Apply for Maymester

Applications for our Catalina Residential College Maymester are open!

Live for a month on Catalina Island as you learn how to protect our urban oceans. Program courses include marine microbiology, oceanography, coastal ecology, island histories, and human attitudes toward environmental policies.

The priority deadline has passed, but we are still accepting applications on a rolling basis for courses with open seats. Please see the Maymester application for more information.

Apply for the Wrigley Institute Maymester

Find Your Place at the Wrigley Institute

Graduate student Thabassum Ahammad, wearing special safety goggles, lifts the lid on a metal box as light from a green laser glows from inside.
Solutions-Focused Research
two students, one wearing a USC sweatshirt and baseball cap and flashing a
Undergraduate and Graduate Education
students look at AI-generated climate art set up on easels in an outdoor courtyard
Events and Public Engagement

Build a Better Future with Us

Together, Wrigley Institute students, faculty, and staff are creating a more sustainable future for our planet and all who live on it. Join us in our mission.

composite of a photo of students using a redlight to look at a seawater sample at night, a diver collecting coral samples from a reef, and a faculty member showing a student how to use a lab scale
See who we are and what we do

See who we are and what we do

Training for Tomorrow

Students in our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs learn to view environment and sustainability challenges with fresh eyes, harnessing an interdisciplinary perspective to develop novel, world-changing solutions to big problems.

Learn more about Environmental Studies

“The classes I took in the Environmental Studies Program were some of my most inspiring at USC. They really solidified my passion and equipped me for working in this area.”

Forrest Lee ’19, USC environmental studies alumn and development manager, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
Forrest Lee, an environmental studies alumn who graduated in 2019, wears a gray polo shirt and stands in a warehouse-style space at his employer, the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator

World-Class Sustainability Research

Our affiliated faculty are tracking the state of our planet, creating workable solutions to big challenges, and transforming the way society thinks and acts on the environment.

Learn more about faculty research

“Reefs provide so many essential services: they’re biodiversity hotspots, sources of new medicines, natural breakwaters that protect coastal communities, and major economic hubs. My lab is working toward solutions to help reefs hang on.”

Carly Kenkel, biology professor and Wrigley Institute Faculty Innovation Award winner
Carly kenkel

Five Units, One Wrigley Institute

    Environmental Studies Program

    Students in the Environmental Studies Program graduate with degrees and training to become the world’s next generation of environmental and sustainability changemakers.

    Issues in these fields touch every aspect of our lives, so our program teaches students to think holistically and creatively about solving problems at the intersection of people and planet.

    Wrigley Marine Science Center

    Established in 1965, the Wrigley Marine Science Center is our satellite campus for research and education.

    What was once a standalone marine laboratory has evolved into a vibrant center for research and immersive learning, hosting thousands of faculty and students each year.

    Cross-Disciplinary Research

    Through in-house research and by supporting the work of world-class faculty and fellows, we’re leading the way to a more sustainable future.

    Our research programs span the globe and multiple disciplines to create a comprehensive understanding of environmental and sustainability challenges and opportunities.

    USC Sea Grant

    The Sea Grant program at USC is a federal-state-university partnership in the national network of 34 programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program.

    As part of the Wrigley Institute, USC Sea Grant integrates research, education, and outreach, addressing the unique issues faced by communities and coastlines along Southern California’s “urban ocean.”

    Public Engagement

    The institute’s signature annual events, special programs, and ongoing activities fulfill the most important aspect of our vision: inspiring positive change.

    Our engagements spark action through workshops, lectures, art exhibits, and more – all created to move hearts and minds on the most important issues of our time.

    Latest News

    What’s New and Exciting at the Wrigley Institute