Since marine biology is so specialized, there are only roughly 100 colleges and universities to pick from. However, with more generally available majors like chemistry or biology, it is very possible to find meaningful employment in the field.
The colleges listed below offer good chances for taking maritime research to study in USA, as well as vast laboratory resources and well-respected professors. For very apparent reasons, the majority of the best schools for marine biology are near the ocean or have research facilities along the shore.
Cal State Long Beach
The California State University at Long Beach campus is located just south of Los Angeles, minutes from the Pacific Ocean and close to Catalina Island and Channel Islands National Park. Many marine biology students get hands-on experience helping at the university’s Marine Lab, which has a recirculating seawater system that keeps a collection of marine animals and plants.
Coastal wetlands protection, fisheries ecology, marine fish evolution, restoration, and the effects of pollution on marine animals are only a few of their specializations in research.
Eckerd College
The only school on this list with a completely undergraduate focus is Eckerd College. Their small classes will benefit you, and you’ll learn and perform research with faculty members.
Eckerd College includes classrooms and residence halls with views of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as its white sand beach. Classes are frequently held on the campus’s shoreline or out at sea because the institution has a fleet of vessels.
Students can begin obtaining hands-on research experience in their first year of college at the school’s Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory, which offers specialized research facilities just steps from the sea.
University of California (UCLA)
The University of California at Los Angeles is one of the country’s high-ranking public universities, situated just ten minutes away from the Pacific Ocean. The school’s marine biology program adds to the institution’s success. Undergraduates gain a strong foundation in the biological sciences before specializing in fields including subtidal and intertidal ecology, marine creature physiology, and oceanography.
Oregon State University
Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, is roughly an hour away from the Pacific Coast. However, during the mandatory semester at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in New Port, Oregon, students will acquire plenty of hands-on research experience.
There is no major in marine biology at OSU. Instead, students can major in biology and pursue a career in marine biology. Field and laboratory work are used to supplement the biology major’s requirements.
Stony Brook University
It shouldn’t come as a shock that Stony Brook University boasts a strong marine biology program, given the school’s mascot is the Seawolves. The campus is composed of 27,000 students, located just mere minutes away from the waters of Long Island Sound and Smithtown Bay’s wetland areas and nature preserves.
Students can participate in Stony Brook’s Semester by the Sea program on the Southampton campus, where students can use the university’s research vessels and new Marine Station to get practical experience.
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