Our BSc Marine Biology (including Foundation Year) could be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entry requirements for a three-year version of our life sciences courses and you want a programme that improves your skills to support your academic performance. Open to UK and EU applicants, this four-year course includes a Foundation Year (known as Year Zero) which is delivered by our Essex Pathways Department, followed by a further three years of study in our School of Life Sciences. During Year Zero you will study on our Life Sciences Pathway which will cover topics such as an Introduction to Biology, Chemistry for Biology, and Mathematics and Statistics for Life Sciences. At the end of Year Zero all students who pass the Life Sciences Pathway will have a choice of which course to progress with. As well as BSc Marine Biology, students on the Life Sciences Pathway could also study BSc Biomedical Science or BSc Biological Sciences. From Year One, our team of internationally-renowned academic staff will introduce you to ocean systems and marine ecology through their own research on topics as varied as coral reef conservation, fisheries management, animal behaviour, marine biotechnology, and microbiology. These are taught alongside key scientific skills including data analysis and interpretation, literature research, and presentation skills to give you a concrete foundation for your scientific career. You will develop the concepts introduced in lectures through extensive, practical, hands-on experience in the laboratories of our STEM Centre, as well as in the field. Our local estuaries and coastal ecosystems are a natural laboratory on our doorstep. You will investigate the diversity of beautiful Essex salt marshes and interact with key people working to improve our coastline, including Essex Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency and Colchester Oyster Fisheries. Later in your degree are opportunities to travel to field locations in Scotland, Greece and Indonesia (subject to additional costs) to apply what you have learned. During a trip to Indonesia, in the heart of the Coral Triangle, you will learn to dive and participate in unique underwater research surveys and lectures. After completing core modules, you will move on to more advanced and specialised modules that are driven by our departmental research expertise. In the final year you will have the opportunity to select an independent research project through which you can further develop your own interests. Previous topics have included: studies on oyster fisheries and water quality with local industry fieldwork on sea turtle ecology in Greece identifying coral reef conservation strategies in the Caribbean and Indonesia. Visit our course pages for BSc Ecology and Environmental Biology and BSc Global Sustainability to explore our other environmental science undergraduate degrees. Sustainability at Essex We're proudly ranked 95th (10th in the UK) for promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for life below water (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025). To learn about the initiatives and actions the University of Essex is taking to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises, visit our sustainability page.