Wittenberg has connections with programs around the world that provide opportunities for our Biology students to understand and appreciate new cultures, live in places with vastly different standards of living, and gain a broader appreciation for global needs. Biology students have lived and studied in a variety of countries, including The Bahamas, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany, Lesotho, and South Africa.
What study abroad programs are available for Biology majors to travel with Wittenberg faculty?
Wittenberg has a variety of programs run by Wittenberg faculty exclusively for Wittenberg students. These include full semesters abroad as well as summer sessions that are available to students as early as their sophomore year. The semester programs offer an array of courses that are approved as General Education courses. We encourage our Biology majors and minors to study abroad at some point during their college career.
Semester study abroad opportunities with Wittenberg faculty
Wittenberg in Costa Rica. Students spend Spring semester abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica. This experience will fulfill Wittenberg’s language requirement as students learn Spanish, but does not require prior knowledge the language. There are courses available that are approved for our major (Group III) and offer the opportunity to explore the wildlife and habitats of Costa Rica. Designed with our student-athletes in mind, students have access to athletic facilities and a strength and conditioning coach three days a week. Students in this program live with host families as part of this program. Students can also complete their community service in Costa Rica.
Wittenberg in Wittenberg. Students in this program spend Spring semester abroad in Wittenberg, Germany. This experience will fulfill Wittenberg’s language requirement as students learn German, but does not require prior knowledge of the language. Students will have the opportunity to complete an internship in biology as part of this program.
Wittenberg in South Africa. Students will spend Fall semester abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. Designed with our student-athletes in mind, students have access to athletic facilities and activity programs at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town. Students will have the opportunity to complete an internship at a non-profit or non-governmental organization in Cape Town.
Summer study abroad opportunities with Wittenberg faculty
Wittenberg in The Bahamas. Students will spend a summer session (3.5 weeks) in San Salvador, The Bahamas in a program taught exclusively by faculty of the Wittenberg Biology Department. Designed for science majors and minors, students explore both terrestrial and marine environments daily. Students will complete an independent research project in Biology as a part of this study abroad experience.
Service Learning in Lesotho. Students will spend a month in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Africa completing services projects to improve the quality of life for AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children. This study abroad experience is particularly good for students interested in a career in healthcare, as they work with children who have AIDS themselves or were orphaned when their parents died of AIDS.
What other study abroad opportunities are available to me as a Biology student?
There are many other opportunities for you to study abroad while at Wittenberg. These programs are not specific to Biology or the pre-health professions, but provide great exposure to different people and cultures. Biology courses taken abroad will transfer back to Wittenberg and count toward your major if you get approval from the Chair of Biology before you leave for the program. These experiences are valuable for a student interested in interacting with a variety of people in their professional lives. For more information about these study abroad opportunities, please visit the website of the Office of International Education.
What study abroad opportunities are available for Biology majors interested in pre-health fields?
University of Copenhagen (Denmark). This program specializes in Medical Practice and Policy and states as one of its goals to "give students a competitive edge when applying to medical school." One required course is Human Health and Disease which is taught from a clinical perspective in a hospital setting. While a variety of courses are offered in the program, the other one of special interest is Health Care in Scandinavia, in which students explore the positives and negatives of socialized medicine. Students returning from this program report spending approximately 60 hours in a clinical setting learning to take patient histories, practicing medical procedures on computerized dummies, and shadowing physicians in a variety of medical specialties. This program will give you an insight into clinical experiences you will likely have in your first year of medical school and is offered both in the summer and during the academic year.
Public Health and Traditional Chinese Medicine Program (Kunming, China). This program runs in conjunction with the Yunnan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In this 6-week summer course, students have an opportunity to study the traditions of Eastern medicine while working with healthcare professionals in both urban and rural China. While the courses are taught in English, students participating in this program will also study Chinese culture and Mandarin language.
Health Sciences (Santiago, Chile). This program has a pre-requisite of four semesters of college Spanish or the equivalent, because all coursework is taught in Spanish. This program involves up to four courses specifically designed for pre-health students: Spanish Language for Medical Purposes, Anthropology and Native Medicine, Current Bioethical Concerns: A Cross-Cultural Comparison, and Clinical Internship. Alternately, students can select 1-3 of these courses and fill out the rest of their schedule with courses from the Universidad de Chile and Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile.