<p>I am currently an undergrad freshman with a declared Biology major at a top university, but I am considering switching to Biochemistry. I plan on going to grad school for a PhD in Marine Biology; should I stick with the Biology major or is Biochemistry also a good undergrad degree for marine biology? Would one of them give me a better chance at getting into the grad school of my choice? The reason I would switch to Biochemistry is because I find it more interesting and challenging than general biology, and that appeals to me, but maybe getting a broader biology background would be more useful.. Any advice or suggestions are welcome.</p>
<p>As I just wrote in a similar thread, the courses you take matter more than the name of your major. I usually recommend a general biology degree for those interested in marine biology because it’s the most versatile degree in biological sciences and also the most commonly offered. </p>
<p>In your case, it depends on what you plan to study. If you’re interested in biochemistry as a career (e.g. animal physiology or marine biomedicine), biochemistry is perfectly fine. If you want to do any sort of organismal biology (e.g. coral reef ecology or shark behavior), general biology is better.</p>
<p>As someone who actually did a BS in biology an internship with NOAA and is now working on the healthcare field let me chime in. </p>
<p>First you need to do a job search and speak to some working marine biologists. What’s the field like. How did they enter it? How’s the pay? What are some alternative careers for marine biologists? How many jobs are there vs. graduates?</p>
<p>I’ll give you my take. Most jobs working in ocean vessels aren’t marine “biology” anyway. I majored in biology and was interested in marine biology. I went took some marine bio classes and even interned with NOAA which is the supreme marine biology employer imo. Frankly most of the jobs were not that interesting and didn’t pay well. Most were standard biology positions analyzing phytoplankton using PCR and other standard molecular biology techniques. Therefore it would behoove you to specialize in marine biology so early on and to get a better understanding of science principles first.</p>
<p>The REAL jobs however are in geology and engineering and physical oceanography. My one friend who was a marine biology major did a geology minor and was hired for a company in oil exploration due exclusively to his geology classes (and the fact he had an uncle working there–he also does NO biology in his job). He also has a scuba license and will certainly take some awesome wildlife pictures in his free time for fun, but nobody is going to pay him a living wage to do so. The Navy hires physical oceanographers and engineers to make missiles and submarines that can adapt to the ocean. Also, engineers can work to build environmentally friendly harbors and the like. The Army Corp. of engineers does a lot of work in this field. The NOAA vessels hire far more engineers and geoscientists than marine biologists. The only hope with a marine biology degree is really a teaching position, and at the postsecondary level these are very very very competitive.</p>
<p>Advice: Major in geology or better yet geophysics, take a few oceanography classes, minor in civil engineering, do internships. Check out Oil & Gas companies (by far the biggest employer in the field). Don’t major in biology unless you want to enter healthcare, and for the love of god do not major in marine biology unless you’re double majoring in geoscience of some sort and getting a GIS certificate or something of the like.</p>
<p>Good luck, from someone that knows the field a bit.</p>
<p>I currently am a biochemistry degree. I have both an older sister who is a biochemisty degree and a uncle who is a PHD chemist at cambridge. I dont know about your univesity but i know at Wayne state the Biochem major has only a requirment of 2 bio classes. All of the other classes are VERY heavy chemistry focused. If you didnt start on the right foot with the chemistry if will be impossible to finish in 4 years because linear nature of the prereqs for each chem class. So if you might want to consider that in your switch of degrees. If you decided on it</p>
<p>Where I went to school Biochemistry required:
2 Sem Gen Chem
1 Sem Genetics
1 Sem Cell Bio
I took microbio I can’t remember if it was a pick your elective or required
I also took micro and cell lab which weren’t required.</p>
<p>For Chem
2 Sem Gen Chem
3 Sem Orgo (1 is the lab)
1 Sem Inorg
3 Sem Pchem (1 is lab)</p>
<hr>
<p>3 Sem Biochem (1 is the lab)</p>