Sample courses that might be required for a degree in Marine Biology:

Core Marine Biology Courses

• Intro to Marine Biology
• Intro to Biological Oceanography
• Marine Biochemistry
• Marine Biology Laboratory
• Current Research in Marine Biology
• Statistical Methods in Marine Biology
• Genetics

Elective Marine Biology Courses

• Physics and Chemistry of the Oceans
• Intro to Ocean Waves
• The Physical Basis of Ocean Warming
• Satellite Remote Sensing
• Chemical Principles of Marine Systems
• Ocean Acidification
• The Solid and Fluid Earth
• Intro to Earth and Environmental Sciences (lab)
• California Coastal Oceanography (lab)
• Paleobiology and History of Life (lab)
• Evolution of Earth’s Biosphere (lab
• Marine Microbiology (lab)
• The Coral Reef Environment
• Applications of Phylogenetics (lab)
• Pollution, Environment and Health
• Phycology: Biology of Marine Plants (lab)
• Marine Invertebrates (lab)
• Organic Chemistry (lab)
• Metabolic Biochemistry
• Biochemical Techniques (lab)
• Physics - Waves, Optics and Modern Physics (lab)
• Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
• Intro to Ecology
• Evolution
• Independent Study

Colleges will also require you to take some core undergraduate courses in addition to some electives. Required core courses and electives will vary from college to college. Here are a number of examples:

Arts and Humanities

• Arts
• History
• Languages
• Literature
• Music

Math

• Algebra
• Calculus
• Computer Science
• Logic
• Statistics

Natural Sciences

• Astronomy
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Physics

Social Sciences

• Anthropology
• Economics
• Government
• Psychology
• Sociology