We receive many enquiries about careers in marine biology or shark research.  What courses do you have to take?  How much university does it require?  Are jobs hard to find?  We'll try to answer some of those questions here.

A career in marine biology can take many forms.  It can involve work in a laboratory, collections or studies on or under the ocean, computer analysis, or writing of research proposals and scientific papers.  Most jobs involve several of the above, and some do all four.  Most people are interested in the outdoors aspect of marine biology, so it's important to realize that the outdoor component of a marine biology job is usually a small part of the job.  It is unrealistic to expect that you'll spend most of your time cruising the ocean, scuba diving to collect samples, or going out to sea to put satellite tags on sharks.  On the other hand, when it does happen, it's very exciting.

A marine biologist can work at one of three different levels:  a technician, a biologist or a scientist (they may be called differently).  A technician works under the supervision of a biologist or scientist.  Examples of the tasks they perform might include analyzing samples in the laboratory, examining samples under the microscope, or collecting plankton samples from a boat.  A biologist's job usually has a broader range, and may include the same chores as a technician, but also writing grant proposals, analyzing data and writing reports.  The role of the scientist is that of the leader of the research.  A scientist will determine what research needs to be done, how it will be done, and then analyze and write up the study for scientific publication at the end.  They may or may not take part in the actual conduct of the research, depending on their interest.

All marine biologist or shark research positions require a university degree.  A technician usually requires a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree (3-4 years of university), a biologist requires a Master of Science (MSc) degree (BSc plus 2-3 years), and a scientist requires a doctorate (PhD) (BSc plus MSc plus 4-5 years).  This sounds like a lot of university, and it is, but most of the time spent at the university after getting a BSc is spent doing research, not courses.  After all, a MSc and PhD are being trained to do scientific research.  The courses you need to get into university to do a BSc can be obtained from a high school counsellor, and will include some math and science..  The university courses that tend to be most valuable to a marine biologist or shark scientist include math, statistics, biology, chemistry and oceanography.  Writing is an important component of a job in science, so good writing skills are always an asset.

Shark research jobs require much the same training as other marine biologist positions.  They merely specialize more in fish and sharks at the MSc and PhD level.

Do you need to be an Einstein to be a marine biologist or scientist?  Not at all.  In general though, the more advanced the university degree, the more committed that person is to a career in science.  These people tend to have above-average grades in the last year of high school and through their first few years of university, but some have merely average grades.  In general, if a person has the commitment to become a scientist when they enter university, they have the commitment to take their courses seriously and do their best in them, whatever that is.