The University of Victoria’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences is recognized internationally for its excellence in Earth, ocean and atmospheric systems research and education. Established in 1991, the school was the first university department in Canada to develop an integrated multidisciplinary approach to Earth system science. The school's faculty members and graduate students are actively researching acoustical oceanography, geochemistry, biogeochemistry, climate modeling, geophysics, hydrothermal systems, ocean acoustics, ocean physics, ocean turbulence, aqueous geochemistry, petrology geochemistry, structural geology, plankton and deep sea benthic ecology, paleontology, and deep sea ecology.

Aside from the school of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria researchers in the fields of marine biology, ocean engineering, geography, and ocean physics are involved in marine science.