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2024 Best Marine Science Schools

20 Colleges in the United States
334 Marine Science Degrees Awarded
$26,266 Avg Early-Career Salary
Marine Science degree programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major ranks #295 out of the 395 majors we look at each year. While this may limit the number of schools that offer the degree program, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 20 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for marine science students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 334 degrees in marine science during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Marine Science School

Best Marine Science Schools Your choice of marine science school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for marine science schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Marine Science Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Marine Science
Master's Degrees in Marine Science
Doctor's Degrees in Marine Science

The marine science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Marine Science Schools. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Marine Science in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the marine science degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Marine Science

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TX
66.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you want to pursue a degree in marine science. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 15 marine science students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine science from The University of Texas at Austin

2
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NY
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Stony Brook University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in marine science. SUNY Stony Brook is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Stony Brook. This university ranks 18th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 27 marine science students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Stony Brook in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine science from Stony Brook University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Marine Science Degrees Awarded
$27,607 Median Starting Salary

California State University - Monterey Bay is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in marine science. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 102nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 64 marine science students who graduated with this degree at CSUMB in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the marine science program state that they receive average early career income of $27,607.

More information about a degree in marine science from California State University - Monterey Bay

4

Every student who is interested in marine science needs to check out University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.More information about a degree in marine science from University of Southern California

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA

Located in the large city of Boston, UMass Boston is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 24th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 5 marine science students who graduated with this degree at UMass Boston in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in marine science from University of Massachusetts - Boston

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 12 marine science students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine science from University of California - Davis

7
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In FL

UF is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were approximately 23 marine science students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in marine science from University of Florida

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In TX

UT Rio Grande Valley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Edinburg. This university ranks 21st out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 4 marine science students who graduated with this degree at UT Rio Grande Valley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine science from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TX

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were roughly 10 marine science students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine science from Texas A&M University - College Station

10

Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of #24 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.More information about a degree in marine science from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

Marine Science by Region

View the Best Marine Science Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 51 majors within the Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies area of study, Marine Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Marine Science Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Marine Sciences 334

View All Marine Science Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Marine Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 34,975
Biological & Physical Science 30,075
Interdisciplinary Studies 9,074
International Studies 7,368
Nutrition Science 5,330
Behavioral Science 4,169
Sustainability Science 3,005
Cognitive Science 2,776
Natural Sciences 2,214
Human Biology 1,939

View All Marine Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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