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.
Wales Study Group [Learn more]
This program is at the Cardiff University in Cardiff and is for any students majoring in the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. 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 major from department offerings at Cardiff University. 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.
Australia Study Group [Learn more]
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. 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 major.
National Institutes of Health [Learn more]
This program is at the NIH in Bethesda, Md., and is open to any students in the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, 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. 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.
Extended Study Programs
Some biology courses include an Extended Study opportunity in which course participants continue the class off-campus for two or three weeks at the conclusion of the semester. An example of such a course is Biol 332: Tropical Ecology, which travels to Costa Rica to investigate tropical ecosystems at the conclusion of the spring semester.
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 Williams College's semester in American Maritime Studies in Connecticut.