About VIMS

Chartered in 1940, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is one of five graduate schools of the College of William and Mary. VIMS' tripartite mission to provide research,education, and advisory service in marine science is mandated in the Code of Virginia. The main campus is located in Gloucester Point, VA, at the mouth of the York River, a major tributary and passageway to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The Eastern Shore Laboratory, in Wachapreague, VA, offers access to embayments, salt marshes, and barrier beaches. A third campus, the Kauffman Aquaculture Center on the Rappahannock River, provides access to a low-salinity environment. The Institute focuses much, but not all, of its research on coastal and estuarine systems. Approximately 500 faculty, staff, and students are engaged in marine science activities at the Institute.

The School of Marine Science (SMS) is the graduate education component of VIMS. SMS faculty are drawn from the larger VIMS faculty. Currently there are 56 teaching faculty and 111 graduate students. About half of the students are working on masters theses and half on doctoral degrees. International students make up 12% of the student body.

The Institute is recognized worldwide for its expertise in coastal marine science. VIMS faculty includes representatives from numerous subdisciplines such as biological, chemical, and physical oceanography; genetics; immunology; toxicology; wetlands science; aquatic disease; and computational modeling.

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