Marine biology is the study of plants and animals that live in oceans, costal waters, and saltwater wetlands. Students learn about the function, structure, and life processes of living things in these habitats. They learn about relationships between organisms.

Almost one billion people rely on fish as their main source of protein. And maybe you enjoy a blackened redfish, Cajun-style, or just tuna out of a can. But scientists are questioning how long we humans can maintain commercial supplies of fish at present levels. Fish are growing more scarce year by year.

Various strategies have been proposed to allow fish populations to rebound. Fishing seasons have been shortened. Limits have been placed on catches. Certain areas have been placed off-limits to fishing. It's too early to say what will succeed. But research by marine biologists may produce some of the answers. So much is still unknown about life within the oceans and their bays.

If you want to study this field, you can start as an undergraduate. About 100 colleges offer a bachelor's degree in marine biology. This usually takes four years of full-time study beyond high school. As in other biology majors, you study a number of laboratory sciences. These teach you the basics of scientific research. The program usually includes chemistry, biology, physics, and often biochemistry as well. You study statistics, since research produces large quantities of data. You learn how life processes function down at the level of cells and their organelles. And you study the principles of genetics.

You can expect to study marine ecology, so that you understand how energy and nutrients flow through the food chain. This gives you the big picture of marine life. For a closer look, you may choose to focus on birds, algae, fish, or invertebrates. In fact, you usually have a large degree of choice about the courses related directly to marine biology. It's usually considered a good idea to study a broad range of topics as an undergraduate.

Graduate school gives you a chance to specialize. It also opens up more job prospects, especially in research. (Of course, with a bachelor's in marine biology, you may choose to get further education in another field, such as medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine.) About ten graduate schools offer a master's degree in marine biology, and about ten offer the doctorate. The master's usually takes about two years beyond the bachelor's. The doctorate takes about three additional years.

The field of marine biology is very diverse. Therefore, graduate programs usually have few required courses. Often you work with a faculty committee to plan how to focus on your particular interests. The key concern is that you learn how to do scientific research. Research is primarily quantitative. So you usually take some courses on measuring living populations and analyzing data. Usually you take seminars, in which you do research and present it to the class. As you work with various researchers on the faculty, you explore different topics and methods of research. These experiences help you decide on a faculty advisor and on a topic for your own master's or doctoral research projects. In a doctoral program, you undertake an original research project and write it up as your dissertation.