Off-Campus Study in Biology is a great opportunity for biology students to broaden their cultural and biological horizons. The scientific community is a global community, and understanding and appreciating this fact will contribute to your growth as a scientist. By studying abroad, you can work with teachers and mentors from different backgrounds, take courses which are not taught at Wooster, experience different habitats, see amazing organisms, appreciate the world-wide scope of our current scientific challenges, and learn to interact effectively with scientists in other parts of the world. You can also have lots of fun!

HOW

We encourage all biology students to consider an off-campus study semester as a complement to your undergraduate studies at the College of Wooster. If you would like to study off campus, you need to plan early in your college career, to make sure it fits into your overall curricular plan. You should begin by talking to your advisor and to a faculty member in the Biology department about your plans. You should also make an appointment with the Director of Off-Campus Study in the International Programs Office (107 Babcock; x2951) to discuss the process.

WHEN

You should plan to pursue your off-campus study program in the fall or spring semester of your sophomore year, or in the fall of your junior year. Biology 401 (Junior Independent Study) is only taught in the spring semester, so it is not advisable to be off-campus at that time. Your senior year will be spent in doing your IS, so again, you should pursue off-campus options before then. If you plan to take Organic Chemistry as part of your Biology program, you should probably consider studying off-campus in the fall of your Junior year, after you have completed O-Chem. Alternatively, you could take O-Chem in your junior year, and go off campus during one semester of your sophomore year. In any case, you should plan to have taken at least one or two upper-level biology classes, either here or abroad, before you reach the spring of your Junior year.

WHAT

Students who study off campus usually take a combination of science and non-science classes. If you take biology classes abroad that include both a lecture and a lab experience, and which are comparable to Wooster classes in the level of involvement which they require, you can count on being able to transfer one (or perhaps two) of them back to Wooster as a part of your major requirements (if your grade in these classes is good!) Generally, no more than two courses from off-campus can count toward your Biology major (upper-level) classes, but other courses you take off campus can transfer in as credits toward graduation. Some off-campus programs provide you with unique chances to take classes that are not taught at Wooster. These could include courses in Embryology, Immunology, Marine Biology, Tropical Biology, Environmental Science, Morphology and Anatomy, The Biology of Cancer, Sustainable Development, or other topics that could add significantly to your undergraduate experience.

Off-campus study programs are also great ways to explore topics such as history, anthropology, literature, and the arts as complements to your scientific interests, and as elements in your Learning Across the Discipline requirements. Some students enroll in field-based courses in which much of what they do is biology and field work. Examples include School for Field Studies (SFS), School for International Training (SIT), Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), and similar programs. Others study in campus-based programs, where more traditional course offerings are available. These could include programs in Aberdeen, Adelaide, Cordova, Vienna, or other locations. You should consider whether you want to include language training in your study-abroad experience. Studying in Europe or Australia will give you many cultural opportunities. The more adventurous students might consider programs in less-developed regions, such as Africa, Asia, or South America.

WHERE

There are great programs in all parts of the world which might appeal to biology majors. University settings will be likely to offer a wide variety of different courses, but students will need to pay attention to any prerequisites for those classes. For students with particular interests in ecology and field biology, we recommend the COW endorsed SIT programs in places like Botswana, Brazil, and Tanzania, and Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) courses in Costa Rica.

Among non-endorsed programs, you might choose School for Field Studies (SFS) courses in Mexico, or OTS courses in South Africa, including semester programs as well as shorter summer experiences. Several Wooster students have had great experiences in these programs. Wooster students have also participated in SFS programs in the Turks and Caicos Islands and in Costa Rica.

Your choice of where to go will depend on your interests, your language skills, and the semester in which you choose to go. Whether or not you take biology courses during your off-campus study, the experience will be guaranteed to expand your horizons.

Read student profiles of Biology majors who have recently studied off-campus!