Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the curriculum for the SOC or SOCH major, midshipmen will be able to:

1.      Describe the progressions of major earth science theories, including new analytic methods, sensors, and numerical methods.

2.     Describe the three-dimensional distributions of temperature, salt, and momentum in the ocean and atmosphere, and explain the oceanic and atmospheric processes that control these distributions.

3.      Identify, construct, and analyze coupled dynamical systems by which geological, atmospheric, oceanographic, chemical, and biological processes interact throughout a range of spatial and temporal scales.

4.      Derive, interpret, and solve problems using the equations of motion of fluids, the continuity equation, and the equations of state for both moist and dry air, and seawater.

5.      Collect and manipulate oceanic, atmospheric, and geospatial data sets and rigorously analyze and interpret observational data, in situ experimental data, and model results.

6.      Create and defend an original scientific thesis synthesized from multiple peer- reviewed sources both orally and in an experimental or review paper.

Updated May 10, 2017