AI Test Area 5: Suggested Programs for Biological Sciences

Biology students need to plan more than students in most other majors, and many students need to take pre-med requirements. While Natural Sciences students may easily take care of humanities, arts, and social science electives abroad, there are programs that might help take care of preparatory and major requirements. Below are suggested programs for biology students with different goals for study abroad.

Old Jerusalem

Old Jerusalem

Old Jerusalem

Biology students need to plan more than students in most other majors, and many students need to take pre-med requirements. While Natural Sciences students may easily take care of humanities, arts, and social science electives abroad, there are programs that might help take care of preparatory and major requirements. Below are suggested programs for biology students with different goals for study abroad.

Programs to Complete Physics for Biology

Science & Engineering Summer School, Univ. College Dublin

Study intensive Physics for the Life Sciences or Chemistry at University College Dublin in the summer. UCD is a leader in innovative science teaching and research. Knock out PHYS 18 & PHYS 19 over the summer with pre-approved course substitutes while spending the summer abroad.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Science Summer School, Univ. of Glasgow

This exciting 2-month summer balances hard work with weekend travel, day trips in the Highlands and Scottish cultural activities. Students love the small classes and friendly tutors. Knock out PHYS 18 & PHYS 19 over the summer with pre-approved course substitutes while spending the summer abroad.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Summer, University of Sussex

Intensive learning in a friendly, cosmopolitan environment just an hour from London. Enjoy an array of course offerings, from film and creative writing to a full year’s equivalent of calculus-based physics. Knock out PHYS 18 & PHYS 19 over the summer with pre-approved course substitutes while spending the summer abroad.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

International Summer School, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology

Situated in a lovely seaside setting above Clear Water Bay in the New Territories, the intimate HKUST campus provides state-of-the-art academic, student life, and sports facilities for day-to-day student needs. HKUST is located just 30 minutes away from Hong Kong’s downtown center. The special physics track is divided into two, four-week sessions. You enroll in one course and lab during each session; each course with lab is worth 6 quarter/4 semester UC units. Knock out PHYS 18 & PHYS 19 over the summer with pre-approved course substitutes while spending the summer abroad.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Science Summer School, University of Nicosia

Study intensive Physics for the Life Sciences at University of Nicosia in Cyprus. University of Nicosia is the largest private University in Cyprus. Cyprus is the sunniest country in Europe, the fifth safest country in the world and a major international financial services hub. Knock out PHYS 18 & PHYS 19 over the summer with pre-approved course substitutes while spending the summer abroad.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

More Programs Offering Biology

Search all programs in the UC Merced MyStudyAbroad Portal offering coursework in biological sciences:

Search biological sciences

* Please note that programs may drop or add coursework between updates in the MyStudy Abroad Portal.

Programs Suggested for Human Biology

Public Health & Pre-Med, Maastricht Univ., Netherlands

Deepen your knowledge of public health concepts and applications in this program designed specifically for pre-med and public health majors. You can select from a menu of upper-division courses spanning topics such as: pathobiology and disease, public health policymaking, and microbiology, among others. Courses are taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) which emphasizes solving real-world problems in small tutorial groups.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

English Universities: Univ. of Manchester

Are you interested in pursuing a career in medicine? The Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester offers a wide range of courses for those interested in Biological Science and the history of science, technology, and medicine. This University is particularly strong in human as well as molecular, cellular, and developmental biology.

Special note: For the Univ. of Manchester you will need to apply to the "English Universities" program and rank the Univ. of Manchester as your top choice.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Univ. of Hong Kong

Take courses to substitute BIO 101 (Biochemistry), 141 (Evolution), molecular medicine/cancer genetics, endocrinology, bioinformatics, or microbiology along with many other upper-division biology electives.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Scottish Universities: Univ. of Edinburgh

Work on courses in Scotland to take care of BIO 161 (Human Physiology), 141 (Evolution), or electives like cancer biology, biostatics, neurobiology, developmental biology, or a wide selection of additional upper-division electives.

Special note: For the Univ. of Edinburgh you will need to apply to the "Scottish Universities" program and rank the Univ. of Edinburgh as your top choice.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

McGill Univ., Canada

Take on courses to substitute BIO 101 (Biochemistry), 140 (Genetics), 120 & 120L (Microbiology), or a selection of upper-division electives like biophysics or neurobiology.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Yonsei Univ., Korea

Yonsei Univ. in Korea is the most popular study abroad destination for biology students outside the UK and courses are available in English.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application (summer or semester/year)

Lund Univ., Sweden

Lund Univ. in Sweden is a great fit for human biology students at a low cost for Europe and courses are available in English.

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Programs Suggested for Ecology & Environmental Biology

Marine Biology & Terrestrial Ecology, Univ. of Queensland

Study diverse marine ecosystems in this research-focused program with courses in marine science and terrestrial ecology counting toward upper-division ESS and BIO with fieldwork. This program includes research coursework at a field station in the Great Barrier Reef.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Tropical Biology & Conservation, Monteverde Institute

Tromp around the jungle, do serious undergraduate research, and study in the field with this unique program where you can take upper-division electives like tropical/biodiversity (BIO 143), community ecology (BIO 145), or coursework that falls under environmental science and sustainability. This program includes fieldwork in the Costa Rican cloud forests.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

National Univ. of Singapore (NUS)

Take anthropology courses at arguably the highest ranked university in Asia through UCEAP. Take classes in most UC majors taught by faculty from around the world, and engage with this top level university community through research, clubs, sports, and cultural activities.

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Scottish Universities: Univ. of Glasgow

The School of Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow is part of the College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences. At this college, you will experience a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to study processes at every level of biological organization—from genes, to cells, organ, individuals, populations, and ecosystems.

Special note: For the Univ. of Glasgow you will need to apply to the "Scottish Universities" program and rank the Univ. of Glasgow as your top choice.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Univ. of British Columbia, Canada

During the fall, qualified biology majors have the opportunity to take upper-division marine science courses at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. The Bamfield Centre is a unique research and teaching facility on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Courses include field trips to the beaches of many local islands, forests, lakes, bogs and rivers. They may also include unique opportunities such as snorkeling and driving small outboard boats.

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Univ. of the West Indies, Bridgetown, Barbados

Barbados is an excellent location to focus studies on tropical and marine science. The University of West Indies at Cave Hill offers a wide selection of courses including: Caribbean Island Biogeography, Tropical Ornamental Plants, Climate Variability and Predictability, Coral Reef Ecology, Fisheries Biology, and Environmental Chemistry. The Cave Hill campus is also home to the Barbados Sea Turtle Project which offers opportunities to volunteer for 1 to 2 month periods throughout the year.

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Lund Univ.

You will have the opportunity to supplement biology coursework with project classes and research. You may take first year graduate-level courses for upper-division credit provided you have the appropriate background.

Learn more about deadlines, details, and the application

Completing Other SNS Requirements Abroad

SNS students have four general education course requirements that they can easily tackle through study abroad:

Engineering students have several general education requirements that they can easily tackle through study abroad:

  1. Approaches to Knowledge
    1. At least one course in engineering
    2. At least three courses in social sciences, arts, and humanities
  2. Intellectual Experiences
    1. Global Awareness, which is automatically fulfilled through study abroad with UCEAP
    2. Additional Intellectual Experiences, as appropriate, including, but not limited to:
      1. Societies and Cultures of the Past,
      2. Diversity and Identity, or
      3. Sustainability.

These requirements represent the most flexible general education requirements for SNS students planning to study abroad. Study abroad advisors recommend that SNS students aim for more of their major and SNS degree requirements when selecting a program and using the general education requirements as fallback options in case the targeted SNS course requirements do not pan out. In this way students continue to make progress toward their degrees while maximizing their scholarship potential and the the opportunities to integrate an international experience with their academic interests.

For SNS requirements, students will have courses reviewed through the   SNS course approval form, assuming the courses have not already been previously approved as a degree requirement.

Previously Approved UCEAP Coursework

The School of Natural Sciences has made some previously approved courses for SNS substitutions and/or requirements available to the public. This is not a comprehensive list of courses available but it may be a starting point in your research.

  Course Approvals for UCEAP

Course Approval and Course Approval Forms

With a few exceptions of previously approved courses (ask your academic advisor), courses will need to be approved to meet individual degree requirements. In these cases, students will use the Course Approval Form for the school that would typically offer such a course at UC Merced:

 

The school will often require a syllabus or equivalent in order to do a review. Keep in mind that syllabi may be protected intellectual property of certain professors or universities and may not be publicly posted online. If it is a UC Center program, you may be able to acquire syllabi through your study abroad advisor. If the program is with a local host university and the course is not posted online, you may be able to inquire with the instructor or host university in some cases.

Academic Planning

No matter your academic intentions while studying abroad, you should consult your academic advisor and your MyDegreePath report to plan out your study abroad academic goals. Once you narrow your search to 1-3 study abroad programs consult your program page or ask your study abroad advisor about resources for researching courses in your program.

 

Start planning for study abroad with your academic advisor as soon as you can. One of the keys to maximizing academic success abroad is early planning and scheduling course loads before, during, and after study abroad. This includes strategies such as targeting a study abroad term to exploit areas of flexibility in your academic plan.

Be sure to make use of UCEAP course credit resources below, too.

 

UC Merced Campus Credit through UCEAP

How to Explore Database of Courses Previously Taken

 

Campus Credit Abroad

Planning the courses you’ll take on study abroad is as important as figuring out when and where to go. All courses taken on the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) are guaranteed UC credit, but understanding how each class may fit into your academic plan is a critical part of the planning process.

UCEAP Database of Courses Previously Taken

How to Find Courses for UCEAP

One of the challenges with academic planning and completing the Academic Planning Form is finding courses. While there is never any certainty with course offerings and study abroad always requires a little calculated academic risk, there are some techniques to minimize the risk and exploit unique educational opportunities through study abroad.

Courses & Credit Tab

For nearly every UCEAP program page, there will be a tab labeled “Courses & Credit.” Within this tab you will find information and links in the “Course Opportunities” area. The course resources are listed in order of relevance. Depending on the program, you might find any of the following resources:

  1. Course syllabi
  2. Links to academic majors or programs with courses
  3. A bulleted list of courses

UCEAP Course Catalog

All UCEAP coursework taken in the last five (5) years is listed in the UCEAP Course Catalog. There are a few things you should consider when using the UCEAP Course Catalog:

  1. The list of courses is not comprehensive.
  2. Course units are listed in quarter units (to convert to semester units, divide by 1.5).
  3. Syllabi are not included.
  4. You may need to search less intuitive subject areas to find coursework (e.g. health sciences for public health, "engineering" for bioengineering, business for management and business economics).

Check Previously Approved Courses

There are a few resources available showing coursework previously approved for study abroad online. The resources are limited but they do represent some of the more recent course approvals:

A Note on Course Syllabi

Your academic advisor or school may insist that you need syllabi in order to determine whether a course abroad will substitute a particular degree requirement. While this is generally true, this does not prevent you from planning out your academic schedule abroad and determining what type of degree requirements a course may fulfill.

Sometimes your study abroad advisor or UCEAP can acquire a syllabus on your behalf; however, this is not always the case. Please understand that syllabi are often considered intellectual property and may not be shared until the course begins. Previously approved courses (see above) are often your first go-to resource to select courses.