Marine Biology Major

Program Highlights

• Hands-On Learning

  Research
  You will collect and analyze data on marine organisms. You'll study marine environments, such as estuaries and coastal ecosystems. You'll take part in a thriving undergraduate research program. We have diverse opportunities for students to conduct marine biological research. You'll collaborate with a faculty mentor in the lab or in the field.

  Study Abroad

  We sponsor a number of study abroad programs around the world. Students in these programs are exposed to tropical marine habitats and snorkel and dive in coral reefs and mangroves. Recent study abroad programs have gone to locations like:

  • Panama.
  • Bali.
  • British Virgin Islands.
  • Bahamas.
  • Little Cayman.

  Internship Opportunities

  
  Our students regularly do internships and research with several local organizations.

  • South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
  • Hollings Marine Laboratory
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • South Carolina Aquarium

   You may also find internships with:

  • environmental organizations.
  • wildlife rehabilitation centers.
  • government agencies.
  • biotech companies.

  Senior Project

  You may do a year-long Bachelor’s Essay project. You will design a research project. You'll collect and analyze your data, and you'll learn to communicate your findings to an audience. You may present your research at local, national and international scientific conferences.
• Location

  Charleston is home to diverse marine environments. Take advantage of easy access to local estuarine, coastal and ocean ecosystems. Our Marine Laboratory is right on the harbor. We partner with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources Research Institute and the Hollings Marine Laboratory. Students also work with faculty at various field sites, including Hawaii, the Arctic and Antarctic. 

• Faculty Expertise

  We have so many amazing faculty. This isn't a complete list, but a sampling of our faculty expertise includes:

  • ecology.
  • oceanography.
  • anatomy and physiology.
  • molecular and cellular biology.
  • genetics.
  • biomechanics.
  • neuroscience.
  • biodiversity.
  • computational biology.

  Faculty work on microbes, plants and animals. They study in marine, coastal, tropical, temperate and arctic ecosystems. Several focus on the effect of environmental change on biological systems.

  Because our faculty have such a wide range of research interests, you'll have so many exciting opportunities in class and beyond.