Welcome to the Marine Biology Graduate Student Association at California State University Northridge
California State University, Northridge, located in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, is one of the largest universities in the California State University system with an enrollment of 32,000 students, including 6,000 graduate students. The Department of Biology consists of 30 full-time faculty members and has over 1,400 undergraduate majors and approximately 100 students enrolled in the graduate program.
A diversity of nearshore, warm-temperate, marine environments is located within a short driving distance from campus, including rocky intertidal, sand and mudflat communities, and kelp forest habitats. In addition, subtropical habitats in the Gulf of California are located within a few hours of Los Angeles.
Undergraduate Degree Program
The Department of Biology offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with Marine Biology as one of its options. Beyond the Biology core course program, students in the Marine Biology Option select from a variety of field and laboratory-oriented courses designed to involve students with organism classification, data collection, analysis, and interpretation with a diversity of taxa in different marine environments. Such undergraduate courses include:
Biol 313 Invertebrate Zoology
Biol 330 Design & Analysis of Experiments
Biol 421 Marine Biology
Biol 422 Physiological Ecology
Biol 504 Phycology
Biol 527 Biology of Pelagic Organisms
Biol 529 Marine Ecology
Biol 530 Ichthyology
Biol 531 Ecology of Marine Fishes
In addition, Ornithology (Biol 514), Mammalogy (Biol 515), and Animal Behavior (Biol 425) and a variety of other courses in ecology and evolution are available as electives. Marine-oriented courses from the Department of Geology, such as, Oceanography, Advanced Oceanography (physical and chemical), and Marine Geology can also be taken as electives subject to approval from a faculty advisor.
The CSUN Marine Biology Program emphasizes ecological approaches, and hands-on field and laboratory experiences. Field trips are an integral part of all marine courses and regularly include trips aboard the university’s research vessel to the California Channel Islands as well as, excursions to the central California coast (San Simeon) and Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja California, Mexico. The CSUN Marine Biology Program provides the opportunity for undergraduate students to perform directed, project-oriented work and to participate in faculty research projects.
Graduate Degree Program
The Master of Science degree in Biology is available to students interested in various aspects of marine biology. Graduate programs are structured specifically to meet students’ interests and professional objectives. Master’s candidates must complete a study plan consisting of 30 units of advisor approved coursework, a research thesis, and a final oral examination. Emphasis is placed on completing the research thesis and approved coursework at the graduate level including any of the 400-500 level marine courses, Advanced Ichthyology (Biol 532), independent study, thesis, and seminars in marine biology, such as, Topics in Marine Biology, Ecology of Coral Reefs, and Oceanic Biology.
A future demand for knowledgeable, well-prepared marine biologists has been predicted as the environmental crisis becomes even more acute and a foreseen mass retirement begins. It is very likely that students who are well-prepared will obtain important positions in education, government or industry where they will directly apply the knowledge and skills learned during their graduate studies.
The graduate program in marine biology is particularly strong in preparing students for further graduate training and advanced academic careers. Many of our former students have gone on to some of the best doctoral programs in the country. Interested students should contact a faculty member within their area of interest.
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