The role of a Marine Biologist is both essential and highly rewarding. With the growing need to understand and protect marine ecosystems, skilled marine biologists are in constant demand. Whether conducting groundbreaking research on marine life in coastal laboratories, contributing to conservation projects in Manchester-based organizations, or advising sustainable practices for industries in Edinburgh, professionals in this field enjoy strong career prospects and the opportunity to make a significant impact on environmental health, biodiversity, and the future of our oceans.
Marine Biologist salary
Base pay £25K – £40K/yr
£31K/yr average base pay
The estimated salary for a Marine Biologist is £31,339 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The “Most Likely Range” represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.
What do Marine Biologist earn
How much does a Marine Biologist make in United Kingdom?
£33,230/yr
Highest paying cities for Marine Biologist near United Kingdom
- Aberdeen
£46,043 per year6 salaries reported - Southampton
£39,379 per year5 salaries reported - Plymouth
£37,983 per year6 salaries reported - Cambridge
£28,609 per year5 salaries reported
What’s on Quora?
How much does a marine biologist make? Is an advanced degree required?
Most of the starry-eyed idealistic types that want to become Marine Biologists have very little idea of what is Marine Biology. I can pass as a Marine Biologist but most would not even think of me being a marine biologist. I mainly work on photosynthesis of marine organisms.
You need a PhD and several years post-doctoral published experience.
You need far more Maths, Statistics, Physics and Chemistry than you are told. I think that is telling obscene lies to people. Most of the poor little bastards simply spatter themselves on a stone wall because they simply do not have the background education needed.
It is not so much the salary that is the problem. It is the lack of secure employment and the almost non-existent career pathway and structure.
Top Answer
To BE a Marine Biologist you must have a advanced degree in something closely related to the title, OR an advanced degree in Marine Biology. After that it has always been my opinion that YOU must also work in that field so as to add to your “book learning” with practical knowledge. That is what I tried to do many year ago after achieving an Interdisciplinary Ph.D in both Marine Biology AND Marine Archeology. I went looking for REAL work, as opposed to summer work as post graduate studies in a variety of things related to one or the other fields of study. So undergraduate degree in biology and TWO advanced degrees I went looking for a career that would start me on the road to financial recovery that I had experienced in seven years of education. I spent three months doing whatever I could find that paid and all the time I requested positions for anything I was qualified for. That is a bit misleading as I was qualified for ALL the positions I applied for, and in some case over-qualified. I was offered pay that would have been negative in the long run because of the job’s location. Or close by but only a three to six months grant and then out looking again. So I took part time jobs at everything from aquariums to counting fish runs on local rivers and reached out to my personal “network” seeking employment NOT in my educational field, and I found it finally.
To save us both some time I NEVER actually found or worked at anything related to my two degrees, but found work that I enjoyed and prospered from and that is why I do NOT claim to be either type of scientist, and use some nebulous credential, like the one above, rather than exhorting an education that I never got a chance to apply. HOWEVER, all was not lost as I worked schedule that allowed me to travel, save some of my wages, and really get into SCUBA diving. It also allowed me to “volunteer” in both my fields and not have to worry about “earning a living” from it.
Things have changed a great deal since my “problems” and now Marine Biologist can make a decent wage and have some job security with the work. Pay ranges from “mid-30’s to upper 70’s” to start unless my information is no longer reliable. I would suggest that you “keep your ears open” as you go through the education system and maybe line up something before graduation. Also, be open to possibilities, as there are many more MB programs than when I was getting into it.
Good luck.
