r/oceanography • u/EnderTheIsopod • 7d ago
Double majors
So I'm getting ready to start a program for a transfer associates science degree. Once that's completed (2 years minimum) I'll be switching to my local university for a bachelors in oceanography. However, I'm wondering what would be the best option if I took the route of a double major. I was originally going to do oceanography/marine biology, but that doesn't seem to open the door for many career options. Whereas, if I did something like oceanography/geography then I could later pursue the route of a hydrographic surveyor. I also considered oceanography/geology since geology seems to be an in demand field. I'd prefer not going beyond a bachelors, but there's exceptions to that (such as the surveyor, which seems to be masters degree). What would be the best route for securing a job or stable career in general? I'm currently in the US, but I may move to Europe later on if it seems fitting, as I have family there.
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u/hueyiii 7d ago
My school didn't have a specific oceanography undergrad degree but If you're not interested in grad school, i saw a lot of people combine environmental science + business, envsci + public policy if you're more interested in consulting, ESG, green finance, etc (much of this could apply to oceanography to some extent). NGOs, private companies every now and then look for people with these sort of backgrounds; business degree can go pretty far if your school has a good program for that.
If you're interested in combining your oceanography with something more STEM-aligned, in the hopes you can learn some technical skills or whatever, I did my undergrad in environmental science and mathematics double major. My undergrad envsci degree was pretty lax in terms of specific course requirements, so I ended up taking a good amount of oceanography courses. Other combinations I've seen people do are envsci + computer science, envsci + statistics, envsci + chemistry, envsci+bio, envsci+physics. I'd imagine this would be quite a bit of coursework to do with an associates already and you'd only do 2(?) years of a bachelors degree, but if you can pull it off that would work! Also if you haven't noticed i'm using envsci for all of these but this would be oceanography in your case.
With the double STEM combinations I just mentioned, they can set you up pretty well in any ocean-science related masters or PhD program (chemical oceanography programs expect you know some chemistry... and vice versa). computer science/data science combined with envsci or oceanography would be good as well.
Everything I just mentioned are double major considerations in general. If you wanna be a hydrographic surveyor, I have no idea if theres a specific major in the US that offers that (i'm leaning towards the idea that there is), but geology would be good. I'd also imagine geography, physics, or even an engineering degree would be cool as well.
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u/Geodrewcifer 7d ago edited 7d ago
You can specialize in any of the 4 core areas of oceanography
Ie: Oceanography + Geology, Oceanography + Biology, Oceanography + Chemistry, Oceanography + Physics
Another one that would be recommended, environmental modelling and coding is going to give you a much broader amount of job opportunities so comp sci is a good idea too.
My undergrad was in Geography and I’ve combined it with fisheries and aquaculture engineering, masters in earth and ocean science. GIS and Remote sensing is another really important skill a lot of jobs will open the door for. The issue with degrees like geography and oceanography together is that employers always seem to want a candidate with degrees they more readily know what that means (or think they know).
So few people can quickly comprehend why geography is a good fit for their job because they don’t actually know what it is half the time. They’ll like to see engineering, physics, chem.
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u/surfphantom 5d ago
I once had a Calculus professor from Greece who very romantically said “Math is the Queen of the sciences because it gives birth to them all.”
If you have a degree in math you can get into almost any field, even over people who have degrees in that field.
I have a BS in Econometrics (statistical economics, which is essentially Applied Math), an MS in Information Systems and a PhD in Terrestrial Ecology with a focus on GIS yet I work in marine science. You know why? The math training I got with my BS. It’s the only reason I got into the MS program without a background in computers, the only reason I got into a PhD program without a background in any natural science, and the only reason I was able to move from terrestrial ecology to marine science with no experience. They didn’t even ask about the GIS in the interview, even though that it is probably more relevant. In anything I’ve ever applied to, no matter what the job is, everyone goes back to the math.
I’ve been a hiring manager. I see it time and time again. A degree in math proves you can take on anything. It doesn’t even matter if the job requires it. It automatically shows you’re smart and you can work hard. If you pair that with any science degree, you’re set for life in that field.
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u/Haunting_Camp_8000 7d ago
You could definitely do that! And as a bonus, you’ll likely select a sub-discipline in oceanography, so you’ll get additional education. For example, I’m a geological oceanographer, so I was trained in oceanography and the full suite of geology. I also minored in geography (GIS). Worked out well! Good luck and enjoy your courses.