About This Course
This interdisciplinary degree provides an in-depth study of the biological, chemical and physical processes of the oceans, seas and estuaries. You will embark on a detailed study of life in the sea, from the smallest bacteria to the largest mammals. This knowledge will be underpinned by a specialised understanding how the different marine habitats are affected by key physical (currents, tides, waves and ocean mixing) and biogeochemical (carbon cycle, nutrient recycling by the microbial loop) processes that mediate interactions between the atmosphere, ocean and sea floor.
This is a 4-year course. During the first 3 years, you will follow the same degree course structure as Marine Biology and Oceanography BSc. In Year 4 you carry out a substantial piece of research which forms your fourth year dissertation.
Why choose Bangor University for this course?
- Our expertise covers all aspects of the marine sciences. Our research interests range from tropical coral reefs to the polar oceans.
- You will benefit from studying with leading scientists in the fields of marine biology, fisheries, marine chemistry, geosciences and physical oceanography.
- Our unique location in an area of outstanding natural beauty is ideal to study local populations of dolphins, seals and sea birds. We are only a few metres away from the Menai Strait and the Irish Sea
- Facilities: research ship, supercomputers and state-of-the art survey equipment. Oceanographic moorings for data collection.
Additional Course Options
This course is available with a Placement Year option where you will study for 1 additional year. The Placement Year is undertaken at the end of the second year and students are away for the whole of the academic year.
The Placement Year provides you with a fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons and develop valuable skills and contacts through working with a self-sourced organisation relevant to your degree subject. The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months; more usually you would spend 10-12 months with a placement provider. You would normally start sometime in the period June to September of your second year and finish between June and September the following year. Placements can be UK-based or overseas and you will work with staff to plan and finalise the placement arrangements.
You will be expected to find and arrange a suitable placement to complement your degree and will be fully supported throughout by a dedicated member of staff at your academic School and the University’s Careers and Employability Services.
You will have the opportunity to fully consider this option when you have started your course at Bangor and can make an application for a transfer onto this pathway at the appropriate time. Read more about the work experience opportunities that may be available to you or, if you have any questions, please get in touch.
This course is available with an International Experience Year option where you will study or work abroad for 1 additional year. You will have ‘with International Experience’ added to your degree title on graduating.
Studying abroad is a great opportunity to see a different way of life, learn about new cultures and broaden your horizons. With international experience of this kind, you’ll really improve your career prospects. There are a wide variety of destinations and partner universities to choose from. If you plan to study in a country where English is not spoken natively, there may be language courses available for you at Bangor and in your host university to improve your language skills.
You will have the opportunity to fully consider this option at any time during your degree at Bangor and make your application. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch.
Read more about the International Experience Year programme and see the studying or working abroad options on the Student Exchanges section of our website.
Watch - Studying Ocean Sciences
Course Content
The first three years of this degree involves attending lectures, practical classes and fieldwork on the shore. In year 3 there are 2 field courses, each a weeklong, and during Years 1, 2 and 3 time is spent aboard RV Prince Madog. Your practical work will be continually assessed and there are written examinations for each module. In Year 4 the Research Skills dissertation, seminar and poster modules are assessed. At the end of Year 2, providing a satisfactory mark has been obtained, you continue with Year 3 of the BSc course and proceed to a 4th year specialised course.
Modules for the current academic year
Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Marine Biology and Oceanography MSci Modules page.
Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.
Facilities
Ocean Sciences facilities
- Our excellent teaching facilities include geophysical labs and wave flumes, as well as advanced computer systems.
- We are on the coast, next to the Irish Sea and the Menai Strait within the UNESCO Geopark GeoMon. We are also next to the classic glaciated environments of Snowdonia and so the perfect place to study geosciences with a wide range of environments for field courses and study sites for final-year projects.
- We have a £3.5m ocean-going research ship as well as several smaller survey boats fully equipped with the latest ocean survey equipment.
Natural Sciences facilities
- Natural History Museum with an exceptionally comprehensive collection of vertebrate material, which includes a diverse collection of vertebrate and invertebrate specimens, including primates.
- Extensive marine and freshwater aquaria with a suite of temperature-controlled rooms.
- Pigeon loft for bird cognition, physiology, and biomechanics research.
- Treborth Botanic Garden, which covers an area of 18 hectares on the shores of the Menai Strait. It contains Europe's largest underground root laboratory (the rhizotron), a teaching laboratory, formal garden beds, a rock garden, an arboretum and a conservation collection.
- Rodent and reptile facilities.
- Our university farm based at Henfaes, about 7 miles from Bangor and totals 252 hectares. It provides facilities for research and teaching in lowland agriculture, forestry, hydrology, environmental science and conservation. We conduct fieldtrips and you can run your own large-scale experiment for your project.
- Alpaca, sheep and bee hives at the University farm at Henfaes.
- We are on the coast, next to the Irish Sea and the Menai Strait providing a range of habitat types for field courses and study sites for final-year projects.
- Dedicated reptile facilities including venomous snake rooms.
- Environmentally controlled spaces for project work.
- Insect rooms.
- Woodlands.
- Large modern teaching and research laboratories, and a dedicated student research hub for dissertation work.
- Imaging facilities.
- A very large range of analytical kit, so that you can learn how to analyse environmental samples both in the field and in the lab.
- Our very own geology collection – regarded as one of the best in the country.
- Computer laboratories for you to develop your skills in key areas such as digital mapping and environmental modelling.
- Wood library.
- Dedicated environmental research labs.
- One of our best facilities is the environment on our doorstep – you will get the chance to visit so many different places on our fieldtrips, which will cement your learning and understanding of topics.
- Our biological, chemical, and environmental laboratories are used for a range of teaching and learning. We have specific research-laboratories located in the Environmental Centre Wales, which include: a radio and stable isotope lab, a Category 2 pathogen lab, a darkened microscope room, sample preparation laboratories and a dedicated analytical instrument lab.
General University Facilities
Library and Archive Services
Our four libraries provide a range of attractive study environments including collaborative work areas, meeting rooms and silent study spaces.
We have an extensive collection of books and journals and many of the journals are available online in full-text format.
We house one of the largest university-based archives not only in Wales, but also the UK. Allied to the Archives is the Special Collections of rare printed books.
Learning Resources
There is a range of learning resources available, supported by experienced staff, to help you in your studies.
The University’s IT Services provides computing, media and reprographics facilities and services including:
- Over 1,150 computers for students, with some PC rooms open 24 hours a day
- Blackboard, a commercial Virtual Learning Environment, that makes learning materials available on-line.
Course Costs
General University Costs
Home (UK) students
- The cost of a full-time undergraduate course is £9,250 per year (2025/26).
- The fee for all integrated study abroad years is £1,385 (2025/26).
- The fee for an integrated year in industry as part of a sandwich programme is £1,850 (2025/26).
More information on fees and finance for Home (UK) students.
International (including EU) students
Additional Costs
There are also some common additional costs that are likely to arise for students on all courses, for example:
- If you choose to study abroad or take the International Experience Year as part of your course.
- If you attend your Graduation Ceremony, there will be a cost for gown hire (£25-£75) and cost for additional guest tickets (c.£12 each).
Course-specific additional costs
Depending on the course you are studying, there may be additional course-specific costs that you will be required to meet. These fall into three categories:
- Mandatory Costs: these are related to a particular core or compulsory module that you’ll be required to complete to achieve your qualification e.g. compulsory field trips, uniforms for students on placement, DBS Check.
- Necessarily Incurred Costs: these may not be experienced by all students, and will vary depending on the course e.g. professional body membership, travel to placements, specialist software, personal safety equipment.
- Optional Costs: these depend on your choice of modules or activity and they are shown to give you an indication of the optional costs that may arise to make sure your choice is as informed as possible. These can include graduation events for your course, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.
Entry Requirements
Offers are tariff based, 128-152 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification e.g.:
- A Levels: Including 2 science subjects (Biology, Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Environmental Science/Studies, Economics, Psychology). General Studies and Key Skills not accepted.
- BTEC National Extended Diploma in Applied Science*: DDM-D*DD
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma in Applied Science*: DDM-D*DD
- City & Guilds Advanced Technical Extended Diploma (1080) in Environmental Conservation or Countryside & Environmental*: DDM-D*DD
- International Baccalaureate Diploma (Including grade H5 in at least one science subject)
- Welsh Baccalaureate is accepted
- Access to HE Science*
- T-levels: considered on a case-by-case basis.
We also welcome applications from mature applicants.
*Similar subject areas may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For full details go to our website and for a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com
International Candidates: school leaving qualifications and college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements). More information here.
Offers are tariff based, 128-152 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification e.g.:
- A Levels: Including 2 science subjects (Biology, Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Environmental Science/Studies, Economics, Psychology). General Studies and Key Skills not accepted.
- BTEC National Extended Diploma in Applied Science*: DDM-D*DD
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma in Applied Science*: DDM-D*DD
- City & Guilds Advanced Technical Extended Diploma (1080) in Environmental Conservation or Countryside & Environmental*: DDM-D*DD
- International Baccalaureate Diploma (Including grade H5 in at least one science subject)
- Welsh Baccalaureate is accepted
- Access to HE Science*
- T-levels: considered on a case-by-case basis.
We also welcome applications from mature applicants.
*Similar subject areas may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For full details go to our website and for a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com
International Candidates: school leaving qualifications and college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements). More information here.
General University Requirements
To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see www.ucas.com.
We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.
All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.
As part of the University’s policy, we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.
We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our Studying at Bangor section of the website.
EU and International Students' Entry Requirements
For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.
Bangor University offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at Bangor University International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.
Careers
The 4 year course is ideal preparation for a career in research. The 4th project year will allow you to gain experience of working in a research environment and prepare you for a PhD and research career.
Opportunities at Bangor
The University’s Careers and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions.
Internships
Bangor University runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.
Student Volunteering
Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about volunteering on the Students’ Union’s website.
Foundation Year
A 'with Foundation Year' option is available for this course. Apply for Marine Biology (with Foundation Year).
What is a Foundation Year course?
If you don’t have the required qualifications for the degree-level course or are looking to re-enter education after time away from study, then a Foundation Year Programme might be the right choice for you.
The Foundation Year is an excellent introduction to studying this subject at university and will provide you with the knowledge, skills and confidence required to go on to study this course at degree-level.
When you have successfully completed the Foundation Year, you can progress on to the first year of this degree-level course.
