Academy of the Future Ocean（AFO）will select the students from the recommendation examination graduates. Based on the students' knowledge backgrounds and academic levels, the Academy will invite the outstanding educators in the relevant fields worldwide. English is the primary language in communication, the AFO's forges a new education model which combining on "Problem-Oriented" as the main direction and "Preparation-Class Discussion-Teacher Presentation-Homework" as a learning process, to improve students' discover ability and to solve problems in the process of learning knowledge of different subject areas. There are three phases of training processes.

The First Phase: The "Big Ocean" fundamental knowledge education. The Academy offers basic courses and some cutting-edge courses in marine science and technology. Relying on the comprehensive advantages of multi-disciplinary and extensive international cooperation advantages of OUC, this phase is not only enabling students to independently complete the integration of the basic knowledge of different subjects of the "Big Ocean" but also focusing on cultivating the independent thinking and questioning ability.

The Second Phase: With the core aims on a comprehensive understanding of the exploration technology involved in marine science, the mechanism of scientific phenomena, the forecasting technology and other professional knowledge, it is focused on the future development of marine science. Courses are offered by learning multiscale ocean dynamics, materials, life cycle processes and interacting on the multi-layered circle of earth systems.

During the two phase periods, students should participate in the research activities of their supervisors, and complete the research work of the undergraduate thesis and the degree defense over the first phase.

The Third Phase: Students depending on their research interests to explore the frontiers of science, and participate in high-level scientific research projects and scientific plans under the guidance of the doctoral supervisors of the Institute for Advanced Ocean Study(IAOS).