Students in marine biology are encouraged to take advantage of the study abroad programs described below. Students must apply for these programs through the Office of International Education and URI financial aid is applied to the cost of these programs. For information about how to start the application process, watch for announcements from the Marine Biology Program. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor prior to starting the application process to understand how the program will fit into their course of study and if it might affect his/her graduation date.

URI in Bermuda (Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences [BIOS])

Spend a Fall Semester studying tropical marine biology including extensive field work and hands-on laboratory training. Students return to URI with new knowledge, new skills, and new insights into marine biology and how their career might evolve. Students must be 3rd or 4th year students (with junior or senior standing), have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7, and must have completed pre-requisite courses (BIO 262, 360), each with a grade of C+ or higher. In addition, each student needs to schedule a short interview with the URI Faculty Coordinator (Dr. Webb or her designee) prior to starting the application process (through the Office of International Education). Information sessions are held each January and the APPLICATION DEADLINE is in March for the following Fall.  Students are required to provide the URI Dive Safety Officer (Anya Hanson) with verification of SCUBA certification, medical exam, medical insurance and proof that they have had their SCUBA equipment inspected.  All students seeking to attend the URI in Bermuda program must successfully complete the Introduction to Scientific Diving Workshop run by the URI Dive Safety Officer in May immediately following final exams.

This is a full-time (40+ hours/week), total immersion program for which students will get 19 credits for the following URI courses:

• BIO 469 Tropical Marine Invertebrates (5 cr.) – Prerequisite: Bio 360
• BIO 475 Coral Reef Ecology (5 cr.) – Prerequisite: Bio 262
• BIO 495 Tropical Marine Biology Research (6 cr.)
• AFS 433 Research Diving Methods (3 cr.)

For more information on dates and costs, see the Office of International Education‘s website.

SEA (Sea Education Association, Woods Hole, MA)

Founded in 1971, the SEA Education Association offers the leading off-campus programs focused on our oceans. SEA programs offer interconnected suites of courses designed to explore specific ocean-related themes using cross-disciplinary approaches from oceanography, marine and environmental science, and maritime studies.  Based on Cape Cod in the world renowned marine science research community of Woods Hole, MA, most programs include unique working cruises aboard tall ships in the Atlantic (SSV Corwith Cramer) or Pacific Ocean (SSV Robert C. Seamans), which take students as far as New Zealand, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.  SEA programs (see: http://www.sea.edu/voyages) provide up to 16 undergraduate credits via transfer credit from Boston University and may be applied towards the marine biology major and other majors at URI. URI financial aid is applied to the costs of SEA programs during the academic year, and additional scholarships are available directly from SEA.

About 200 URI students have completed SEA programs since 1972, and more than 60 URI students have completed SEA  programs just in the past decade! Several URI alumni have worked for SEA in leadership positions. In addition, several URI faculty are SEA alums or have served on the governing boards of SEA. 

SEA representatives visit the URI campus periodically to speak to prospective students. Applications are evaluated on a rolling admissions basis.  To initiate the application process through the Office of International Education, contact: Tom Hospod). For a faculty perspective on the SEA programs, contact Dr. Webb.

• SEA Collaboration with NASA – Birth of a New Island  – from the NY Times.
• Captain Margaret “Peg” Brandon, President and CEO of SEA and URI alum (BS ’80, MMA ’97 ), awarded an honorary PhD by URI in 2019.
• SEA awarded the 2016 National Science Board Public Service Award – honoring service in promoting public understanding of science and engineering.
• Read about SEA in the New York Times (August 2015)
• See what life aboard the SSV Cramer is like – from Celebration of World Ocean Day (2011) – with one of the Assistant Scientists (Carla Scocchi, URI Marine Biology Class of 2008).

Additional Study Abroad Opportunities

The Office of International Education can direct students to dozens of other study abroad programs. In addition to more traditional study abroad programs, Marine Biology majors have studied at (for instance):

• James Cook University (Australia)
• University of Hawaii
• At the following US institutions through the National Student Exchange:
  • University of Alaska,
  • University of Washington,