Global Education

Program Dates

Term	Start Date	End Date
Fall 2025	August 31st, 2025	December 16th, 2025

These dates are tentative. Confirm program dates before booking travel.

Eligibility

Students must have a GPA of 2.75 or above.

Where

Spend your fall semester in an intensive field and laboratory-based program on ecosystem science and global change at the Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This program is part of the University of Chicago.

Academics

The program curriculum includes five courses that together earn you 17 credits toward your Allegheny degree:

1. Terrestrial Ecosystems Analysis (4 credits)
2. Aquatic Ecosystems Analysis (4 credits)
3. Selection from one of these two:
   1. Mathematical Modeling of Ecological Systems (4 credits)
   2. Microbial Methods in Ecology (4 credits)
4. Independent Research Project (4 credits)
5. Science Writing Seminar (1 credit)

Core course lectures cover both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems from the point of view of biogeochemistry and important ecological processes. Course research takes place in local ecosystems — ponds and estuaries within the Waquoit Bay watershed adjacent to Vineyard Sound, West Falmouth Harbor on Buzzards Bay, and grassland, forest, and suburban sites in the towns of Mashpee and Falmouth. 

Academic Structure

Courses taken with other program participants.

Courses

For a full list of course offerings, visit The University of Chicago’s website here.

Housing and Student Life

SES students reside in the Brick Apartment or Brick Dorms, located on the MBL campus in the immediate area of the classroom, laboratories, library, and dining hall. The Brick Apartments and Dorms are accessed by ID cards by residents only. A short walk brings students into the heart of Woods Hole Village and to the local swimming beach, park, and tennis courts.

Application Process

Allegheny students must apply for approval to study off-campus from the Global Education office AND apply directly to their chosen program. For this program, students should work on the Allegheny approval application at the same time as the host program application. The Allegheny approval application deadline is February 20 for fall programs and September 20 for spring programs. Study away approval applications will be reviewed immediately following the appropriate semester deadline. The separate application deadline to apply directly to this program will vary and could be before or after Allegheny’s approval application due date. Check directly on their website (linked at the top of this page) for deadline information. For more information about the study away application process, please visit the application steps page.

Fees and Costs

Students pay Allegheny tuition, independent living room rate, the Gator Gold meal plan, and an off-campus study fee of $800. Allegheny financial aid, except work-study/campus employment, is applied to program costs.  Estimated additional costs include: airfare & local transportation (approx. $600), and personal expenses.

Fees & Costs

Below find information on estimated costs for a semester abroad. You will receive a bill from Allegheny College, as you normally would, for the amount shown under “Costs Paid to Allegheny College.” All other study away program costs will be paid directly to a non-Allegheny entity and are listed in part two below. These amounts are estimates and will vary depending on individual choices. A total estimated cost of attendance for this program is shown at the bottom.

All financial aid awards can be applied to study abroad costs with the exception of federal work-study awards and certain tuition exchange scholarships. For more information, visit our page about Financing Study Away.

Part One: Costs Paid to Allegheny College

Part Two: Costs Paid to non-Allegheny Entity

TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE

NOTES:

Study Away Fee includes: administrative support, transcript translation and processing, pre-departure orientation, and emergency travel insurance.