BIOS4300 – Marine biology

In this course, you will learn:

After having completed the course, you have knowledge of:

• Mechanisms and driving forces for ocean currents
• Marine food chains, from phytoplankton to top predators
• Life history of important Norwegian fish species and how these are adapted to the physical and biological environment
• Environmental issues
• The most common methods for collection and sampling of marine organisms

How physical and chemical processes shape marine environments

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The courses BIOS3300 and BIOS4300 have joint admission. Students are ranked by the following criteria:

1. Bachelor´s programme students at the Department of Biosciences and master´s programme students at the MN Faculty who have the course approved in their study plan.

2. Other program students.

3. Single course students and exchange students.

Applicants are ranked by number of credits within each group; all applicants within the 1st group are ranked before applicants in the 2nd group etc. For students who have equal number of credits within one group, admission is determined by random selection.

The courses have a capacity of 40 students.

The teaching consists of:

• Lectures
• Colloquiums
• Group seminars (mandatory)
• Field Trips (mandatory)

Mandatory exercises must be approved to sit the exam. Approved mandatory exercises is valid for 3 years.

Attendance is mandatory for the first lecture. This also applies for those on the waiting list. You will lose your seat on the course if notice is not given to the student administration studieinfo@ibv.uio.no prior to the first lecture.

As the teaching involves laboratory and/or field work, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance. Read about your insurance cover as a student.

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.

• Seminar attendance abstracts which counts 10% towards the final grade.
• Group seminar presentation which counts 20% towards the final grade.
• Final written exam which counts 70% towards the final grade.

This course has mandatory exercises that must be approved before you can sit the final exam.

Students who attended the course up to and including 2024 can follow the earlier examination arrangement and earlier examination arrangement will be offered up to and including 2026. Students who attend the course from 2025 onwards must follow the new arrangement.

It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for the following course: subject:BIOS3300

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.