College Of William and Mary

1. College Of William and Mary Christia McClellan 3A Honors English 12 September 25, 2013 Livingston

2. College of William and Mary • Located in Williamsburg, Virginia • Founded in 1693 and is the 2nd oldest college in the United States. • On February 8, 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter for a “perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences” to be founded in the Virginia Colony. • First college to become a university (1779).

3. Student population • 8,200 students attend College of William and Mary, which is 7,652 more than the average for all Colleges and Universities. Of its 8,200 students, College of William and Mary has 6,071 undergraduate students.

4. What is Marine biology? • Marine biology is the study of life in the oceans and other saltwater environments such as estuaries and wetlands for all that matter in the world. • Life in the sea has been a subject of fascination for thousands of years. One of the most important reasons for the study of sea life is simply to understand the world in which we live.

5. Undergraduate Coursework • To become a marine biologist, students must select a major in marine biology or an equivalent. • Undergraduates must also successfully complete a number of credits in marine biology labs, which provide hands-on experience with marine plant and animal life. • To achieve a bachelor of science in marine biology, students study physics, genetics, oceanography, chemistry and general marine biology • Marine biologists require a broad understanding of the sciences, because physics and chemistry have a broad impact on the study of undersea life.

6. Graduate Coursework • Most master's programs are approximately 60 credit hours, compared to the 120 credit hours required for a Bachelor of Science degree. • One of the most exciting aspects of a marine biology degree at any level is the extensive on-site research and experience provided by the university. • Students pursuing a career in Marine Science are required to take 18 credits of coursework. Two courses (6 credits total) are required: Introduction to Marine Science and Field Studies in Coastal Marine Environments.

7. Could this be useful 10 years from now? • The average salary of a marine biologist makes between $48,000- $100,309 a year.

8. Timeline of training and college • Bachelors Degree requires 4 years • A Master's Degree requires 2 years • A PhD requires 4 - 5 years

9. Best places to pursue this career Sea of Cortez, Mexico Utila Island, Honduras Komodo, Indonesia Galapagos, Ecuador Beqa, Fiji Palau (stretches across a zone where the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet) Visayas, Philippines Belize (Edging around the Western Caribbean and neighboring Mexico and Guatemala) Channel Islands National Park, California Maldives (400 miles off the coast of India) Brothers Islands, Red Sea, Egypt Heron Island, The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

10. Advantages Disadvantages Traveling to the coast or overseas to study animals in their natural habitats. The opportunity to use tools and equipment costing as much as several million dollars. (Whatever you need to produce reliable, accurate data is typically provided for your use at no cost to you.) You are able to contribute to the preservation of life in the oceans. Hours may be irregular and many marine biologists work very long hours while in the field While aboard ship, you are at risk from the natural forces of the ocean.

11. Did you know? • The chemical composition of corals has been found to be very close to that of the human bones. Due to this reason, the corals are often used in bone transplants in humans.