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.
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