PhD Marine Biology at University of Hawaii at Manoa

Programme overview

The PhD in Marine Biology requires a comprehensive exam, a dissertation and a dissertation defense, plus documented teaching experience. Applicants may be admitted with or without a prior master's degree in a related discipline.

Faculty: School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology | Study mode: full-time | Location: Honolulu, HI, United States

What you will study

With a related MS: Place-Based Methodologies in Hawaii (MBIO 600), dissertation research, and further coursework set by the committee. Without one: at least 30 graduate credits at a 3.0 GPA, including MBIO 600, a statistics/data science course, 6 credits of subject electives such as coral reef ecology, fisheries science, marine mammal science and remote sensing, MBIO 668 People and the Sea, and research credits.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants may be admitted to the PhD with or without a master's degree in a related discipline. Graduate Division standards (all UH Manoa graduate applicants): a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited US institution or an equivalent non-US degree, held or expected before matriculation, and a B average (usually 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) in undergraduate and any post-baccalaureate or graduate coursework; graduate programmes may add requirements such as GRE, GPA minimums and other documents. English proficiency for most applicants whose native language is not English: minimum TOEFL iBT 61 (old scale; 3.5 on the new 2026 scale), TOEFL Essentials 7.0, IELTS Academic 5.5, Duolingo 90 or Cambridge Scale 161, with programme-level scores possibly higher. Graduate teaching assistantship applicants need TOEFL iBT 100 (Listening 25, Speaking 25) or IELTS 7.0. Applicants who are native English speakers or earned a degree within the last five years in an English-exempt country (including the US, UK, Canada except Quebec, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya) are exempt.

Requirements published at program group level.

Domestic applicants: USD 10,400 a year (2026-27). Graduate tuition for 2026-27 based on a typical full-time load of 8 credits per semester (indicative budget figure from the cost of attendance page); excludes fees ($934), housing, food, books and other costs. Hawaii resident rate. Source

International applicants: USD 22,432 a year (2026-27). Graduate tuition for 2026-27 based on a typical full-time load of 8 credits per semester (indicative budget figure from the cost of attendance page); excludes fees ($934), housing, food, books and other costs. Non-resident rate. Source

Graduate applications are accepted for Summer, Fall and Spring terms; Graduate Division begins processing applications from August 1 for the following Fall and Summer semester and from April 1 for the following Spring semester.

All graduate application deadlines are set by the graduate programmes and vary by programme; some programmes set priority deadlines. Most Fall applicants hear a decision by late March/early April and Spring applicants by November/December. Application fees are non-refundable.

Apply through the official page: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/

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