17 PhD programmes offered by the university

Students from the Applied Ocean Science program at the University of California, San Diego perform research in marine acoustics, optics, electromagnetics, geophysics, ecology, sediment transport, coastal processes, physical oceanography, and air-sea interaction.

The Interdisiplinary Research on Substance Use program at the University of California, San Diego is an addiction research program designed to train researchers using cutting-edge, investigational data analytics and methodologies to reduce the national and global burden of substance use and misuse.

Biological Oceanography is concerned with the interactions of populations of marine organisms with one another and with their physical and chemical environment. The Biological Oceanography program is offered by the University of California, San Diego.

The Astronomy program at the University of California, San Diego is designed for students interested in specialized advanced training in topics of astronomy. 

The Mathematics program at the University of California, San Diego allows study in pure mathematics, applied mathematics and statistics. 

The Neurosciences program at the University of California, San Diego is frequently ranked among the top Neuroscience PhD programs in the world!

The Scripps Institute of Oceanography PhD program at the University of California, San Diego is organized into three separate academic programs. 

Physical Oceanography is the field of study that deals with mechanisms of energy transfer through the sea and across its boundaries, and with the physical interactions of the sea with its surroundings, especially including the influence of the seas on the climate of the atmosphere. The Physical Oceanography program is offered by the University of California, San Diego.

The Bioinformatics and Systems Biology program at the University of California, San Diego is organized around two disciplinary tracks that have distinct, yet overlapping, faculty and curricular requirements: Bioinformatics and Systems Biology (BISB) and Biomedical Informatics (BMI).

The mathematically rigorous PhD in Biostatistics program at the University of California, San Diego involves training in statistical methods and data analysis, including theoretical and applied classroom work in the core mathematical statistics and biostatistics courses, with additional electives in life sciences.

The fields of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry explore chemical and geochemical processes in the oceans, the solid earth, and the atmosphere. The Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry program is offered by the University of California, San Diego.

The Physics program at the University of California, San Diego provides a broad, advanced education in physics while at the same time giving students opportunity for emphasizing their special interests. 

The philosophy of the Biology program at the University of California, San Diego, along with the Affiliated Ph.D. Program with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, is to provide world-class research training in the basic biological sciences to equip a diverse group of trainees for a variety of scientific careers ranging from academia and industry to education, communication, or policy.

The Joint Doctoral Program (with SDSU) in Biology program at the University of California, San Diego is a partnership between the School of Biological Sciences and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. 

The purpose of the Pharm Program at the University of California, San Diego is to prepare students for positions in academia, government and the pharmaceutical industry that will require experience and knowledge in the conduct of original investigation related to the pharmaceutical sciences. 

The Climate Sciences program at University of California, San Diego concerns the study of the climate system of the earth with emphasis on the physical, dynamical, and chemical interactions of the atmosphere, ocean, land, ice, and the terrestrial and marine biospheres.

Students in the Geophysics program at the University of California, San Diego study Earth and other planets to advance our fundamental understanding of their origin, composition, and evolution, and explore the implications for life, for the environment, and for society.