Becoming a Marine Biologist

Steps to Take to Have a Research Career in Ocean Science

Feb 19, 2007 Wesley Rouse

This article outlines seven important steps that must be addressed as a person works toward becoming a marine biologist. See if you have the discipline to attain it.

The oceans are the basic trophic level of just about everything we need to survive on this planet. Even so, they have been studied little compared to the land portions of earth. Many young persons look at the ocean after a wonderful day on the beach and “decide” to become a marine biologist. Becoming a marine biologist can lead to one of the most satisfying careers a person can have, but you should make that decision with realistic motivations and after deliberate study of the field. Below are some of the steps a young person must take toward becoming a scientist.

1. Study as much science—biology, chemistry, physics, geology—in high school as your school offers. (It goes without saying that you should really study these disciplines and make all As in them.) Writing is also important, so take all the English your school offers. If you are planning on a graduate degree, especially a Ph.D., take a foreign language—Latin (probably the best), German, Russian, or French are acceptable. If you are not disciplined enough to take these courses, then you might look toward another field.

2. While in high school, do any special research studies you can such as participating in science fair projects, raising tropical and/or marine fish, volunteering in an aquatic exhibit or research facility, and/or going on summer vacations to marine labs around the world. If these activities are not enjoyable to you, perhaps you should select another field of study.

3. Select a university that has a good biology program. (Of course, if your interest is in marine chemistry or geology or ocean engineering or some other aspect of the ocean, you should select appropriate schools.) Most schools that have a Ph.D. program in biology will have a good undergraduate program. You might also select the school because of its faculty. Most schools that have complete majors in biology, chemistry, and physics would be acceptable. Most marine biology students major in biology with a minor or cognate in chemistry and at least a year of physics. Throwing in a semester of geology and/or astronomy also helps as you don’t know when such knowledge might help you in your work.

4. Most schools permit students with good grades to take a graduate course or two during their senior year. If your school permits it, take a graduate science course, preferably in your chosen field of study. This does two things—you learn to know a graduate school professor who could write a letter of recommendation for you, and you can decide if you really want to go on to graduate school.

5. Selecting a school for master’s graduate study is more important than your selection of your undergraduate school. Different schools specialize in different aspects of biology and this is especially true of the marine sciences. You should know by your fourth year of college which specific aspect of marine biology you are going to go into; therefore, select a school that has researchers specializing in your preferred field.

6. By the time you get your master’s degree, you will be able to further focus your doctoral studies. This decision is often almost made for you. Perhaps you wrote your master’s thesis on a certain subject where you conferred with a scientist and now you want to study with him/her. Or, you read a lot of papers on your study niche from a school that impressed you. However you make this decision, the graduate school must have a professor with whom you can study whatever it is you will write your dissertation on. If you are “smart as a fox” you will have been consulting with him/her throughout you master’s degree program. It is more important who you know than what you know when you apply for a doctoral program (although of course, you must have the right courses and top grades in them to get into the program).

7. Once you graduate with your Ph.D., you will be Dr. Marine Biologist. Then the real work starts—finding a job. Some just-graduated, new marine biologists choose to take a post-doc position for a couple of years while they are looking for a position at just the right institution. As your first job in the field, such a position can be extremely valuable. You are still kind of considered a student, but you are being paid to work on a project in a research niche that may go with you for the rest of your career. The most likely position will be with a graduate school where you can do your research and teach, although in the last few years jobs in private industry have been becoming more available.

As you can see, becoming a marine biologist is challenging, but it is also one of the most rewarding careers a person can have. Do you have what it takes?

The copyright of the article Becoming a Marine Biologist in Marine Biology & Oceanography is owned by Wesley Rouse. Permission to republish Becoming a Marine Biologist in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.