Studies & Degrees in Marine Sciences
Marine Sciences Study Programs
Marine sciences study the ocean as a whole: the water, the seafloor, the coast and the life in them. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describes oceanography as covering marine life and ecosystems, ocean circulation, plate tectonics and the geology of the seafloor, and the chemical and physical properties of the ocean. The field is usually divided into four branches:
- biological oceanography and marine biology, which study plants and animals in the marine environment
- chemical oceanography, which studies the composition of seawater and its cycles
- geological oceanography, which explores the ocean floor
- physical oceanography, which studies waves, currents, tides and the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere
NOAA notes that these branches are intertwined and that every oceanographer needs a solid understanding of biology, chemistry, geology and physics. A marine sciences degree therefore starts with those basic sciences and mathematics. Later years add fieldwork on the coast and at sea, laboratory work and data analysis, and applied topics such as fisheries, aquaculture, coastal management and climate.
Qualifications and levels
Bachelor's degrees. In Spain, Ciencias del Mar is an official bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits, the standard length set by Real Decreto 822/2021. In other countries the first degree is shorter or has a different name. Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh lists its BSc (Hons) Marine Biology at three to four years, and the University of Wollongong in Australia lists its Bachelor of Marine Science at three years full time. In the United States the subject is an undergraduate major, with names such as marine science, oceanography or marine biology.
Master's degrees and doctorates. Spanish official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Research careers normally continue with a PhD: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that zoologists and wildlife biologists, the group that includes marine biologists, typically need a PhD to lead research projects.
Shorter options. Some marine laboratories take students from other universities for a semester, a summer course or an internship. The directory also includes colleges such as Cornwall College in England and Monterey Peninsula College in California; ask them which marine courses they currently run.
Where to study
SpainExchange lists 71 active schools for marine sciences. The largest groups are in the United States (21 schools), Spain (11) and the United Kingdom (7), followed by Australia (3) and Portugal, Canada, Chile and Italy with two each. Bermuda, China, Costa Rica and Jordan are among the countries with one.
Spain. Three examples show how the grado is offered:
- The Universidad de Cádiz teaches it at its Puerto Real campus with three specialisations: oceanography, living resources (fisheries and aquaculture) and coastal area management. The faculty uses the oceanographic vessel UCADIZ for practical work.
- The Universidad de Alicante offers 60 places on a 240-credit degree taught in Spanish, with some subjects also offered in Valencian. Its listed price is €17.34 per credit for a first enrolment; non-resident students from outside the EU pay different prices.
- The Universidad Católica de Valencia "San Vicente Mártir", a private university, teaches a 240 ECTS on-campus grado in Spanish.
United States. The University of Washington in Seattle has a School of Oceanography that works in physical, biological and chemical oceanography and in marine geology and geophysics. The Rosenstiel School of the University of Miami offers six undergraduate majors, among them marine science, oceanography, and marine biology and ecology, and six PhD and MS programmes. Duke University has a year-round coastal campus, the Duke Marine Lab, in Beaufort, North Carolina, open to students from all majors.
Elsewhere. The ASU Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), part of Arizona State University, keeps some of the longest-running sets of ocean observations in the world and offers courses and internships for university students. In the United Kingdom, Heriot-Watt University teaches marine biology in Edinburgh.
The language of instruction follows the country: Spanish in Spain, with co-official languages for some subjects, and English in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Check the language requirement of each programme.
Careers
Graduates work in research institutes and universities, government agencies for fisheries, environment and weather, aquaculture and fishing companies, environmental consultancies, ports and coastal management, and marine conservation organisations. Part of the work takes place at sea: the BLS notes that oceanographers may spend months on a research ship.
Official employment statistics rarely count marine scientists separately. In the United States the BLS places oceanographers among geoscientists, whose employment it projects to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, and marine biologists among zoologists and wildlife biologists, projected to grow 4 percent over the same period. A bachelor's degree is the typical entry level for geoscientists.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between marine sciences and marine biology?
Marine biology studies the plants and animals of the sea. Marine sciences, or oceanography, also cover the chemistry and physics of seawater and the geology of the ocean floor.
How long does a marine sciences degree take?
In Spain the grado en Ciencias del Mar has 240 ECTS credits, which corresponds to four years. Bachelor's degrees take three years at the University of Wollongong and three to four years at Heriot-Watt University.
Which subjects do I need for marine sciences?
Biology, chemistry, geology, physics and mathematics. NOAA states that all oceanographers need a good understanding of the first four.
Can I study marine sciences in Spain in English?
The degrees described here are taught in Spanish, with some subjects in Valencian at the Universidad de Alicante. Ask each university which subjects, if any, it offers in English.