Natural Science Division

Marine Biology at Pepperdine University

Does Pepperdine have a marine biology major?

No, we offer a major in general biology.

Why?

We feel that students are better served as undergraduates by not specializing, by obtaining a strong general background in biology. From this background, students can go into any specialty area in graduate school, medical school, or jobs.

In reality, marine biologists are biologists that specialize in work on marine organisms, but they begin with a broad background and have some area of biology as a technical specialty, such as ecology, behavior, or embryology. At Pepperdine, there are two marine biologists on the faculty: Dr. Karen Martin, a comparative physiologist, and Dr. Tom Vandergon, a molecular biologist.

Can Pepperdine students take courses in marine biology?

Yes, we offer courses in marine biology. One is a general education course, open to anyone, as an introduction to the field. Others are upper-division elective courses in biology, with prerequisites. All courses have laboratories that include field trips to coastal and ocean sites.

In addition, many of the biology courses offered at Pepperdine have a significant marine component. For example, zoology students take field trips to tidepools. Ecology students study shorebirds and beach habitats. Botany students learn about marine algae and plankton at the coast and in Malibu Lagoon. Invertebrate zoology laboratories focus on many local organisms. Several courses take field trips on research vessels in the Catalina Channel.

What if students want experience beyond regular coursework?

Interested students have many options for greater involvement in marine biology, particularly during the summer. On campus, a small number of students every year design and complete research projects in the Summer Undergraduate Research in Biology program, including several that are marine. For example, students have complete projects on grunion metabolism during spawning, photosynthesis and bleaching in sea anemones, a comparison of respiration in water and air by intertidal fishes, and hemoglobin extraction from a primitive marine chordate, the amphioxus.

Students from Pepperdine have been accepted to off-campus courses and research programs at many field stations for marine biology, including Friday Harbor Laboratories (University of Washington), Shoals Marine Laboratory (Cornell University), Hopkins Marine Station (Stanford University), Semester at Sea, and the School for Field Studies.

Undergraduates from Pepperdine have obtained internships and summer positions with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and SeaWorld in San Diego, and have collaborated with researchers at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro.

Pepperdine University is located within 5 minutes of a variety of marine habitats on the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, including rocky intertidal and lagoon sites. Laboratory facilities include marine aquaria, and equipment for physiological, ecological, and molecular research on marine organisms. A number of biology courses involve study in marine habitats and trips on research vessels.

We offer a SCUBA certification course in the Physical Education department.

Research opportunities, some with stipends, and honors studies are available competetively in marine biology and other areas of biology. Many students present their original research in scientific meetings and publications.