveys and ocean exploration are essential for understanding submarine geology, mapping the seabed, assessing marine resources, monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem health, and informing offshore construction, energy, and environmental management. The discipline combines oceanography, marine science, and the geospatial and survey technologies that allow scientists and engineers to investigate the ocean systematically.

At the University of Plymouth, this three-year programme begins with a foundation year that introduces you to ocean science through its breadth, importance, and interdisciplinary nature, building the scientific literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills needed for the main degree curriculum. You will develop foundational knowledge in marine systems and oceanographic methods before progressing into specialist study in exploration techniques, subsea survey, remote sensing, and the environmental science of the marine environment. The programme includes a sandwich placement year and a year abroad, alongside embedded work placement opportunities, giving you direct professional experience in marine or survey contexts.

Graduates work in hydrographic surveying, offshore oil and gas, renewable energy development, environmental monitoring, marine research institutions, port and harbour authorities, defence and security, and mapping and geospatial organisations. The combination of marine science knowledge and survey technology skills is directly applicable in a sector where the development of offshore energy, subsea infrastructure, and environmental monitoring of the ocean is growing rapidly. Many graduates pursue professional accreditation through the Hydrographic Society or further postgraduate study in oceanography, marine science, or survey engineering.