Marine Biology and Ecology

The ocean sciences — marine biology, biological oceanography, ecology, evolution and population biology. ⚠⚠⚠ The fact to start with: the state with the second-longest coastline in the country awards 98 marine biology bachelor's a year, at THREE public institutions. Almost everyone doing this work in Florida arrived through a general biology or environmental science degree with marine coursework instead.

The degrees this program covers

⚠⚠⚠ THE NAMED DEGREE BARELY EXISTS. Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography (26.1302) is awarded at three Florida public institutions and produces 98 bachelor's a year — UWF 40, USF 32, FIU 26. ⚠ The wider ecology and evolution family (26.13) adds 41 more credentials, and they are almost all GRADUATE: UF doctorates and master's in ecology (26.1301), USF and UCF in evolutionary biology (26.1307), USF doctorates in ecology other. ⚠⚠ So the undergraduate footprint is tiny and the graduate footprint is where the research careers are, which is consistent with what BLS says: zoologists and wildlife biologists "typically need a master's degree for higher level jobs" and "a Ph.D. to lead research projects." ⚠⚠⚠ THE PRACTICAL CONCLUSION IS TO STOP LOOKING FOR THE DEGREE TITLE. A biology degree at an institution with marine faculty, a field station and boat access is a better preparation than a marine-titled degree without them — ask what research is running and who is running it. FAU (Harbor Branch), UF, Florida State, UCF and New College all support marine work without awarding a named marine bachelor's. ⚠ And check the courses rather than the catalogue: 65 of the 72 live undergraduate OCB identifiers are carried by exactly ONE institution, because marine courses are built around the water a particular campus can reach.

Careers this program leads to

Each one sets out the courses along the way, the licence or certification at the end, and the sources behind it.

Marine Biologist and Wildlife Biologist

⚠⚠⚠ The numbers first, because nobody puts them in front of Florida students: 19,500 zoologists and wildlife biologists nationally, about 1,400 openings a year across all fifty states, and a FLORIDA median of $52,750 against $76,780 nationally — the widest gap this site has measured. ⚠⚠ Florida awards 98 marine biology bachelor's a year at three institutions, and roughly 5,000 biology bachelor's, many of whom want the same jobs. This page is about what to do with that, not about talking you out of it.

Programs similar to this one

Neighbouring fields that share much of the same coursework, and often the same employers. ⚠ Read these before you commit to a major — which doors a neighbouring degree keeps open is the part no catalog tells you, and it is far cheaper to change now than later.

Biology and Biomedical Sciences 15 Florida schools

⚠⚠⚠ Where almost everyone actually comes from. Florida awards about 5,000 biology bachelor's a year against 98 marine ones, and a biology degree at a campus with marine faculty and a field station is the commoner and frequently better route. ⚠ It is also far more crowded, which is the trade.

Environmental Science and Studies 19 Florida schools

⚠⚠ The paid version of a similar interest, and worth weighing seriously: 745 credentials at 16 Florida institutions against 98 at three, and a Florida median $8,000 higher. ⚠ Water quality, estuaries, seagrass and coastal resilience are the same coastline from the regulatory side.

Environmental Engineering 7 Florida schools

⚠ Named for the coastal work specifically — restoration, shoreline stabilisation, stormwater and water-quality infrastructure are engineering projects that marine scientists advise on. ⚠⚠ Engineers on those projects hold a licence and earn roughly double the Florida marine biology median.

Public Health 14 Florida schools

⚠ An unexpected and real Florida destination: harmful algal blooms, shellfish sanitation, beach water quality and vibrio surveillance sit between marine biology and public health, and the public health side is better funded and better paid.

Florida public institutions offering this program

5 institutions awarded a credential in this field in 2023, at these levels: Bachelor's, Doctorate (research/scholarship), Master's, Postbaccalaureate certificate. A school appears here if it awards anything in the field, however limited its offering — a technical college teaching only practical nursing has a nursing program. Listed alphabetically, not ranked.

Florida International University

Bachelor's

University of Central Florida

Doctorate (research/scholarship)

University of Florida

Doctorate (research/scholarship) · Master's · Postbaccalaureate certificate

University of South Florida

Bachelor's · Doctorate (research/scholarship) · Master's

University of West Florida

Bachelor's

Source: federal IPEDS completions data for 2023, first majors only — the most recent year published. ⚠ It records what was awarded, which is strong evidence of what is offered, but a program launched since 2023 will not appear here. Check the institution’s own catalog before applying.

Updated 23 September 2026. ⚠ Program pages describe a field of study, not one school’s degree — always read the catalog of the institution you are applying to.