Field guide

How to become a marine biologist

A marine biologist studies life in the ocean, working for universities, government agencies, conservation groups and environmental consultancies. It is one of the most wanted science careers and one of the most competitive, with far more people wanting the job than there are posts.

Median pay (US)
$76,780
Middle 50%
$61,180 to $96,100
Employed (US)
18,120
Usual entry level
Bachelor's degree

BLS has no separate code for marine biologists. The pay here is for "zoologists and wildlife biologists", the group that includes them, so treat it as a close guide and not an exact figure.

What the work looks like

Less time goes on boats than most people expect. A typical project is months of grant writing, data analysis and report writing around a short field season. Practical skills such as boat handling, diving, statistics and mapping software often decide who gets hired.

The official O*NET job description lists tasks such as:

  • Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
  • Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs.
  • Develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options.

The route in

  1. Take a biology degree with marine modules, or a marine biology degree with strong statistics.
  2. Volunteer early with a marine lab, aquarium or monitoring program.
  3. Build practical certificates such as scientific diving where relevant.
  4. Expect a master's for many agency jobs and a PhD for research that you lead.
The catch. Early jobs are often seasonal, grant-funded or poorly paid, and they tend to be in coastal places. Plan for several years of short contracts, and keep broader skills such as data analysis so you have other options.

Pay in the US

The May 2025 national figures for zoologists and wildlife biologists run from $49,100 at the 10th percentile to $126,440 at the 90th, with a median of $76,780 and a mean of $83,020. BLS projects employment growth of 4% over 2025-35 (as fast as average), with about 1,400 openings a year.

If you do a PhD in this area

In 2025 the median research doctorate recipient in biological and biomedical sciences took 8.0 years from bachelor's degree, 6.3 years from starting graduate school and 5.7 years from starting the doctoral program.

In 2025, of 9,950 research doctorate recipients in biological and biomedical sciences, 5,460 reported a definite postgraduation commitment and 3,588 of those were postdoctoral study positions in the United States. That is 65.7% of those with a commitment.

In the UK

UK marine jobs concentrate in coastal institutes and government bodies. Competition is strong, and a master's is common for entry-level research assistant posts.

ONS ASHE 2026 (provisional) gives median annual gross pay of £49,001 for full-time employees in SOC 2020 group 2112, biological scientists. This is a provisional figure from a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide.

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Related fields

Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 19-1023, May 2025, national, all industries, retrieved 2026-11-03. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, retrieved 2026-11-03. NSF NCSES, Survey of Earned Doctorates 2025, Table 1-12 (NSF 26-326), retrieved 2026-11-03. NSF NCSES, Survey of Earned Doctorates 2025, Table 6-1 (NSF 26-326), retrieved 2026-11-03. ONS ASHE Table 14.7a (Occupation SOC20 4-digit, Annual pay - Gross, Full-Time sheet) and 14.7b (CV), retrieved 2026-11-03. Tasks from the O*NET 31.0 Database by USDOL/ETA, used under CC BY 4.0.