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Marine Biology

With 70% of the earth’s surface being covered with oceans, the world of Marine Biology is extremely broad. The discipline focusses on the scientific study of the animals and plant life which rely on the ocean environment to live. We have barely scratched the surface of exploring, let alone understanding these habitats so this is an exciting sector in which to work. 

There is the potential to move into an academic position, in which your time will be split between lecturing and research. This will likely require a postgraduate degree and possibly a Ph.D. The competition for these roles is fierce, so it is a good idea to start your career development early by planning your desired path.

Additional skills you may want to consider developing (if planning to go down this route) whilst in university are Scuba diving, GPS mapping and boat handling. Marine Biology also requires a solid understanding of Maths, English and computer technology, as analysing data and communicating it is one of the key tasks of modern Marine Biologists. Other potential career paths include Education, Law, Journalism and filmmaking, or working in the public sector. There are many other fields offering the opportunity to work with marine biology related topics.

Securing a job role in marine biology is extremely competitive since there are more graduates than there are jobs. Work experience is therefore essential. Permanent roles often require post-graduate qualifications and the opportunities can be based all over the world. In this page, you will find a variety of resources to help you with professional development and which will help you find a job in the field.

Sector overview and areas of work

For an overview of the main areas of work in the Marine Biology and to explore careers advice in this sector visit the sites below:

Sector news

If you would like to do further research into this sector, the following webpages may be useful. 

Information and links from professional bodies

Being a member of a professional body is voluntary, however it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector. 

Making contacts

Making contacts is essential for success in this and other sectors. Many jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start by speaking with the experts – find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice using the Career Mentor Scheme or Ask An Alum.

Events

Events run by the industry, for the industry can be a great way to learn, develop your network and create job opportunities. 

You will also be able to find industry specific events advertised on the various industry related websites when they come up.

Recruitment fairs, open days, talks, and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. For details of future events visit Handshake. If you have not yet activated your account, select the Single Sign On (SSO) option and follow the onscreen instructions.

Job roles

Explore roles in the sector by visiting the links to job profiles and also the alumni profiles below.

Skills employers look for:

In addition to scientific skills, scuba diving and boat handling can be useful skills to have in order to secure work opportunities at sea. 

 

Work experience and placements

Internships, Work Experience and Volunteering

Getting a graduate role is competitive. Undertaking relevant work experience will not only make your applications stand out, but it will also allow you to develop new skills and gain a valuable insight into the sector.  Much of this work experience is voluntary work for charitable organisations.  Below you can find some useful links to relevant organisations.

University of Exeter Employability Schemes

  • Career Zone Internship schemes: Internships can be extremely useful, so try and get relevant vacation work or placements.  
  • Ask an Alum: A fuss-free way to connect with University of Exeter alumni to ask careers questions.  
  • Career Mentor Scheme: A popular employability scheme which matches a student or graduate with an experienced professional, for sector insight and one-to-one careers advice and guidance, over a 6-month period. 
  • Professional Pathways: a suite of sector specific training courses and paid week-long internships that take place in June.  
  • Green Consultants: an award winning programme designed to provide students with additional skills and experience required to work in the highly competitive environmental and sustainability sector.

Finding part time work

There are occasionally opportunities under the Student Campus Partnership Scheme to support academic research projects on campus. These are advertised on Handshake, pay competitive rates  and are a great way to develop skills and experience within the academic research work alongside your studies.   

Finding companies for speculative applications

As jobs are not always advertised, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and apply speculatively. Networking and building your connections is key for success in securing opportunities in this field and in accessing the ‘hidden’ job market. In addition to the larger organisations listed here, there are many charities and smaller organisations operating in local areas, working in the field of conservation. It is always worth exploring those, in addition to building and developing close relationships with contacts in the field as a key route to jobs. In doing this, you are likely to hear about opportunities you are suitable for, prior to them being advertised. 

Graduate jobs and schemes

Competition is strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers. Here is a list of websites relating to Marine Biology and Conservation

Wildlife Trusts

  • Environmental Science.org - Is a good resource if looking to work in the US, but jobs from around the world are also posted here. It also contains information on studying, internships and scholarship availability around the US.
  • Aquatic Network - Marine biologist jobs from around the world.
  • CMScoms.com - promotes the delivery of sustainability and environment management in the marine, coastal and water sectors . This website offers mainly high level jobs, but internships and training schemes do pop up fairly regularly. It also offers a variety of events which may help in furthering your professional development.
  • Wise Oceans - Wise Oceans is a specialist Marine Education and Conservation Company

For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page, and for a list of general job search engines please visit our general job sources page. You could also have a look at Handshake, our vacancy database with employers who are targeting University of Exeter students.

Further sources of support

For further advice on finding graduate opportunities, visit at our Finding a graduate job page.

If you are an international student, visit our international webpages for help finding opportunities both in the UK and globally.

To find opportunities outside the UK use GoinGlobal. Log in using your University email address. The worldwide country guides cover everything from job search resources and CV guidelines to cultural advice and visa information. Watch a short training video on how to get the most from GoinGlobal (4 minutes 20 seconds).

Further study and professional development

Some individuals decide to undertake further study to build their skills and knowledge of the sector. Not all roles or employers will require this, so it is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications. You may have the option to gain professional qualifications after graduating which will show your commitment towards the industry. Use the sites below to research your further study options.

You may also want to consider putting yourself on the mailing list for both MARMAM and ECS talk, as both advertise events that you can go to and continue your professional development.

If you would like to pursue postgraduate study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for more information about choosing further study. If you are unsure whether further study is for you, you may wish to attend our ‘Postgraduate study: is it right for you?’ session which runs termly. Find these advertised on Handshake.

You can use the following links to search for courses:

A comprehensive list of universities in the UK and abroad which offer postgraduate courses for further Marine Biology study can be found by clicking here. 

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Many major graduate recruiters have policies and processes that are proactive in recruiting graduates from diverse backgrounds. To find out the policies and attitudes of employers that you are interested in, explore their equality and diversity policies and see if they offer ‘Guaranteed Interview Schemes’ (for disabled applicants) or are recognised for their policy by such indicators as ‘Mindful Employer’ or as a ‘Stonewalls Diversity Champion’.

The UK law protects you from discrimination due to your age, gender, race, religion or beliefs, disability or sexual orientation. For further information on the Equality Act and to find out where and how you are protected, as well as information on what you need to do if you feel you have been discriminated against, visit the Government’s webpages on discrimination.

To learn more about how to share details of a disability with an employer and the support you can receive applying for jobs and work experience visit our equality and diversity page.

Alumni profiles

  • Lise Fournier-Carnoy Scientific Fisheries Observer

  • Billy Hearney is a Zoologist, filmmaker, wildlife presenter, patron of the Brighton Dolphin Project and an ambassador of MARINElife, and, most recently, Digital Communications co-ordinator for the Gloucester Wildlife Trust.

  • Sarah Morcom Fisheries Observer at the Centre of Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)

  • Emily Stevenson – Founder of Beach Guardian

  • Pedro Warner – Fisheries Adviser with CEFAS