Ocean Sciences is the study of the
marine environment. It ranges from more
physical sciences like geological
oceanography to the more biological side
which can include things like zoology. In
the first year we all study together to get
everyone up to speed and then in the
second year you diverge into your
separate groups to study more particular
to your degree title and then in third year even more.
What I love about studying Ocean
Sciences is there's a really
diverse habitat on our doorstep. In
Bangor we have something called the
Menai Strait which is a strip of ocean
between Bangor and the Isle of Anglesey.
I was really surprised by how much was
in there but not only do we get to study
that habitat but I've also been learning
about Antarctica and tropical coral
reefs which are really cool
In Bangor we've got a wide range of
facilities from the largest seagoing
vessel the Prince Madog, which all Ocean Sciences students will get to go on
at least once. I've been on to collect
both physical and biological data in the
past. We've also got a few aquaria and
algae labs and on the physical side
we've got tidal flow labs which are
really cool to look at as well
It's really cool being taught by lecturers
who are doing active research because
they get to tell you in detail about
current and relevant research projects
which they've been working on. No one's
going to be able to give you that level
of detail like someone who actually
wrote the paper itself.
Bangor University campus is
really small which results in
a really close community feel. You can't
leave the house without seeing someone
you know and I know when I came to
University it was really reassuring to
be around so many people that I know
All students at Bangor University get
the opportunity to study abroad through
the University and gain international
experience, but Marine Biology students
also get the opportunity to study at
Virginia Marine Institute. Studying the
organisms out there gets to broaden the
understanding from those organisms found
native to North Wales to an
international level
There's loads of opportunities for Ocean
Sciences students after they graduate,
whether they're working in habitat
modelling, fisheries management or planning
permission for coastal and marine
structures.
I personally after I graduate would like
to study a PhD. Through Bangor
University's internship scheme I did an
internship last summer and did some
research that's hopefully going to get
published. This really inspired me
and motivated me to carry on working in
research.
My advice for students wanting to study
Ocean Science at Bangor University is to
bring some water proofs and some walking
boots we do a lot of fieldwork around
the mountains and the coast of North
Wales and Anglesey. These places are
really fun to explore on your own time
as well.
