Centre for Ocean and Island Studies was established in the year 2000 and was upgraded as a full-fledged Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology in 2004. This Department is spread in a sprawling campus of its own of 12.5 acres in Port Blair, the picturesque capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. The Department has well equipped infrastructural facilities with laboratories and equipment for both the academics and research activities with extramural funding from UGC, DST and MoES. The Department location in Port Blair has close proximity with the marine environment with uniqueness of having distinct Coral, mangrove and Island ecosystems. Students who join the programs are trained well in depth in the field of Marine Biology. The mandate of the program is in exploring these ecosystems for their biological resources and developing strategies for sustainable management and conservation.

The Department offers both M.Sc. and Ph.D. Program in Marine Biology through Entrance Examination conduncted by the University at certain centres all over India. Students for the Masters program are admitted based on the rank obtained by them in the Entrance Exam and all students enrolled are offered a studentship of Rs. 1000 per month who put in 70% attendance. Students for the Ph.D program are admitted based on the rank obtained in the Entrance Exam and their performances in the Interview.