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Marine Biology

Types of Degrees Marine Biology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Marine Biology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	21
Bachelor’s Degree	1,921
Master’s Degree	360
Doctor’s Degree	73

What Marine Biology Majors Need to Know

Studies in Marine Biology develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Marine Biology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Marine Biology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Marine Biology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Marine Biology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Marine Biology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Marine Biology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Marine Biology graduates include:

• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Project Manager
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Research Scientist
• Clinical Program Coordinator
• Clinical Research Director
• Clinical Research Monitor
• Clinical Trial Manager
• Postdoctoral Researcher
• Oncology Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Research Manager
• Clinical Trial Coordinator
• Clinical Manager
• Clinical Research Administrator
• Postdoctoral Fellow

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Marine Biology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	37.0%
Master’s degree	20.9%
Post-doctoral training	16.4%
Doctoral degree	12.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%
Some college courses	2.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Marine Biology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.9% of Marine Biology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,659	69.9%
Men	716	30.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Marine Biology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,509	63.5%
Asian	123	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	380	16.0%
Black or African American	75	3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	155	6.5%
Race Unknown	51	2.1%
International Students	78	3.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Marine Biology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Marine Biology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$44,645
4 years	$55,280
5 years	$64,232

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,232 — roughly 44% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Marine Biology Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Marine Biology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Marine Biology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Marine Biology graduates earn a median of $55,280 four years after completion — roughly 45% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology	26.13
Aquatic Biology/Limnology	26.1304
Conservation Biology	26.1307
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology	26.1310
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other	26.1399
Ecology	26.1301
Environmental Biology	26.1305
Epidemiology and Biostatistics	26.1311
Epidemiology	26.1309
Population Biology	26.1306
Systematic Biology/Biological Systematics	26.1308
Animal Physiology	26.0707

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.