Academic Success

Established in 1992, The Marine Science program at UH Hilo was the first undergraduate degree in Marine Science in the University of Hawai’i system. The B.A. degree provides students the flexibility to customize the degree to specific carees, such as ecotourism, aquaculture or environmental law.

The B.S. degree, established in 2008, was designed specifically to prepare students for graduate school. At the graduate level, faculty mentor students studying marine science through the Master of Science Program in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science. We have outstanding teaching, laboratory and field resources to prepare the next generation of leaders in marine science.

Career Paths

Career paths pursued by some of our graduates include:

Student Success

The UH Hilo Marine Science students have had great success as students and as graduates.

• Each year, between 1-3 students each year have been granted the prestigious NOAA Hollings Scholarship.
• Each year, the MOP Student Symposium provides students from campuses across the University of Hawai’i system to present their Skill Project. UH Hilo students have excelled each year, winning the MOP Best Research Paper, as well as other awards, including the Best Poster and Anna Toy Ng Award.
• Students frequently earn travel awards to attend national conferences to present research, including 13 undergraduate and graduate students that attended the ASLO/AGU/TOS Ocean Sciences Meeting in 2014.
• Upon graduation, 80% were successful finding either employment or attending graduate school in their chosen field of study.
• 82% of our students that graduate with a B.S. and apply to graduate school are accepted.

Faculty Success

All tenure and tenure-track faculty have PhDs in marine science related disciplines. The Marine Science department has faculty expertise that cover chemical, biological, and geological oceanography, as well as various aspects of marine biology.

Several faculty members have earned prestigious teaching awards: