华盛顿大学海洋学院是海洋学研究和教育领域的全国领导者。威斯康星大学海洋学实验室成立于1930年，由Thomas G. Thompson教授领导，是该学院的前身。海洋学学院于1951年在理查德·弗莱明（Richard Fleming）的领导下正式成立。它拥有美国最古老的本科课程，也是第一个提供海洋学学士学位的机构，于1955年毕业了第一名学生Alyn Duxbury，他后来成为海洋学科学和教育的奠基人之一。它是唯一一个提供所有学位的海洋学系：文学学士，理学学士，理学硕士和哲学博士。
最初位于现在所谓的旧海洋学大楼（教学实验室仍然在那里维护），学校在华盛顿大学校园西南边缘的四座主要建筑中：海洋科学大楼，海洋教学大楼，海洋科学大楼和本杰明大厅，占据了现代实验室，俯瞰波蒂奇湾。其他设施位于圣胡安岛的UW星期五港实验室。海洋学院最初的众多航海研究项目最初在R / V棕熊上进行，现在利用了R / V Thomas G. Thompson和R / V Rachel Carson的现代能力，后者于2018年加入了该部门的研究船队。
海洋学学院促进海洋科学的持续进步，社会相关问题的解决方案以及公众对海洋环境的认识。它处于通过观察，理论，建模和技术创新创造有关海洋的知识和理解的最前沿。学校专注于学习和发现，为学生提供知识和见解，学术方法，科学工具和沟通技巧。
The University of Washington School of Oceanography is a national leader in oceanographic research and education. The Oceanography Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin was established in 1930 under the leadership of Professor Thomas G. Thompson as the forerunner of the school. The School of Oceanography was formally established in 1951 under the leadership of Richard Fleming. It has the oldest undergraduate program in the United States and was the first institution to offer a bachelor's degree in oceanography, graduating its first student, Alyn Duxbury, in 1955, who went on to become one of the founding fathers of the science and education of oceanography. It is the only oceanography department that offers all degrees: BACHELOR of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy.
Originally located in what is now called the Old Oceanography Building (where teaching laboratories are still maintained), the school occupies modern laboratories overlooking Portage Bay in four main buildings on the southwest edge of the UW campus: the Marine Sciences Building, the Marine Teaching Building, the Marine Sciences Building, and Benjamin Hall. Other facilities are located at the UW Friday Harbor Laboratory on SAN Juan Island. Many of the ocean School's initial nautical research projects, originally conducted on R/V Brown Bears, now utilize the modern capabilities of R/V Thomas G. Thompson and R/V Rachel Carson, who joined the department's research fleet in 2018.
The School of Oceanography promotes the continued advancement of Marine science, solutions to socially relevant problems, and public awareness of the Marine environment. It is at the forefront of creating knowledge and understanding of the ocean through observation, theory, modelling and technological innovation. The school focuses on learning and discovery, providing students with knowledge and insights, academic methods, scientific tools and communication skills.