What our students think

I chose to study at Southampton because of their outstanding reputation as a great University. Furthermore the Marine Biology course is run at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton. The facilities and lecturers available there are very impressive.

I gained most of the important skills needed for a research career in marine science: lab experience, at-sea experience, analytical experience, writing experience as well as managing my time and thinking independently and creatively.

The University of Southampton stood out as it was one of the few universities in the country to offer this degree.

Although the trips train us to be field geologists they also are great fun, and give us a chance to get to know the other students and lecturers really well - maybe that’s why Geology is rated so highly as a subject in student satisfaction surveys!

The lectures are given by those working in the field and detail the most current research and techniques.

The highlights have definitely got to be the field trips where you apply all the knowledge you’ve learned in your lectures and lab sessions. Geology students get to know each other very well very quickly because you spend long days together, in the field or stuck in a caravan, in all weathers. We started off in Tenby in Wales and also spent time mapping in Ingleton in Yorkshire.

The highlight of my degree so far has been studying abroad at University of Gothenburg in Sweden as an Exchange student. It has been so valuable to my degree and personal growth. I even learnt a good amount of Swedish!

I completed a year abroad at Penn State University in the US. The year was full of countless great experiences and I would recommend it to anyone.

Without my learning experience at the University of Southampton I definitely would not be working for Fugro – a world-leading provider of geo-intelligence. The learning method and skills developed during my time at university are highly relevant and I draw on them every day at work.

My main highlight of my time at university was getting the opportunity to spend a semester abroad at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Being able to learn a different range of skills and visit new places on fieldtrips allowed me to expand my horizons even further. I met a great range of people, and developed a new confidence that will be sure to help me in my future work career.

I particularly enjoyed doing my third year independent mapping project in Ireland. It was a great opportunity to apply the skills previously learned during lectures on rock identification and structural geology.

Although humans first acquired knowledge of the waves and tides of the oceans in pre-historic times, modern oceanographic knowledge remains limited. The field of ocean engineering provides an important link between the oceanographic disciplines, coupled with a basic understanding of how the oceans work.

The oceanography field-courses and research projects are great opportunities to make the most of the excellent resources here at NOCS and put what you have been learning into practice.

Southampton has great opportunities, in regards to degree courses and also societies. Also as one of the best places in the country to study the subject I’m passionate about, with the most up-to-date technology and research, it would have been silly for my future career to choose anywhere else.

I spent an incredible year abroad in Australia as part of my degree, first six months in Perth at the University of Western Australia and then six months at the University of Adelaide where I worked on a research project on the genetics of mangroves alongside my normal studies.

My studies and experiences at Southampton shaped my future massively as it gave me the skills employers were looking for.

Much of what I learned while studying at Southampton applies to my sailing. Weather patterns, ocean currents and seabed topography were just a few of the subjects covered in depth during my time there.

My MSci in Marine Biology gave me the opportunity to study in a diverse set of locations! I worked with complex underwater scanners while directing a 50ft research vessel off the coast of Cornwall. I worked in Bermuda in a secured underground rock pool with over 100,000 upside-down jellyfish! I also spent time in Dale Fort, Wales and Falmouth in Cornwall. What better way to learn about tropical biology than to swim with tropical turtles in Bermuda?! What other degree in the world lets you do that?!

My main field experience has come from my year abroad at the University of Washington where I took part in a research cruise to Vancouver Island for 10 days, it was tiring and cold but I learnt a lot and loved every minute.

A massive highlight for me was also the opportunity to do an ERASMUS year at the university of Bordeaux. It was the best thing I could have ever done to improve my language skills, it helped me improve my confidence, and I met so many great people, and so now I have a great network of friends and colleagues throughout Europe.

The part of my course I found the most enjoyable and definitely the most rewarding was my MSci thesis. I studied the impact of light pollution on the sea-finding ability of hatchling Loggerhead sea turtles. I collected data on the Greek island of Kefalonia, returning to Southampton to analyse it. I found this experience rewarding because I successfully planned and implemented a project and produced a report that will aid in the protection of sea turtles in Kefalonia.

There is a strong sense of energy and excitement buzzing around at NOCS. It is great and very inspiring to study amongst world-renowned scientists.

I have taken fieldtrips to Tenby, Wales and Ingleton, North Yorkshire. Both of these were fantastic and a real learning curve. My best memory has to be the Geological Society trip to Italy in 2015.

The lecturers are very good at explaining modules and I find their research (which they often discuss during the lectures) fascinating. Whenever I have academic questions that arise, I can always email the lecturers and they will always set time aside to answer them.

SFY offered great practical opportunities to get to grips with the chemistry and biology topics, giving me experience of working in a university lab. The scientific reports and essays are incredibly helpful as they require university level formatting and quality, meaning my first-year coursework was a less overwhelming.

I was sold by the professionalism of NOCS and the relaxed and open nature of Highfield campus. There was a very welcoming atmosphere here on the open day and that’s continued to be present for 3 years since.

Studying at the NOCS was truly an invaluable experience for my career in research.

At the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS), you have access to world class expertise, equipment, software and training.

One of the things that makes a Geology degree at Southampton stand out is the fact that we go on so many field trips. I particularly enjoyed the Tenerife trip as part of the third year Volcanic and Mantle Processes! The lava flow exposures were really great to see and of course, the weather was lovely to work in!

Since coming to the university it is not an uncommon event to read about the lecturers and staff involved in worldwide and groundbreaking research, which only serves to further highlight the calibre of work at the centre.

I chose to study the masters course as it gave me a wide selection of courses to choose from, as well as allowing me to gain hands- on field research experience in a number of specific field trips and throughout individual courses.

I chose Southampton because of the outstanding facilities for Ocean and Earth sciences, and the university’s reputation for excellence in teaching and research.

Doing a PhD at NOCS and being able to network with the staff there provides a lot of great opportunities.

The National Oceanography Centre has incredible facilities for work and learning. Just outside you can board Callista, a research vessel, which undergraduate students get to go on regularly for fieldwork. This gives you a feel for real life oceanographic research.

I love the environment at NOCS; the research focus, the facilities and the opportunity to share a department with world leading researchers and lecturers, making study stimulating and relevant.

The wide range of research going on at NOCS also means there’s a supervisor available for almost anything you’re interested in studying.

The foundation year puts you in a unique position from the word go.

The National Oceanography Centre Southampton is the ideal place to study marine biology. It’s down on the waterfront, the research ships moor just outside and it’s really got an academic buzz. Lecturers are welcoming and everyone is so passionate about their subjects. I came here on an open day and knew it was the place for me.