Become a Professional Marine Scientist
The Certificate Program in Marine Biology is designed to prepare undergraduate students to enter the workforce or graduate school in a marine-related field in basic or applied science, from conservation to natural resource management. The highlight of the program is an undergraduate research experience that provides hands-on internship opportunities in marine biology with a marine scientist mentor. The goal is to increase your awareness of the critical importance of our ocean and coastal ecosystems and the challenges faced by those interested in protecting their health and ensuring their sustainability. At the same time, you will experience the thrill of making real contributions to advancing scientific knowledge that is critical to governments at every level to ensure that they are making informed conservation and management policy decisions. Read more about FSU undergraduate research projects (Other opportunities for undergraduate research can be found here: http://www.bio.fsu.edu/undergrad/researchops.php).
Applying to the program is easy. If you are a declared biology major with a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average, you can apply to the program during your freshman or sophomore year. The application is online. If you are in high school or community college, please indicate your interest in marine biology when you apply for university admission. To remain in the program and qualify for an undergraduate research experience, you must successfully complete the Biological Science core courses (listed below) for majors with a grade of 3.0 or higher. The certificate requires completion of 16 credit hours of course work with 3.0 GPA or higher.
Prerequisites to Apply to the Program
- Only students who have declared a major in biology can apply to the program.
Prerequisites for the Undergraduate Research Experience. The Undergraduate Research Experience provided by the internship is typically conducted the summer of your junior year or somewhat earlier for those interested in the Honors in the Major Program (http://honorsinthemajor.fsu.edu/). Course pre-requisites for the undergraduate research experience include:
- BSC 2010/2010L, BSC 2011/2011L, CHM 1045/1045L, and CHM BSC 2010/2010L, BSC 2011/2011L, CHM 1045/1045L, and CHM 1046/1046L)
- A 3.0 GPA or better in the 2000-level Biological Science core courses (BSC 2010/2010L and BSC 2011/2011L)
- Strong math skills are absolutely necessary
An Outline of Certificate Course Work can be found here.
Please seek advice on eligibility, certificate course requirements, and general advising for the Biological Science degree through the Biological Science Undergraduate Advising Office.
To see a term-by-term sample course schedule for the major in Biological Science, check out this website: http://www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/Maps/Mapbiology.html. It will help students stay on course to graduate in four years. The Liberal Studies and Elective.