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2025 Best Marine Biology Schools in the Southeast Region

19 Colleges in the Southeast Region
884 Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded
A degree in marine biology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #298 out of 1506 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Marine Biology Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 884 degrees in marine biology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Marine Biology School

Best Marine Biology Schools in the Southeast Region The biological oceanography program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Marine Biology rankings. We derive our Best Overall Marine Biology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Marine Biology Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Biological Oceanography
Bachelor's Degrees in Biological Oceanography
Master's Degrees in Biological Oceanography
Doctor's Degrees in Biological Oceanography

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Marine Biology Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Marine Biology in the Southeast Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the biological oceanography degree levels they offer.

10 Top Southeast Region Schools in Biological Oceanography

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In GA
33.3% Growth in Graduates

University of Georgia is a great decision for students interested in a degree in marine biology. UGA is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 9 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine biology from University of Georgia

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In SC
60 Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat University of South Carolina - Columbia if you wish to pursue a degree in marine biology. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #99 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UofSC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 60 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine biology from University of South Carolina - Columbia

3
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In VA
20.0% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat William & Mary if you wish to pursue a degree in marine biology. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #103 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.

There were approximately 20 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine biology from William & Mary

4
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In FL
69 Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded

University of Miami is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in marine biology. Located in the large suburb of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #175 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.

There were approximately 69 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in marine biology from University of Miami

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #198 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USF Tampa is a great university overall.More information about a degree in marine biology from University of South Florida - Main Campus

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
97 Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded

UNCW is a large public university located in the city of Wilmington. This university ranks 12th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 97 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in marine biology from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In SC
131 Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded

Coastal Carolina University is a fairly large public university located in the city of Conway. This university ranks 12th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of South Carolina.

There were roughly 131 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at Coastal Carolina University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in marine biology from Coastal Carolina University

8
Eckerd crest
Eckerd College
Saint Petersburg, FL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In FL
80 Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded

Eckerd is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Saint Petersburg. This college ranks 52nd out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were about 80 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at Eckerd in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in marine biology from Eckerd College

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In FL
43 Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Tampa, UT is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were approximately 43 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UT in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in marine biology from The University of Tampa

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In FL
26.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #262 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means FIU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 30 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in marine biology from Florida International University

Best Marine Biology Colleges by State

Explore the best marine biology schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 715 364
North Carolina 710 106
Georgia 690 43
Virginia 630 19
South Carolina 530 226
Mississippi 501 29
Alabama 500 45
Louisiana 489 8

View All Rankings >

Marine Biology is one of 12 different types of Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Epidemiology 472
Ecology 114
Conservation Biology 44
Environmental Biology 31
Aquatic Biology/Limnology 13
Other Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 13
Evolutionary Biology 9
Epidemiology and Biostatistics 7
Biological Systematics 2

View All Biological Oceanography Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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