Marine Science

Marine science is the scientific study of the coast, oceans and seas in all their aspects. Marine science draws together every aspect of science applicable to the understanding and management of the whole maritime environment. These areas include oceanography, biology, ecology, geography and geology and aspects of physics, chemistry and mathematics.

University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science

What do marine scientists do?

Marine scientists observe, measure and experiment in marine environments and habitats. They construct theories to explain what they see and measure. These theories are then tested by scientific experiments. They may work in laboratories, or in the field - gathering and interpreting data and material which may be collected in a variety of ways, from the physical collection of data and specimens to the utilisation of satellite data-gathering technology.

How do you study marine science?

You can undertake a major in marine science as part of the Bachelor of Science, Advanced Science or Liberal Arts and Science degrees. Also, more specialised studies in marine sciences are available through a major in marine geoscience and a major in marine biology.

What will you study in marine science?

FIRST YEAR
Although there are no first year units in marine science, you need 24 credit points from any first year units of study to gain entry into marine science subjects in second year.

SECOND YEAR
Subjects are offered in second year that introduce students to various aspects of the marine environment. The first half is an introduction to the world’s oceans, seafloor and continental shelves. Specific attention is paid to the marine geology of ocean basins and continental margins, how these interact with oceanatmosphere
circulation to govern climate change and the effects of climate change on coastal sedimentation, including the continental shelves and coastal plains.

The second half covers the major biological systems of the oceans and coasts, including biological adaptation and field methods used to study them.

THIRD YEAR
In third year students have a choice of twelve units of study which cover a wide range of biological,geological and coastal topics, all taught by experts in their respective fields.

Available units include:

• Coastal Environments and Processes
• Rivers - Science, policy and management
• GIS in Coastal Management
• Global Energy and resources
• Ecological Methods
• Geophysical Methods
• Marine Biology
• Marine Field Ecology
• Ecophysiology
• Ecology
• Sedimentary and Environmental Geology

Honours

An Honours program is available which requires students to undertake a year of study and research and the writing of an honours thesis based on this work. Marine science students are expected to select a topic that is interdisciplinary in its scope, spanning more than one area of marine science. Students are supervised by a member of the University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science - USIMS.

Field Work

All courses involve some level of practical field work both in the Sydney region and coastal New South Wales. Honours students may travel further afield to conduct their research including participation in oceanographic expeditions.