The two-year selective master of science degree program in Marine Biology focuses on life in our seas and oceans. Whether you are interested in biological oceanography, conservation of marine mammals, coastal marine ecology or genomics, we offer plenty opportunity to receive a well-founded, expansive research-focused academic training in marine biology. Together with your mentor (a professor in the marine biology programme) you will design your own tailored study program fitting your personal preferences and career plans. The program also offers a business and policy oriented track.

Our flexible Master's degree program is open to students with a Bachelor's degree in Biology. We offer a number of mandatory master courses, taught by experienced staff from several research institutes (GELIFES, ESRIG) at the UG and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). In addition, we offer elective courses across a wide range of research disciplines, habitats and skill types.

The master program is heavily research focused. We offer research opportunities with UG staff in the following areas (names of principle investigators in parentheses):

• Marine Ecology (Eriksson)
• Marine Evolution and Conservation (Palsbøll)
• Tropical Marine Evolutionary Ecology (van der Meij)
• Marine Conservation Ecology (Govers)
• Marine Phytoplankton Ecophysiology (Buma)
• Marine Polar Phytoplankton (van de Poll)
• Climate and the Marine Carbon Cycle (Bintanja)
• Marine zoology and Biomimetics (Stamhuis)
• Marine Algae and the Sulphur cycle (Stefels)
• Marine environment and policy (Business and Policy track, de Boer)

Job prospects

• About one third of the graduates continue in academic research with the pursuit of their PhD degree in The Netherlands or abroad.
• About one third of the graduates continue in various kinds of research and management related to fisheries and coastal zone management.
• About one third of the graduates work in the public sector, for example in journalism, teaching or communication.

Job examples

• PhD research position
• Research and Management related to marine biology
• Work in the public sector