Types of jobs at the NMMF
What kind of education you need
“You can study anything and work with marine mammals!” We recommend focusing on mastering the basic principles of writing, science, and math to give you a strong foundation for whatever specific topic you would like to focus on for a graduate degree or career.
What students can start doing now:
If you are in middle-school or high-school, the best thing to do is start getting as much hands on experience as you can. In school, take as many lab classes so you can learn the skills that scientists use. You can also volunteer at a local animal shelter or aquarium if you are interested in biology or veterinary medicine to participating in camps or school clubs. There are sometimes scholarship and financial assistance programs available at many organizations, so make sure to what resources are available.
How to become a marine mammal veterinarian
In order to practice veterinary medicine (no matter what species), you must earn a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and licensure to diagnose and treat animals. This involves completing 4 years of an undergraduate degree, typically in biology, chemistry, animal science, nutrition, biochemistry, genetics, or molecular biology, and then completing another 4 years of veterinary school to earn your DVM degree. In veterinary school, coursework typically focuses on the biological sciences while also learning medical skills, nutrition, biological systems of a variety of different animals, as well as illnesses and injuries. To enter a career as a marine mammal veterinarian, there is unfortunately no straightforward path to get there. To start, no veterinary college has a marine & aquatic animal-focused veterinary medicine program, they most often focus primarily on cat, dog, horse, and cow. After veterinary school, however, there are a few options. You can continue with graduate work focusing on marine mammals or aquatic animals, or get an internship in small animal medicine or private practice for a few years before applying to aquatic medicine internships. If you are in middle-school or high-school, the best thing to do is start getting as much experience as you can along the way. This includes volunteering at the aquarium, rehabilitation centers, animal shelters, or research labs.
Internships
Many organizations offer volunteer opportunities, internships, externships, and even paid introductory positions. There are sometimes scholarship and financial assistance programs available at many organizations, so make sure to what resources are available. At the NMMF we have opportunities for high school – graduate students. For more information see our internship page.
Advice from the Ocean: Unexpected Paths into Marine Conservation
Marine conservation is so much more than just biology. Advice from the Ocean: Unexpected Paths into Marine Conservation is sprinkled with advice from the ocean, and those who fight for it. It includes personal essays from people working in law, art, engineering, literature, medicine, robotics, and so many more fields. This diverse group of people shares their career paths into marine conservation. How did they get there? What challenges and opportunities did they find along the way? These are a few of the questions guiding their essays.
www.advicefromtheocean.com
The NMMF outreach team contributed two chapters to this book:
Confidently Embrace the Unknown
By Brittany Novick
Bringing Together New Tools in Marine Mammal Science Education
By Celeste Parry
