2022 Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Marine Biology in California

If you plan on getting your doctor's degree in marine biology, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #181 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools in California to determine which ones were the most popular for marine biology students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 12 doctor's degrees in marine biology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Other Rankings

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Marine Biology School for Your Doctor's Degree

The biological oceanography doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. As an aid in helping you pick the right school for you, we created our Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Marine Biology in California ranking.

A high popularity ranking isn't always a sign that a school has a great overall quality ranking for marine biology, but it does mean that many students are choosing the school for some reason. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

One Size Does Not Fit All

We have also developed a number of other rankings to help guide you in your decision-making process. To begin with, if this is not the degree level you are most interested in, you may want to check out one of the others noted above. If you would prefer to limit your search to a specific state or region of the county, see our rankings by location. On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for marine biology.

Most Popular Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Marine Biology in California

Learn about the most popular colleges and universities for marine biology students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Most Well Attended Schools for Biological Oceanography Students Working on Their Doctorate

1

University of California - San Diego
La Jolla, CA

5 Annual Doctor's Degrees

#2 Best Quality In CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at University of California - San Diego if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in marine biology. UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in marine biology in California.

There were roughly 5 marine biology individuals who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in marine biology from University of California - San Diego

2

University of California - Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA

4 Annual Doctor's Degrees

#3 Best Quality In CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

University of California - Santa Barbara is a popular option for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in marine biology. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #3 in quality for doctor's degrees in marine biology in California.

There were approximately 4 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in marine biology from University of California - Santa Barbara

3

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA

3 Annual Doctor's Degrees

#1 Best Quality In CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in marine biology has to look into University of Southern California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in marine biology in California.

There were roughly 3 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in marine biology from University of Southern California

Best Marine Biology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Hawaii	64	4
Alaska	22	2

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Biological Oceanography

Marine Biology is one of 11 different types of Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Biological Oceanography

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Epidemiology	37
Ecology	30
Other Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology	20
Evolutionary Biology	7
Population Biology	6
Evolutionary Biology	3

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Ernst Haeckel. More about our data sources and methodologies.