The faculty and staff of the Biology Department value study abroad experiences for our students.  The department currently offers three faculty-led study abroad programs detailed below.  Our Ecuador and Bahamas experiences run in even years and our South Africa program runs in odd years.  Ecuador and South Africa experiences are 3-4 weeks and the Bahamas experience is during winter semester, with the field component occurring during spring break.  If you want to study abroad for a semester or year, we encourage you to speak to your faculty advisor and Padnos International Center to best plan your experience.

How Does Study Abroad Fit into Your Academic Program?

If you complete a study abroad experience consisting of at least 3 credits, your Global Perspectives requirement is automatically fulfilled (Plants and Islands does not currently fulfill this requirement).  You may use study abroad to fulfill your issues requirement.  For faculty-led study abroad, you must have two 3 credit courses from different disciplines (e.g., BIO and NRM).  For semester or year-long study abroad, the two 3 credit courses may be from the same discipline.  In either case, you must write a short reflection paper and submit it to the General Education Office with the corresponding form within 60 days of your return. (Note: Plants and Islands does not currently fulfill these requirements)

For all three current programs, the courses will count toward your major.  For Ecuador and South Africa, if you are a Biology major, BIO 417 (International Field Biology) automatically counts as elective credit, NRM 407 (Natural Resources and Society) will require advisor approval to count as elective credit.  The reverse would be the case for an NRM major.

For the Bahamas program, you would register for BIO 313 (Plants and Islands).  To register for the course, please contact Tim Evans ([email protected]) for permission.  This course will automatically count as elective credit, and it will automatically fulfill your Plant Organismal Biology and the Principles of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology requirements for the Biology degree.

When Should You Consider Study Abroad?

This experience will be valuable regardless of whether you are a first or fourth year student.  We generally find 3^rd and 4^th year students get more from the experience than newer students.
 

When Should You Apply For Study Abroad?

The deadline to apply to Ecuador and South Africa are February 1^st in the year they each run.  You should attend the fall study abroad fall or an informational meeting the faculty leaders will offer and contact them with any questions in the fall.  Early application is appreciated by faculty leaders.