Marine Biology

Degree: B.S.

The Marine Biology option offers comprehensive classroom instruction, laboratory and field training at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station at Wallops Island, Va.

Why Study This Program?

Students who choose to pursue the Marine Biology option at Millersville University are curious about nature and how it works, enjoy solving problems and are deeply committed to fixing pressing environmental issues and helping society. The program involves a challenging mix of field and lab-oriented courses. 

Millersville’s affiliation with the Chincoteague Bay Field Station at Wallops Island, Va., gives students hands-on experience in marine and environmental sciences through intensive three-week summer courses and student-oriented research projects. Students participate in marine-related co-ops, internships or research experiences with faculty members to further develop their marine skills.

Marine Biology is an option within the Biology department. Students graduate with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology. 

“Dan Calzarette graduated from Millersville University in 2014 with a degree in Marine Biology. Currently he is an animal care technician at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. He loves both the animals and the infrastructure that underlie research, particularly in the complex design, building, monitoring and maintenance of aquaria systems in a major seawater facility. ”

- Dan Calzarette | 2014

What Will You Learn?

The Marine Biology option is a challenging combination of field and lab-oriented courses in biology, marine biology and oceanography. Courses focus on the physical factors that drive ecosystems, the communities of organisms found in oceans around the world, and the biology of fishes, invertebrates, algae and planktonic organisms that inhabit the world’s oceans.

The Biology faculty believes that students should first be biologists and then specialists within biological science. Because marine biology is a science that is built on our understanding of the physical world as revealed by the physical sciences, this program requires extensive coursework in chemistry, physics and mathematics. Students are also required to take a variety of liberal arts courses that will help them face ethical and societal questions in their careers and become life-long learners.

On-campus courses are complemented by field courses offered at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station (CBFS) in Wallops Island, Va., and at other field stations throughout the world. Students are strongly encouraged and supported in completing an internship or research experience that matches their individual interests and career aspirations. 

Marine Biology students have the opportunity to collaborate with scientists at the top research institutions including the Marine Biological Lab at Woods Hole and the Academy of Natural Sciences Estuarine Research Center. MU's membership in the Marine Science Consortium allows students to interact with the faculty from a number of other institutions.