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Marine Science Major

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Marine Science

68 Master's Degrees Annually
36 Doctor's Degrees Annually
#252 in Popularity (Master's)
$83,600 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Marine Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many marine science graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Master’s Degree 68
Doctor’s Degree 36

What Marine Science Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to marine science and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Marine Science Majors

Marine Science majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills for Marine Science Majors

A major in marine science prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Marine Science Majors

A major in marine science will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

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  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Marine Science Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with marine science:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Climate Change Analysts 11.1% $71,130
Clinical Research Coordinators 9.9% $123,860
Environmental Restoration Planners 11.1% $71,130
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health 11.1% $71,130
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers 14.1% $91,130
Molecular and Cellular Biologists 8.0% $79,590
Natural Sciences Managers 9.9% $123,860
Professors 9.4% $65,660
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists 6.8% $107,230
Water Resource Specialists 9.9% $123,860
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists 7.7% $63,420

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Marine Science?

68 Master's Degrees Annually
57% Percent Women
22% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major is dominated by women with about 57% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of marine science majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 4
Black or African American 0
Hispanic or Latino 7
White 45
International Students 2
Other Races/Ethnicities 10

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Marine Science, too. About 2.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • China
  • Canada
  • India
  • Germany
  • Colombia

How Much Do Marine Science Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Marine Science majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $76,990 to $110,090 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Marine Science Major  ( 76990 to 110090 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with marine science require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for marine science careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 0.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 1.1%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 1.2%
Some College Courses 0.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 1.0%
Bachelor’s Degree 42.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 3.7%
Master’s Degree 33.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 1.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 0.6%
Doctoral Degree 9.7%
Post-Doctoral Training 5.2%

Online Marine Science Programs

In 2020-2021, 30 schools offered a marine science program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 1 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 4 0
Bachelor’s Degree 0 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 16 0
Post-Master’s 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 7 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Marine Science Worth It?

The median salary for a marine science grad is $83,600 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 110% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $874,000 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to marine science.

Major Number of Grads
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 2,491
Sustainability Science 1,547
Nutrition Science 1,496
Behavioral Science 1,358
Computational Science 1,063
International Studies 918
Human Computer Interaction 822
Data Analytics 793
Museum Studies 696
Gerontology 655
Biological & Physical Science 639
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution 522
Systems Theory 461
Dispute Resolution 416
Interdisciplinary Studies 402
Data Science 373
Mathematics & Computer Science 290
Historic Preservation 266
Science, Technology & Society 198
Multicultural & Diversity Studies 176
Cultural Studies & Analysis 161
Cognitive Science 123
Natural Sciences 76
Holocaust Studies 54
Medieval Studies 46
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature 28
Human Biology 18
Classical & Ancient Studies 17
Earth Systems Science 13
Maritime Studies 9
Accounting & Computer Science 8
Linguistics and Computer Science 6
Environmental Geosciences 6
Linguistics and Anthropology 2
Thanatology 0
Biopsychology 0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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