Marine Biology (BS)

What is A Marine Biology (BS) Degree?

Biology is the scientific study of life in all forms including plants, animals, and microorganisms. There are many sub-fields, one of which is medicine. Medicine and human health-related specialties are included in another section on this site and is one way to go.  But a degree in biology can be a good spring-board for a number of careers besides medicine—like Marine Biology.

Marine Biology is the study of all living things—plants and animals—that live in the oceans and seas:  how they live and behave and how they interact with their environment.  To work in the field, you will need to have a very broad background in different subjects besides biology, like oceanography, chemistry, geology, even ecology.  After completing the fundamentals in science that you’ll need, you’ll take specific courses in aquatics and marine biology, estuaries, wetlands, and marine toxicology, often taking ocean samples and testing them in a lab setting.  Also, you’ll be spending time exploring different elements of the ocean environment and you may even encounter live animals living in deep and shallow water.

The video below discusses a “typical” program, so it should help regardless of which school you are considering.