Bachelor of Science (Marine Science)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

Entry Points (2024)

420

Course Overview

Marine Science encompasses the study of marine life and environments, how they are formed and evolve, and how they are affected by human activity. Topics covered in this programme include marine biology, earth science, chemistry and experimental physics, mathematics, statistics, oceanography, meteorology, botany, geology and microbiology.

The degree in Marine Science is a four-year degree leading to a BSc (Hons). At the end of the degree, you will have improved your knowledge about the marine environment and will have developed your thinking and practical and personal skills, enabling you to undergo further academic training in a wide variety of scientific disciplines or begin your career. Marine Science is a broad area and the programme aims to help you find what speciality you prefer to study by introducing the subject in a general way at first and allowing you to follow your particular interests later on.

At present, University of Galway is the only Irish university offering this degree programme and it now has the highest concentration of marine scientists of any institution in Ireland. Research ranges from fundamental understanding of the marine ecosystem to very applied activities involving close co-operation with industry and state agencies. The 3,000 square metre Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute houses most of the teaching and research activity in Marine Sciences at the university. MRI Carna carries out applied research in Carna, County Galway.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

The course is mostly taught by academic staff from The School of Natural Sciences. Optional modules are available in languages, maths, geography and politics. Key lecturers include:

Prof. Louise Allcock

Prof. Grace McCormack

Dr Anne Marie Power

Dr Christopher Coates

Dr Martin White

Dr Rachel Cave

Dr Anthony Grehan

Professor Peter Croot

Professor Dagmar Stengel

Professor Mark Johnson

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint), Computer Science or Agricultural Science) and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades (2024)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

4 (More Info)

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY310

Course code

Course Outline

YEAR ONE

This year is a foundation year to ensure that all students have the background needed for more advanced material. The staff teaching science subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) will not assume that all the class have studied the subject in their school-leaving qualification. There are additional supports to help students like SUMS - the mathematics support centre at University of Galway.

YEAR TWO

Students are able to select from a range of appropriate science modules, alongside core marine material in modules like Fundamentals in Aquatic Plant Science, Introduction to Ocean Science and Invertebrate Zoology (many invertebrate groups are exclusively or mostly marine).

YEAR THREE

This year continues the balance of core (e.g., Marine Habitat) and optional modules. This is also the year where it is possible to participate in an Erasmus exchange or apply for one of the College of Science and Engineering’s study abroad opportunities).

YEAR FOUR

The 4^th year includes a major research project carried out with an academic supervisor. This helps develop deeper knowledge alongside skills in project management and data evaluation. Also in this year there is a module (Field Skills in Marine Science) structured around experience on one of the Marine Institute’s research vessels. There is a free choice of optional modules, including a module in ocean politics.

See course outline for GY310 Marine Science here

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Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

OptionalMA161: Mathematical Studies - 15 Credits - Semester 1
OptionalMA180: Mathematics (Honours) - 15 Credits - Semester 1
OptionalMP180: Applied Mathematics - 15 Credits - Semester 1
OptionalCS102: Computer Science - 15 Credits - Semester 1
RequiredPH101: Physics - 15 Credits - Semester 1
RequiredCH120: Chemistry: Molecular Science - 15 Credits - Semester 1
RequiredBO101: Biology - 15 Credits - Semester 1

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Further Education

Honours BSc Marine Science graduates can pursue higher degrees in a wide range of related disciplines. Recent examples include PhD projects in Sweden, Austraila and Ireland, with M.Sc. courses taken across Europe.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

The oceans are fascinating and full of things to discover, and it has always been good advice to study something you are interested in. At the same time, we are in the middle of what has been called a ‘blue acceleration’. This is a rapid expansion across the world in marine-related sectors like marine protected areas, offshore renewables, aquaculture, and shipping. All these sectors need marine scientists working in non-governmental organizations, government agencies and private companies. The types of jobs may include data collection in the field, data analysis, laboratory analyses, report writing, fund-raising, education, or policy advice. There are well over 100 small companies in the Irish marine sector, most of which you will not have heard of due to their size, but some of these companies will expand as the blue acceleration proceeds. There will also be a continual need for marine scientists at the Marine Institute and in other government agencies and departments.

We have graduates working in marine-related roles in the Irish public and private sector. Our graduates have also gone on to study and work overseas. A final thing to remember: Although you will always have studied marine science, the skills from a degree are transferrable, allowing access to many different types of graduate careers.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

See Erasmus opportunities in Oviedo, Spain. Marine Science students also go to Hong Kong with the HKUST exchange scheme here.

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,268 p.a. (€7,408 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

Fees: Tuition

€4,268 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Non EU

€27,000 p.a. (€27,140 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy* €140. *Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees**.
**Excludes Full-Time EU Undergraduate fees. These are fixed and do not change.

Find out More

Professor Mark Johnson
Programme Director
College of Science
T: 353 (0)91 492126
E: marinescience@universityofgalway.ie
Twitter: @marinescigalway

What Our Students Say

Alina Madita Wieczorek | 4th Year Marine Science

I moved from Germany to Galway to study Marine Science as I wanted to study in English and as close to the Atlantic as possible. The first year of the course focused on giving the same background knowledge to all students. During the second and third year I gained in-depth knowledge in many different areas of Marine Science as the course is truly multidisciplinary. I more and more realise now that this is one of the more important if not the most important aspect of my studies in Univerisity of Galway as it enables me to link up topics from different areas such as how ocean physics influence the biology of our oceans. My favourite part of the degree was the research project in year four where the lecturers hand over to you. In this period I picked up many valuable skills, which are of great help to me now. At the moment I am doing a bursary in the Marine Institute. I hope in the future to do research around marine environmental issues and acquire a PhD in this area.