Marine Biology Schools

[Dark Knight]

My middle son wants to follow that path, Marine Biology, and asked me where are the best schools. I Googled it but no luck. I've seen posts here making reference to school rankings in engineering.

Can any of you help to find that for Marine Biology for Florida and the USA ?

 

[ktulu]

University of South Alabama

US Schools

just a quick search I found these

 

[Guest]

Speaking in very general terms (because I really don't know much about this) the university system (at least in FL) has transformed thier approach to biology majors. The evolution (no pun intended) has been to break these programs down to be very specific in terms of a BS degree, otherwise offer a 'certificate' with a watered down degree.

For your comparative purposes:

FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITIES

Florida State University Note: Certificate Program

http://www.bio.fsu.edu/coleman_lab/certificate_page1.html

University of Florida

http://www.whitney.ufl.edu/index.htm

University of South Florida Note: Marine Biology is not even called-out on the title page

http://www.cas.usf.edu/biology/index.html

REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES

University of Central Florida

STATE UNIVERSITIES

Florida Atlantic University

http://www.science.fau.edu/biology/undergr...ergraduate.html

Florida Gulf Coast University

University of North Florida

University of West Florida

My recommendation is to look at SPECIFIC colleges - curriculum, classes offered, reseach assistantships, etc. and then make decisions based on the program and research that university can offer. After all, remember, a major like Marine Biology requires strong academic ties and research $$ in order to break into the group. It isn't like having a license where you can ply your trade based on that credential.

Best of luck my friend! :bio:

JR

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

My middle son wants to follow that path, Marine Biology, and asked me where are the best schools. I Googled it but no luck. I've seen posts here making reference to school rankings in engineering.
Can any of you help to find that for Marine Biology for Florida and the USA ?

In other words he wants to go snorkeling someplace tropical with women in bikinis. Your son is a wise young man!

 

[benbo]

Don't forget Scripps Institute at UCSD. But I think that is only for grad school. And Woods Hole (no jokes please).

 

[Desert Engineer]

Check out this site:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/tools/search.php#

 

[FusionWhite]

I wonder where George Costanza got his marine biology degree? You know he saved a whale once...

 

[Dleg]

I talked to our marine biologist. He just finished his PhD at Florida Tech. He does not recommend Florida Tech for undergrad. Here are his recommendations, and I would take them seriously:

University of Miami - if your son wants to specialize in coral reefs, this is the best undergrad program in Florida, and one of the best in the nation as well.

University of Hawaii - Best program overall for coral reefs.

University of South Florida - good school, known especially for remote sensing technologies applied to coral reefs

University of Washington, Friday Harbor Marine Lab - if your son wants to specialize in "fish."

Finally, if overall credentials are important, Scripps and the Duke Marine Lab are excellent programs and a degree from those institutes always looks good on a resume.

 

[maryannette]

Duke University does have a very good program, and their marine biology lab is very close to where I live. Duke is private (expensive) but I think there are opportunities for good scholarships.

 

[Dleg]

I should add, that there are tons of people who want to be marine biologists, but there are relatively few jobs available. Your son should commit to at least a Masters degree, and probably have PhD in mind as well.

That said, it might not be a bad approach to aim for something like a Bachelors of Environmental Engineering first, with plans to immediately move into the Masters in Marine Biology program. That way, he can have something to fall back on. Just have him make sure he talks to the counselor and gets the pre-requisites for marine biology out of the way while he's at it.

Both our Marine Biologist (CNMI DEQ) and the Marine Biologist for American Samoa EPA took that route. For one of them, at least, it was the engineering degree that got his foot in the environmental agency door, and then he went off and got the marine biology degree later. His job was almost guaranteed because he knew everyone by then and ahd a good reputation. On the other hand, our marine biologist went into grad school right away (University of Guam for his MS) and never used his engineering degree.

And that brings up another bit of advice concerning the possibilities of actually getting a job. It might be best to go to a school in a somewhat remote area (Hawaii at a minimum, University of Guam or Fiji at worst) because there's less competition for jobs, and the agency people in the region will be more familiar with the subjects of your thesis, possibly even know you, and that might give you an edge over some Duke or Scripps grad. That's how it has worked out here, anyway.

It's definitely a tough field to get into, but if he can, the jobs can be very rewarding. Our marine biologist gets to tag along on the yearly NOAA research voyages to our uninhabited northern islands, and he's out diving locally every week. He spends something like 15% of our entire agency budget on boats and gadgets. I'm somewhat jealous, except that I realize I actually perform a useful service.... as far as I'm concerned, he and the other marine biologists are just collecting data, which no one is using right now... :jerkit:

 

[Dark Knight]

Thanks to all for your postings. Great help!!!

My son already says that he is going to the PhD and I think he really mean it. He is very poised and disciplined. I thing he got the discipline from swimming.

I am thinking on sending him to Puerto Rico to obtain the SCUBA diving license diuring the winter( the beauty of a tropical island). My uncle is a NAUI certified instructor and is the only one I would trust my son's life. Will probably do that.

As far as colleges I think he will shoot for Miami or South Florida, in that order. He looked very excited with the program at University of South Carolina. He was dissapointed with University of Florida. He still has one more year to go in High School since he is a Junior right now. He is working hard trying to make the Florida High School Swimming State Championships.

We will see but he has always been the scientist of the family. Everytime he learned something in school came back home excited and talking at 200mph about what he learned. I remember onced we where in Orlando for a week-end and my wifey said: "It is going to rain". He said that it was not going to rain based on the clouds formation in the sky and explaining that was representative of a high pressure and blah blah blah. I did not put to much attention but the truth was it did not rain.

Again....thank you all very much!!!!!

By the way...he thinks we all are a bunch of crazy engineers!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dleg]

Sounds like he'll do fine. :thumbs:

 

[bigray76]

I wonder where George Costanza got his marine biology degree? You know he saved a whale once...

You beat me to that one FW.

"Is that a Titleist?"

 

[Sschell]

UCSD does have an undergrad program in marine bio... and why would anyone want to go anywhere else if the're serious about that field.

(its also #2 in the world for bio-engineering)

 

[Slugger926]

Another one on the radar is Univerisity of Texas A&M, Galveston. I have a friend going there, but the other locations look better to me.

 

[C-Dog]

University of Rhode Island has a program too. A friend's brother I know went to URI for ocean engineering BS and then when marine biology grad (not sure MS or PHd)

 

[Dark Knight]

Thanks for the bump on this thread.

From the time I started this until now things are taking shape. He is working as a volunteer for two organiztions here. One deals with manatees and the other one with sea turtles. He does that during week-ends because is his only free time from school and swimming practices.

Right now he is very inclined, against my wife best wishes, to apply to University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His heart choice is Hawaii but he would have to make his mom dissapear for a while and I would have to find two more jobs to pay for that. UNCW has a swimming program and his times right now are good enough to score points for the team. Remember he is still a HS JR.

There is another university in PR with a great program and since we have had approaches from swimming coaches there that option is not out of the loop yet.

We will see. Thanks to all for the good posts.

 

[Dleg]

^^^^The reason I didn't mention those other schools is because BIO wanted info on marine biology programs that specialized in coral reefs. Those other schools may be great, but not for coral reef marine biology. At least, according to myPhD marine biologist co-worker.

 

[cement]

did you know that manatee is delicious? why else would they be endangered?

 

[Guest]

^^^ Actually, they were supposed to have thier protection status changed to THREATENED, but that got quashed over differences in how the state and federal listings for protected species are adminsitered. :true:

Manatees Retain Endangered Status

JR