Marine science positions are available to majors such as physics, chemistry, biology or geology. A bachelor's degree, however, may only qualify you for a position with limited career and salary opportunities in marine science. Graduate students attending those schools receive degrees in zoology, botany, or other disciplines but have emphasized marine organisms in their research. Few, if any schools, offer a degree in marine biology, as such. In addition to a bachelor's degree, field research, laboratory work and summer internships that relate to marine biology are extremely helpful in gaining entrance to graduate school or to career employment.
Graduate work is required for most openings in research as well as in teaching.
Knowledge of scuba diving and underwater photography may also be helpful. Both of these skills can often be acquired during your graduate school experience. Once one receives a graduate degree in a marine science-related area, an entry position may be found either with a corporation, a federal or state government agency or a college or university. Competition for these jobs is stiff. A recent survey indicated that approximately 40 percent of successful job applicants in marine science work in colleges or universities.