Suggested Programs for Biology Majors
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 elective 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.
Physics for Biology
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Science & Engineering Summer School, Univ. College DublinKnock out PHYS 18 & PHYS 19 over the summer with pre-approved course substitutes while spending the summer abroad. |
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Science Summer School, Univ. of GlasgowKnock out PHYS 18 & PHYS 19 over the summer with pre-approved course substitutes while spending the summer abroad. |
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International Summer School, Univ. of SussexKnock out PHYS 18 & PHYS 19 over the summer with pre-approved course substitutes while spending the summer abroad. |
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
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Marine Biology & Terrestrial Ecology, Univ. of QueenslandStudy 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. |
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Tropical Biology & Conservation, Monteverde InstituteTromp 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. |
Human Biology
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Univ. of Hong KongTake courses to substitute BIO 101 (Biochemistry), 141 (Evolution), molecular medicine/cancer genetics, endocrinology, bioinformatics, or microbiology along with many other upper-division biology electives. |
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Univ. of EdinburghWork 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. |
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McGill Univ.Take on courses to substitute BIO 101 (Biochemistry), 140 (Genetics), 120 & 120L (Microbiology), or a selection of upper-division electives like biophysics or neurobiology. |
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Yonsei Univ.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, semester & year) |
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Lund Univ.Lund Univ. in Sweden is a great fit for human biology students at a low cost for Europe and courses are available in English. |
No matter your academic intentions while studying abroad, you should consult your academic advisor in Natural Sciences and your MyAudit 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.
Biology World University Rankings
The UC Education Abroad Program has education abroad partnerships with a number of world-class institutions with strong rankings in Biology. These partnerships allow for education abroad options that may include study, internship, or research.
2015 QS World University Rankings for Biology & Programs Accessible with UCEAP
| Rank | Institution | UCEAP | Score |
| 1 | Harvard Univ., USA | 97.4 | |
| 2 | Univ. of Cambridge, UK | ♦ | 94.8 |
| 3 | Univ. of Oxford, UK | 93.9 | |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA | 92.4 | |
| 5 | Stanford Univ., USA | 90.5 | |
| 6 | California Institute of Technology, USA | 88.5 | |
| 7 | Univ. of California, Berkeley, USA | 88.4 | |
| 8 | National Univ. of Singapore | ♦ | 87.9 |
| 9 | Yale Univ., USA | 86.8 | |
| 10 | ETH Zurich, Switzerland | 86.7 | |
| 11 | Univ. of California, Los Angeles, USA | 85.7 | |
| 12 | Cornell Univ., USA | 85.6 | |
| 12 | Univ. of California, San Francisco, USA | 85.6 | |
| 14 | Univ. of California, San Diego, USA | 85.2 | |
| 15 | Imperial College London, UK | ♦ | 84.6 |
| 16 | Kyoto Univ., Japan | 84.3 | |
| 17 | Univ. College London, UK | ♦ | 83.6 |
| 17 | Univ. of Toronto, Canada | 83.6 | |
| 19 | Princeton Univ., USA | 83.5 | |
| 20 | Columbia Univ., USA | 82.5 | |
| 20 | Univ. of Tokyo, Japan | ♦ | 82.5 |
| 22 | Johns Hopkins Univ., USA | 82.3 | |
| 22 | Univ. of Edinburgh, UK | ♦ | 82.3 |
| 24 | Univ. of Washington, USA | 82.1 | |
| 25 | Duke Univ., USA | 81.7 | |
| 26 | Univ. of Pennsylvania, USA | 81.6 | |
| 27 | Univ. of Melbourne, Australia | ♦ | 81.2 |
| 28 | Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany | 81.1 | |
| 29 | Univ. of California, Davis, USA | 80.9 | |
| 29 | Univ. of Chicago, USA | 80.9 | |
| 31 | Rockefeller Univ., USA | 80.7 | |
| 31 | Univ. of Michigan, USA | 80.7 | |
| 33 | Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, USA | 80.0 | |
| 34 | McGill Univ., Canada | ♦ | 79.4 |
| 34 | Washington Univ. in St. Louis, USA | 79.4 | |
| 36 | Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark | ♦ | 79.3 |
| 37 | Univ. of Queensland, Australia | ♦ | 79.1 |
| 38 | Osaka Univ., Japan | ♦ | 78.7 |
| 39 | Univ. of British Columbia, Canada | ♦ | 78.5 |
| 40 | Karolinska Institutet, Sweden | 78.4 | |
| 41 | Technical Univ. of Munich, Germany | 78.2 | |
| 42 | Univ. of Helsinki, Finland | 78.0 | |
| 43 | Australian National Univ. | ♦ | 77.3 |
| 44 | Kings College London, UK | ♦ | 77.2 |
| 44 | Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany | 77.2 | |
| 46 | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland | 77.1 | |
| 47 | Uppsala Univ., Sweden | 76.7 | |
| 48 | Trinity College Dublin, Ireland | ♦ | 76.5 |
| 49 | Univ. of Manchester, UK | ♦ | 76.2 |
| 50 | New York Univ., USA | 76.1 |