Marine Biology, Bachelor of Science
Program Overview
The School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, which is designed to prepare students who are seeking a career or graduate studies in marine biology and related marine science disciplines. Undergraduates in this major will develop an understanding of the biology of marine organisms and the biological and physical processes that affect these organisms, their populations, and their coastal and oceanic ecosystems. The curriculum takes full advantage of the Rio Grande Valley’s unique physical location at the intersection of temperate and tropical climatic divides, and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. Unifying laboratory/field courses with the unique environments of South Texas directly engage students in the discovery process and in analyzing and interpreting data. The Marine Biology program requires 120 hours of coursework including a major-specific marine biology core and supporting courses aimed at interrelating the principles of physics, geology and geophysics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology to the marine environment. Upper-level electives include Coral Reef Ecology, Marine Zoology, Ichthyology, Marine Animal Field Studies, as well as supervised independent research courses.
Progression requirements for this program.
- Students interested in pursuing a B.S. in Marine Biology are advised that several required courses are offered only at UTRGV’s Brownsville, Port Isabel, or South Padre Island campuses.
- Submission of a completed Marine Biology Student Portfolio.
Core Curriculum - 42 hours
The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.
The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.
The courses listed below fulfill core curriculum and major requirements. Students who have completed a core curriculum category with courses other than those listed below will still be required to take the listed course(s) to meet major requirements.
020 Mathematics - 3 hours
030 Life and Physical Sciences - 6 hours
090 Integrative and Experiential Learning - 6 hours
Major Requirements - 76 to 77 hours
Required Courses - 32 hours
Prescribed Electives - 25 to 26 hours
A minimum of 17 advanced credit hours must be completed.
Marine Biology Prescribed Electives - 21 to 22 hours
Students must complete 21 hours if a 4-hour Math course is completed in the Support Courses requirement or 22 hours if a 3-hour Math course is completed.
Choose from:
Any other advanced COS course accepted and approved by the department chair of the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences
Biology Prescribed Electives - 4 hours
Choose from additional Biology (BIOL) and Marine Biology (MARS) courses.
Support Courses - 19 to 20 hours
Required:
Choose one:
Free Electives - hours will vary
Free electives credit hours required may vary to achieve the institutional minimum of 120 hours for a degree.
Free elective credit hours at the advanced level may be needed to achieve the institutional minimum of 42 advanced hours.
Total Credit Hours: 42
Total Credit Hours: 120