Undergraduate degrees: BA or BS
About the major
What if your classrooms were tidepools and mudflats? Situated on 130 acres of coastal property along Coos Bay, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) is a vast, living classroom where students in biology, marine biology, general science, and environmental science study marine organisms in their natural habitat.
Marine biology majors study physiology, ecology, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics on campus in Eugene. During junior or senior year, undergraduates immerse themselves in three terms of intensive field and lab classes at OIMB covering diverse topics of marine biology, with opportunities for independent research and internships. With courses such as Invertebrate Zoology, Oceanography, Marine Birds and Mammals, and Tropical Marine Biology in Panama, it is little wonder our majors consider their time at OIMB to be the highlight of their college experience.
A little more info
- The University of Oregon offers the only marine biology degree in the Pacific Northwest.
- Students who pursue a degree in marine biology receive the same solid background as a UO biology major, but also experience several terms of field-based learning at OIMB.
- The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology is a picturesque complex of laboratories, classrooms, and dormitories located in the southern coastal fishing village of Charleston, Oregon.
- Full-day courses with small class sizes give our majors an immersion experience to study marine organisms with a small group of peers, graduate students, and world-renowned marine biologists.
- Marine biology majors have the opportunity to conduct independent research and participate in internships that prepare them for graduate school and careers as marine scientists.
Career opportunities
Marine scientists are employed by universities and colleges, international organizations, federal and state agencies, private companies, aquaria, museums, nonprofit laboratories, and local governments, or they may be self-employed. The same careers open to broadly trained biologists are also open to marine biologists. Marine biology leads to jobs in environmental, government, medical, and biotechnological fields.