Resources for Students (High School through Post-Doctoral)

So, you wanna be a marine biologist?  Then you need this.

Damon and his student, Elsie Thomson, setting up an experiment to study the vulnerability of softshell clams to predation by green crabs in the intertidal zone at Kent Island, Bay of Fundy. 

The following is a comprehensive list of resources to help students find degree-granting programs, field courses, training programs, internships, fellowships, and jobs in marine sciences, marine conservation, and management of marine natural resources.  There are separate sections for people looking for opportunities in high school, college, graduate school, and beyond.    

If you know of other useful resources that should be added to this list, or if you find broken links, please let us know by posting a comment at the bottom of this page. 

A spring semester class at the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island.

High School

Hands-on Education & Training - High School (summer programs)

•       Sea Education Association: https://sea.edu/*

•       Shoals Marine Lab: https://www.shoalsmarinelaboratory.org/

•       Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership: https://www.hurricaneisland.net/

•       NOAA Student Opportunities (lists many opportunities throughout NOAA for students from high school through graduate school): https://www.noaa.gov/education/opportunities/student-opportunities

 

*Sail training, as well as marine science.

 

Undergraduate students collecting oceanographic data aboard the R/V Spartina.

College

Undergraduate degree-granting programs in marine sciences

Colleges and universities that have undergraduate majors in marine related fields (e.g.,  marine biology, oceanography, earth & oceanographic sciences, marine sciences, marine studies).

 

•      Colleges, Universities, and other degree-granting institutions with marine-related programs: https://www.marinecareers.net/education

 

 

Credit-bearing undergraduate study away programs & courses

These programs take place during fall, spring, and summer semesters.  They are credit-bearing programs that are open to undergraduate students from any college or university (you get credit toward graduation at your home institution for the courses you take in these programs.)

 

•       Williams-Mystic Program: https://mystic.williams.edu/*

•       Sea Education Association: https://sea.edu/*

•       Shoals Marine Lab: https://www.shoalsmarinelaboratory.org/

•       Duke University Marine Lab:  https://nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab

•       University of Georgia Marine: Institute  https://ugami.uga.edu/

•       Oregon Institute of Marine Biology:  https://oimb.uoregon.edu/

•       Friday Harbor Marine Lab:  https://fhl.uw.edu/

 

This is just a sampling of the highest quality undergraduate semester programs available.  For a list of more courses taught at marine laboratories around the U.S., go to the National Association of Marine Laboratories’ or Organization of Biological Field Stations’ web site.

•         https://www.naml.org/
•      https://www.obfs.org/field-courses

 

*Sail training, as well as marine science.

 

 

Undergraduate Internships/Fellowships

•       Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) fellowship program.  This is a large, prestigious, highly-competitive fellowship program for undergraduates in all STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). It is the best experience for preparing undergraduates for graduate school.  There are thousands of REU opportunites available across the country.  Go to the REU Portal web site to find opportunities that match your interests.  Note that positions in marine biology could be categorized as “Biological Sciences,” “Earth Sciences,“ “Ocean Sciences,” or “Polar Programs.”  Pay attention to application deadlines.  Most applications are due in December, January or February for the following summer.
•        https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp

•       Marine Careers Resources: https://www.marinecareers.net/resources
•        Internships and Fellowships: https://www.marinecareers.net/internships-and-fellowships
•        Summer Opportunities: https://www.marinecareers.net/summer
•        Volunteer Opportunities: https://www.marinecareers.net/volunteer

• Marine Biology Career Network: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2362074407344426/?ref=share

•        NOAA Student Opportunities: https://www.noaa.gov/education/opportunities/student-opportunities

•       National Association of Marine Laboratories (list of internships and fellowships available at marine laboratories around the U.S.): https://www.naml.org/research/index.php

•       Organization of Biological Field Stations (list of internships and fellowships available at field stations): https://www.obfs.org/news

Opportunities for undergraduates to go on Research Cruises

•       Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Student-at-Sea Program: https://schmidtocean.org/apply/student-opportunities/

•       US GO-SHIP Program: https://usgoship.ucsd.edu/students/

•       NOAA Student Opportunities: https://www.noaa.gov/education/opportunities/student-opportunities

•       Nautilus Live - Science and Engineering Internship Program: https://nautiluslive.org/join/internship-program

 

 

NOAA Research Vessel Nancy Foster.

Graduate School

Graduate University Programs in Marine Sciences

•       Marine Careers Resources: https://www.marinecareers.net/resources
•       Colleges, Universities, and other degree-granting institutions with marine-related programs: https://www.marinecareers.net/education

Fellowships & Grants – Graduate School

Federal Programs

•       National Science Foundation: Graduate Research Fellowship Program https://nsfgrfp.org/

•       National Science Foundation: Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (available in many fields of research.  Go to https://www.nsf.gov/ and look at all the research areas for which they provide funding support and which specific areas have Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (DDRI) programs.

•           National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/Sea Grant - John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program (Does not require U.S. citizenship) https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Knauss

•       NOAA Sea Grant: https://seagrant.noaa.gov

•       NOAA Student Opportunities: https://www.noaa.gov/education/opportunities/student-opportunities

• Marine Biology Career Network: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2362074407344426/?ref=share

 

 

State Government

These fellowships place fellows in state government to work on science and technology policy. Most of these will require the applicant to hold U.S. citizenship or have eligibility to work on a full-time basis for a U.S. employer, and may require the applicant to be a resident of the state sponsoring the fellowship.

•       North Carolina Sea Grant STEM Policy Fellowship: https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/funding-opps/fellowships/nc-stem-policy-fellowship/

•       Oregon Sea Grant Resilience Fellowship: https://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/fellowships/scholars-special-opportunities

•       Oregon Sea Grant Natural Resource Policy Fellowship: https://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/fellowships/natural-resource-policy-fellowship  (This fellowship is open to graduate students and those who have recently completed their graduate degree, with interest and experience in coastal policy from any U.S. university or college (preference will be given to eligible applicants from a college or university with a physical campus located in Oregon).

 

**Look for more opportunities by performing a web search on “Sea Grant” in each coastal U.S. state.**

 

International

•       Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research - Science, Technology, Policy (STeP) Fellowship Program: http://www.iai.int/en/step

•       Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship:  https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/canadian-science-policy-fellowship

•       Marine Career Resources, Internships and Fellowships: https://www.marinecareers.net/internships-and-fellowships

 

Opportunities for graduate students to go on Research Cruises

•       Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Student-at-Sea Program: https://schmidtocean.org/apply/student-opportunities/

•       UNOLS Cruise Opportunity Program (University National Oceanographic Laboratory System): https://www.unols.org/unols-cruise-opportunity-program

•       UNOLS also has a Chief Sci Training program open to PhD students and Post-Docs: https://www.unols.org/nsf-unols-chief-scientist-training-cruise

•       US GO-SHIP Program: https://usgoship.ucsd.edu/students/

•       NOAA Student Opportunities: https://www.noaa.gov/education/opportunities/student-opportunities

•       IODP - Ocean Discovery Program: https://www.iodp.org/expeditions/apply-to-sail

•       Nautilus Live - Science and Engineering Internship Program: https://nautiluslive.org/join/internship-program

• POGO Fellowships for Shipboard Training: https://pogo-ocean.org/capacity-development/shipboard-training/

Undergraduate students collecting data on ecosystem metabolism in the Doboy Sound, Georgia. 

Jobs (from high school through postdoctoral)

•       Marine Careers Resources: https://www.marinecareers.net/resources
•       Marine Science-related Jobs: https://www.marinecareers.net/jobs
•       Useful Career Info: https://www.marinecareers.net/career-info

• Marine Biology Career Network: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2362074407344426/?ref=share

•       ASLO (Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography) Job Board: https://aslo.users.membersuite.com/community/career-center/browse-jobs/alljobs/allCities/allStates

•       Ecological Society of America’s ECOLOG-L email listserve (lots of internships and research assistant/technician positions advertised here.  You need to register to receive the emails.  Click on the “Digest” option to get a daily email that compiles all of the individual messages for each day, otherwise your inbox will be overflowing.)  (Note: you can create an online account without being a member of ESA): https://eservices.esa.org/Eservices/Contacts/Sign_In.aspx?ReturnURL=%2FAsiCommon%2FControls%2FShared%2FFormsAuthentication%2FLoginStatusRedirect.aspx%3Fqkey%3DRETRY%26returl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcommunity.esa.org%252Fsignin.htm%26lurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcommunity.esa.org%252Fsignin.htm  

•       Society for Marine Mammalogy (Click on the “Jobs/Funding” and “For Students” tabs: https://www.marinemammalscience.org/

•       Society for Conservation Biology’s Professional Development web site (links to job board and other useful resources): https://conbio.org/professional-development/

•       American Fisheries Society Job Board: https://fisheries.org/employment/jobs/

•       Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation Job Board (have to be a member of CERF to view job listings)
•        https://www.cerf.science/job-board?fbclid=IwAR0aD0nM1kQmhOK-bwkFgFN01P7QO32jmfq7qE3kNS0LrUBTrwZsvhu14bE
•        https://www.erf.org/job-board

•       American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists: https://www.asih.org/jobs

•       Organization of Biological Field Stations (ads for jobs at field stations and field courses): https://www.obfs.org/news

•       National Association of Marine Laboratories: http://www.naml.org/jobs/

•       World Aquaculture Society employment service: https://www.was.org/wases/default.aspx

•       National Marine Educators Association (NMEA): https://www.marine-ed.org/job-opportunities  (Also look for job announcements on the web pages of your local and state chapters of NMEA.)

•       National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Career Center provides a link between science education professionals seeking positions and educational institutions with vacancies: http://careers.nsta.org/

•       Society of Environmental Journalists links to job openings in journalism: http://www.sej.org/library/jobs/overview

•       NOAA Job Resources: https://www.noaa.gov/work-with-us

•       NOAA through USA Jobs: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?a=CM54

•       Fishery Observer Programs (NOAA and State fisheries management agencies employ field technicians to collect data at sea on the catch and practices of commercial and recreational fisheries):
•       https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/fishery-observers#become-an-observer
•       https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/fisheries-observers/northeast-fisheries-observer-program
•       https://aisobservers.com/
•       http://www.saltwaterinc.com/about-observing.html

•       NOAA Sea Grant: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Careers

•       Association of Zoos and Aquariums jobs and internships: http://www.aza.org/joblistings/

•       Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence oceancareers.com job and internship listings: http://oceancareers.com/2.0/jobs_and_internships.php

•       EarthWorks' listing of jobs in oceanography, paleoceanography, marine science, coastal science and limnology: http://www.earthworks-jobs.com/oceanogr.htm

•       Texas A&M Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries Job Board (Tons of jobs, searchable database): https://wfscjobs.tamu.edu/job-board/
•       Links to marine-related jobs and internships compiled by Texas A&M: http://www.tamug.edu/marb/Links-Marine%20Biology.html

•       Conservation Job Board: https://www.conservationjobboard.com/

•       MARMAM –  The Marine Mammals Research and Conservation Discussion Board (email list serve).  Jobs and internships are often posted here. You need to register to receive the emails: https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam

•       Ornithology Exchange – Bird Jobs (including seabirds.  Lots of seasonal positions for research assistants/technicians): http://ornithologyexchange.org/jobs/board/

•       National Wildlife Federation career, internship, fellowship and volunteer opportunities: http://www.nwf.org/Home/How-to-Help/Jobs-at-NWF.aspx

•       BiologyJobs.com contains job listings in marine science, marine biology and other life sciences: http://www.biologyjobs.com/

•       The Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) listing of jobs and internships in the U.S. and abroad: http://www.eco.org/cm/candidate/search_jobs

NOAA Fisheries observers learning skills in maritime safety and cold water survival.