Off-Campus Study Opportunities

Students interested in biology have a diverse array of off-campus study opportunities available depending on their particular interests.  There are three programs that we support directly by having Colgate University faculty organize and lead the group.  A fourth program, which is in Montana during the summer, has a Colgate faculty member organize the group, but the faculty member does not always accompany the group on site.  In addition, we are members of a consortium of institutions that send students to other programs and these are also available for our students.  Below is more detailed information on each program.  

Wales Study Group - This program is at the University of Wales in Cardiff and is for any students concentrating in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division.  Students take a course in Welsh culture and literature and a course designed by the study group director.  In addition, students take two courses toward their area of concentration from department offerings at the University of Wales.  There are trips to visit castles, abbeys, Roman ruins, Stonehenge, mining communities and other sites of interest that are central to understanding the culture and history of Wales, as well as support for the course taught by the study group leader.

Australia Study Group – This study group is at the University of Wollongong on the southeast coast of Australia about one hour south of Sydney.  The program emphasizes the environmental and geographic diversity of Australia and students from a variety of departments participate in this study group.  One of the highlights of this program is a two week trip that includes visiting Ayer’s Rock and Alice Springs in central Australia, Kakadoo National Park in northern Australia and Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Australia.  In addition, students go on day trips to subtropical rainforests, heath communities and other sites around Wollongong as part of a course on environmental and geographic diversity taught by the study group director.  Students also take a course in Australian history and two other courses that contribute to their area of concentration.

National Institutes of Health – This program is at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland and is open to any students in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division, although most student participants are from the Biology, Chemistry and Psychology Departments.  Students take one course taught by the study group director and another course in Proteins and Nucleic Acids and they receive two course credits for spending approximately 30 hours/week doing research in a scientist’s lab at the NIH.  This is a research-intensive, semester-long program where students are directly involved in biomedical research at one of the premier research facilities in the world.

Montana Summer Program in Biology – This program is at Flathead Lake Biological Station in northwestern Montana and is open to any Colgate student.  We send a group in alternate summers and students take field-oriented biology courses as part of the summer program at the biological station.  Field trips for courses take students to Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall, Great Bear, and Mission Mountain Wilderness Areas, as well as many different national forest areas in western Montana.  Depending on course selection, students can earn a full semester’s credit for the eight-week summer experience.

Colgate Affiliated Programs –  We are directly affiliated with a number of other programs and our students participate in many of these including: Sea Education Association’s Semester at Sea, Woods Hole Marine Biology Lab’s Semester in Ecosystem Science,  and William’s College semester in American Maritime Studies in Connecticut.