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Major · Biological & Biomedical Sciences

A bachelor’s grounded in ocean ecology and fisheries

Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography (CIP 26.1302) is a bachelor’s-only major studying ocean ecosystems, marine organisms, and ocean-environment interactions. About 1,922 students complete it across 85 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $50,492 — a modest entry wage, with most named careers requiring graduate credentials.

Schools offering
85
Annual completions
1,922
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$50k

About this major

Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography (CIP 26.1302) is a bachelor’s-leaning major in the biological and biomedical sciences family that studies ocean ecosystems, marine organisms, and the physical environment of oceans, coastal waters, and saltwater wetlands. The CIP definition organizes coursework around chemical, physical, and geological oceanography; molecular and cellular biology; marine microbiology, botany, ichthyology, and mammalogy; population dynamics and biodiversity; reproductive biology; specific species, phyla, and habitats; marine paleoecology; and applications to fisheries science and biotechnology. Most accredited programs require general biology, chemistry, and physics fundamentals plus marine-specific upper-division coursework, capped by field methods (boat work, sample collection, sometimes scuba certification) and a senior research thesis.

The major fits students drawn to ocean systems, organism diversity, and the field-based work that distinguishes marine biology from lab-based biology majors. It rewards comfort with research-cruise schedules, willingness to spend extended time at remote field sites, and the patience for multi-year ecological data collection. Day-to-day for bachelor’s-level work in the field looks like aquarium and zoo education or animal-care roles, fisheries technician work at NOAA or state agencies, environmental-consulting field-survey work, marine ecology field technician roles, and the volunteer-and-internship-stacking pattern that characterizes early-career marine biology applicants.

One grounded observation about scale and earnings: 1,922 students complete this CIP across 85 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $50,492 — a modest entry wage that reflects how competitive the field is and how many graduates are still in graduate study or stacking field experience. The packet names five BLS occupations and three of the five require master’s or doctoral credentials at the higher-paying tracks. Bachelor’s-accessible roles are Biological technicians ($52,000, 3.5% growth) and Zoologists and wildlife biologists ($72,860, 1.6% growth — but a small national occupation). Programs cluster on or near coasts: Coastal Carolina (144 completions), UC San Diego (96, with Scripps Institution access), Eckerd College (93), UC Santa Cruz (92), UNC Wilmington (88), Texas A&M (74), and Cal State Long Beach (68).

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Natural sciences managers $161k +3.7% Bachelor's degree
Biological technicians $52k +3.5% Bachelor's degree
Biological science teachers, postsecondary $83k +7.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Biological scientists, all other $93k +1.2% Bachelor's degree
Zoologists and wildlife biologists $73k +1.6% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$50k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you’re drawn to ocean systems and field-based research, you’re willing to stack research-experience-for-undergraduates (REU) summer programs, aquarium and NOAA internships, scuba certification (often AAUS scientific-diving cert), and the field-experience volume that defines competitive grad-school and entry-level applicants. UCSD’s Scripps connection, Eckerd’s small undergraduate field programs, and Coastal Carolina’s 144-graduate pipeline are particularly strong. The bachelor’s pays $50,492 in the data, and graduate school is the realistic ramp into salaried marine-biology research.

Reasons to pause: marine biology is a passion-driven field with significantly more applicants than salaried positions, especially for marine-mammal and conservation work. The bachelor’s caps low without graduate credentials, and most named higher-paying careers require master’s or doctoral degrees. Plan on geographic mobility — jobs cluster around specific coastal labs (NOAA, Woods Hole, Scripps, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology), and inland or off-coast students will need to relocate for both grad school and entry-level positions. If you want maximum biology flexibility for pre-med or biotech, the broader Biology, General CIP (26.0101) keeps more doors open.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 0 144 144
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 96 96
Eckerd College Saint Petersburg, FL 0 93 93
University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 0 92 92
University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC 0 88 88
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 74 74
California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA 0 68 68
Unity Environmental University New Gloucester, ME 0 67 67
University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI 0 66 66
The University of Tampa Tampa, FL 0 58 58
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Biology/Biological Sciences, General

83,027 completions/yr

Neuroscience

9,625 completions/yr

Biochemistry

8,736 completions/yr

Biomedical Sciences, General

6,553 completions/yr

Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology

3,392 completions/yr

Nutrition Sciences

3,240 completions/yr

Microbiology, General

2,120 completions/yr

Human Biology

2,094 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does this major actually cover?
Coursework spans general biology, chemistry, and physics fundamentals; physical, chemical, and geological oceanography; marine ecology and biodiversity; ichthyology (fish biology); marine mammalogy; marine microbiology and botany; population dynamics and reproductive biology; and applications to fisheries science and biotechnology. The CIP definition lists marine paleoecology and paleontology alongside contemporary ecology. Most programs require boat-based field methods, scuba certification at some schools, and a senior research thesis or capstone field study.
What jobs do graduates land at the bachelor’s level?
The packet names five BLS occupations and the realistic bachelor’s-accessible roles are Biological technicians ($52,000, 3.5% growth, bachelor’s) and Zoologists and wildlife biologists ($72,860, 1.6% growth, bachelor’s). Real-world destinations include aquarium and zoo educator/keeper roles, fisheries technician at NOAA or state agencies, marine ecology field technician, environmental consulting (assessing development impacts), and marine-mammal-rescue NGO work. The competition for marine-mammal and conservation roles is high.
Do I need a master’s or PhD?
For most of the named careers in the data, yes. Postsecondary biology teachers ($83,460) require doctorates; the Natural sciences manager wage ($161,180) is a mid-career role; and most lead marine-biology research roles require a master’s minimum. The bachelor’s opens the door to technician and field-tech roles, but the wage ceiling and project-leadership ceiling at the bachelor’s level are real. Most marine biologists who hold the title for life have at least a master’s, and many have a PhD.
Is the labor market really as competitive as it looks?
Yes. Marine biology is a passion-driven field with more applicants than salaried positions, particularly for marine-mammal, conservation, and high-profile research roles. Plan on stacking research-experience-for-undergraduates (REU) summer programs, multiple internships at aquariums or NOAA labs, scuba certification (PADI Open Water and Rescue Diver, often AAUS scientific-diving cert), and willingness to relocate for grad school and entry-level roles. Geographic flexibility and field-experience volume matter more than the bachelor’s school name.
How does this compare to a standard Biology, General degree?
Biology, General (CIP 26.0101, 83,027 completions) is the much larger generalist biology bachelor’s with broader coverage and stronger pre-health alignment. Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography (26.1302, 1,922 completions) narrows in on ocean systems and marine organisms with field-based methods. If you want maximum flexibility for pre-med, biotech, or graduate-school options, Biology General keeps more doors open. If you’re committed to marine work, this CIP is more direct.
Where are the strongest programs concentrated?
Coastal Carolina (144 completions) leads, with UC San Diego (96), Eckerd College (93), UC Santa Cruz (92), UNC Wilmington (88), Texas A&M (74), and Cal State Long Beach (68) following. Programs cluster on or near coasts — California, North Carolina, Florida, Hawaii — with strong field-program access. Eckerd College’s small undergraduate program is particularly well-known for marine-mammal and field research, while UCSD’s Scripps connection anchors world-class oceanographic resources.