Career Choices

Marine Biology is the study of life in the sea in all it's aspects. The Marine Biology course encompasses learning about marine life in all it's forms, from viruses to whales, and about the structure and function of various marine ecosystems, ranging from coral reefs to polar seas and from estuaries to the abyssal depths.

Oceanography focusses on understanding the physical attributes of the ocean and its interactions with the atmosphere which determine the weather and climate patterns we experience. The Ocean & Atmosphere Science course encompasses the extent of the oceans, the physical, chemical and biological properties of sea water, various atmosphere-ocean interaction and biogeochemical cycles in a variety of regions from the tropics to the polar seas and from estuaries to the abyssal depths.

To apply for these undergraduate courses at UCT, you would need to have the minimum admission and subject requirements:

  • Mathematics 70% and Physical Sciences 60%
  • *Life Sciences and Geography would also be very useful subjects to get into this field of study.
  • NBT in Mathematics, AL & QL to be written.

For more information, please read the leaflet below:  

Or you could have a read through the UCT Science Faculty Undergraduate Handbook Guide and Postgraduate Handbook Guide

 

Closed

You could contact the UCT Biological Sciences Department and send your query through to the marine researchers based in the department. 

There are also apps and resources that one can use to find the name and type of organism found washed up along the shore or while you're out in the water. You can find more information on marine species and many others in these field guides:

 

N.B: If you are not too sure where you would like to place the washed up organism, you can contact the Marine Wildlife Management Programme at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation if the organism is injured or if it's a smaller organism and you're able to pick them up (beware, rather wear gloves and store in a container) you can contact the Iziko Museum via email https://www.iziko.org.za/contact-us/ and organize to either drop off or have the Iziko Collections team collect them from you, in case they would like to store them in their collections for display or for further studies.
If you have time, it would be great for you to share this finding on an app called iNaturalist where you can contribute to citizen science and assist South African scientists with recording the distribution of these organisms and note other important information to your finding, i.e., “you found this mussel washed up at Muizenberg Beach shortly after the storms occurred”. We encourage you to share your findings on this App, including land and marine plants and animals!
Closed

UCT-MARiS convenes a one-year coursework (full-time) Masters in Applied Ocean Sciences, which is joint between the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Oceanography at the University of Cape Town. This course provides interdisciplinary training in treating the most applied aspects of oceanography and marine biology, with the aim of becoming future ocean professionals. It is designed for both recent graduates as well as those with some years’ experience and who wish to gain skills to operate in the ocean services sector, with a focus on operational and conservational activities, food, water quality and recreation, preservation and other aspects of the Blue Economy.

AOS BIO5012W

Pre-requisites for admission

  • 4 years Bachelor degree (with research project) or Honours degree.
  • Previous specialised knowledge of oceanography or marine biology is not essential.
  • Students from both the natural and social sciences/humanities (+hons) students are eligible, with a preference for students with a Science background and those who have a demonstrated numerical skills.
  • An average of 65% in science subjects or >70% in other pertinent subjects
  • Non-science students are required to write in their motivation letter how they will compensate for knowledge gaps in science subjects and numerical skills.

 

Applications usually open around April/May and are due before the end of August. The AOS programme usually commences in late-January of the following year. Find out more about the course here.
Closed

Here are some really cool scientific articles for kids to read:

All Aboard! Behind the Scenes of a Scientific Research Cruise

How Do Scientists Explore the Deep Seafloor?

The Southern Ocean Sea-Ice Ecosystem is Important to Humans

When Water Swims in Water, Will it Float, or Will it Sink? Or: What Drives Currents in the Ocean?

Our Blue Planet: Connecting Humans and the Ocean

Keeping an Eye on Earth’s Oceans With Argo Robots

 

Closed

Academic Processes

Find out the necessary steps taken to submit your dissertation or thesis at UCT, including the Intent to Submit Form, Turnitin process and Dissertation Submission process. 

 

1. Intent to Submit Process

  • Timeline: Submit the "Notice of Intention to Submit" at least 4-6 weeks (6-8 weeks for PhD) prior to submitting the dissertation/thesis.
  • Method: Submit electronically through PeopleSoft Student Administration Self-service.
  • Required Documents:
    • Completed "Notice of Intention to Submit" form (Masters or PhD).
    • Draft Abstract - In addition to the ‘intention to submit’ form all students are to upload an abstract. The file must be named as follows: Abstract-open.pdf.
    • IP Assessment form (for Science, Engineering & Built Environment, and Health Sciences).
    • OpenUCT suppression form (if an embargo is needed).
  • Procedure: Select "Thesis/Dissertation related requests" and "Intention to submit".
  • Confirmation: An email acknowledgment is sent upon successful submission.

 

2. Turnitin Process

  • Access: Use the Faculty-specific Turnitin site on Amathuba (formerly Vula).
  • Procedure: Submit draft copies to the Turnitin assignment in Amathuba. Note that after three submissions, the generation time increases to 24 hours.
  • Requirements: The final Turnitin report (specifically the first pages with the percentage score and title) must be signed by the student and supervisor, to verify originality before the formal examination submission.
  • File Size: The document must be under 100 MB.
  • AI Policy: UCT has stopped using AI detectors in Turnitin as of October 2025.  

 

3. Final Submission for Examination 

  • Method: Upload the final, corrected PDF file of the dissertation/thesis to PeopleSoft.
  • Documentation Check:
    • Final Turnitin Report.
    • Signed Plagiarism Declaration.
    • Final Abstract.
    • Word Count form.

*Should you have any problems with this service, please consult the following document: Accessing PeopleSoft Self Service for Students, or get help by accessing Student Self Service Help or emailing sss-helpdesk@uct.ac.za. To find out more, you can view the Science Faculty’s website.

Closed