The University of Wisconsin-Madison is recognized worldwide as a leader in the field of freshwater and aquatic ecology. The Freshwater and Marine Sciences program began in 1962 as the Oceanography and Limnology graduate program. We combine research and teaching from several fields and assists departments to develop a greater understanding of aquatic systems — their origins, inhabitants, phenomena, and impact on human life.

Located on Lake Mendota, our graduate program emphasizes limnological studies and is based on the premise that freshwater and marine sciences and oceanography are integrated fields requiring a broad base in the fundamental disciplines. Students may specialize in freshwater and marine science, or in oceanography, or they may focus on processes common to both environments.

Our program is administered by the College of Engineering and sponsored jointly with the College of Letters and Science. Interdisciplinary in nature, each student's program of study provides graduate training in aquatic sciences and integrates related sciences. Freshwater and Marine Sciences graduate faculty come from many departments throughout UW-Madison, including Agronomy, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Botany, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Entomology, Geology and Geophysics, Veterinary Medicine and Zoology.

Facilities for freshwater and marine research and instruction in the biological, chemical, and physical areas of freshwater and marine sciences and oceanography are available at UW-Madison through the Center for Limnology, the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory, and the departments of faculty participating in the program. The Center for Limnology also maintains a year-round laboratory at Trout Lake. This facility is a well-equipped biological field station in the Northern Highlands lake district of Wisconsin. Several research vessels are available for research on the Great Lakes. Ships belonging to other institutions are used for oceanographic field research.