<p>What are the top undergraduate programs for marine science? Are there any good websites that rank by specific program?</p>
<p>I'm not sure how it's ranked for undergrad, but the University of Washington has an excellent oceanography/marine science program. I have many friends who got lab jobs with the school of oceanography in their freshman year. They have awesome facilities, and it's in Seattle, so there's so much to study right in the sound.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure that a few of the top-ranked programs (not a comprehensive list, of course) are UCSD, Berkeley, UCSB, U of Miami, Hawaii, Coastal Carolina, and U of Washington.</p>
<p>Here is a list of all programs available in the U.S. - there really aren't all that many out there, and a fair # only offer graduate degrees. Good luck!</p>
<p>Believe it or not, University of New Hampshire has a highly regarded program.</p>
<p>Suny Stony Brook just opened a new campus for environmental science/marine bio. Believe they took over Southhampton college (LIU) and incorporated it into Stony Brook.
Stony Brook is a very solid-well regarded public U on Long Island. As it is part of the SUNY system, OOS tuition is quite reasonable. (around $11,000 (?))</p>
<p>for a nice college experience (though not the most upper-tier) I'd look at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL</p>
<p>I've heard good things :)</p>
<p>It isn't wise to major in marine science (unless you're a double major). Marine science is mostly a graduate school field. An undergraduate degree in marine science is not required, nor is it recommended. It is difficult to branch out from marine science into other fields for grad school. What is far, far more important is getting the necessary biology (cellular biology, molecular biology, comparative physiology, genetics, developmental biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, microbiology, and botany), biochemistry, organic chem, physical chem, physics (general and thermodynamics), calculus, statistics, computer science, geology, and differential equations that you need to succeed in the field. There are many summer programs that one can and should participate in to gain some background in marine science, which will be far more helpful than marine science courses. Independent research is virtually required for marine science grad programs, so seek out schools that actively support undergraduate research. Many, many schools can provide you with the proper undergraduate background for a career in marine science. Many of these schools aren't even located on the coast. I strongly suggest picking a school strong in the basic sciences and math. Specializing at this point is a very bad idea.</p>
<p>It's often possible to study marine biology for a semester or a year through programs like the Duke marine lab, SEA Semester, or Williams-Mystic. Alternately, you could expand your horizons by studying abroad and studying marine biology at the same time. James Cook in Australia or Bangor in Wales, for example.</p>
<p>For research opportunities, there are a number of awesome REU</a> programs in oceanography, which pay for virtually all of your summer costs.</p>
<p>For suggested LACs: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=3170087%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=3170087</a></p>
<p>For suggested universities: <a href="http://www.stat.tamu.edu/%7Ejnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html</a></p>
<p>That said, the College of the Atlantic is the best school for undergraduate marine science, bar none. Among the elites, Duke, Brown, Stanford, and Cornell have strong marine science programs.</p>