Biology and Marine Biology
Biology and Marine Biology together span the living world from its most fundamental molecular mechanisms to the vast and complex ecosystems of the ocean. Biology provides the conceptual and experimental foundations of life science, encompassing cell biology, genetics, evolution, ecology and physiology, while marine biology focuses these tools on one of the planet's most important and threatened environments. The oceans cover more than seventy percent of the Earth's surface, regulate its climate, provide food and livelihoods for billions of people, and harbour extraordinary biodiversity that remains only partially understood.
Studying them alongside the broader discipline of biology gives you both depth and breadth as a scientist.
At the University of Southampton, this four-year full-time MSci programme develops your knowledge of the living world from the molecular level through to entire ecosystems, covering both terrestrial and marine biology in an integrated curriculum. You will learn through lectures, laboratory work and fieldwork carried out both in the UK and abroad, giving you direct experience of the environments you are studying and the field skills that professional biologists and marine scientists rely on. The additional masters year deepens your research training and equips you for careers that demand the highest level of scientific expertise.
Graduates from Biology and Marine Biology programmes go on to careers in academic and applied research, conservation and environmental management, inshore fisheries, marine policy, ecological consultancy and international development. Government agencies, environmental charities, natural history museums, the fishing and aquaculture industries, and organisations working on ocean governance and climate adaptation all employ graduates with this combination of skills. Postgraduate study and doctoral research in marine ecology, oceanography, conservation biology or environmental science are natural next steps for those who want to develop specialist expertise.