Marine Biology

From microscopic algae to giant whales, most of our planet’s life is found in the oceans. As a marine biologist, you will learn about the behaviour, physiology, and ecology of marine organisms. You will discover how individuals, populations and communities respond to environmental drivers such as temperature and food availability, as well as to the challenges presented by a changing climate and human interaction.

You will also gain the varied skills necessary to examine the marine environment and relay your findings to audiences from the general public through to government bodies. Contemporary marine biology requires a broad set of skills, including field work, writing and presentation, and data analysis. In your first two years of study, you will develop these core skills and, in year three, you will take advanced modules in areas of interest to you to further develop your overall understanding and growing expertise.

You can choose modules from across the School of Environmental Sciences, as well as selected modules from across the university such as the School of Life Sciences. In each year there are topics such as climate change and ocean physics, population ecology, physiology, conservation, and animal behaviour. Our research-led teaching approach allows our students to engage with up-to-the-minute science and policy in lectures, practical work, and in their independent research projects in year three.

This is an opportunity to explore fields or skills of interest, often working on unanswered questions in marine science. Recent projects include investigating physiological data on how cormorants stay warm while diving in frigid Arctic waters, building mathematical models of coral reefs, and looking at the impacts of a wind farm on benthic communities. A number of the School’s degree programmes involve laboratory and field work.

Fieldwork is carried out in various locations, ranging from inner city to coastal environments and onboard seagoing vessels. We consider