Global Education

Program Dates

Term	Start Date	End Date
Spring 2024	January 10th, 2024	May 3rd, 2024
Fall 2024	August 26th, 2024	December 14th, 2024

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

Where: North Carolina

The Marine Laboratory is situated on Pivers Island within the Outer Banks of North Carolina, only 150 yards across the channel from the historic town of Beaufort. A bridge connects the island with US Highway 70, making the laboratory readily accessible. The area’s system of barrier islands, sounds, and estuaries is rich in flora and fauna, and diverse habitats, including rivers, creeks, mud flats, unspoiled sand beaches, dunes, marshes, peat bogs, cypress swamps, bird islands, coastal forests, making the area an excellent haven for both nature lovers and those interested in the pursuit of marine science.

Academics

The Marine Laboratory is a campus of Duke University and a unit within the Nicholas School of the Environment. The programs of study offered at the Duke Marine Lab serve undergraduate majors in natural sciences, or environmental sciences and policy. The programs emphasize small classes, independent research, and integrated classroom, laboratory, and field research. Students have daily access to the natural marine environment, modern scientific equipment, and specialized faculty who represent the disciplines of oceanography, marine biology, marine biomedicine, marine biotechnology, and coastal marine policy and management.

Academic Structure

Courses taken with local students.

Course Credit

Courses in the Duke Marine Lab Program are typically 4 credit hours each.

Courses

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

Eligibility

Students should have a 3.0 GPA in order to study at the Duke Marine Lab and must have completed introductory courses in biology, chemistry, and math at Allegheny. Applicants must communicate with Professor Lisa Whitenack (lwhitena@allegheny.edu) before applying to the program. Participation may be limited to 1-2 students per year.

Housing & Student Life

Undergraduates all live on campus together in any one of five dorms. The Marine Lab has all the things you’d find on a college campus and a few extras: dorms, a dining hall, a library, student common spaces, a laundry room, kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. All students get a free membership to a nearby gym. Students share three meals a day at the island’s Dining Hall with fellow students, faculty, and staff.

Fees & Costs

Students are charged Allegheny tuition, a $800 off-campus study fee, an independent living room rate, and a Gator Gold meal plan. Allegheny financial aid, except work-study/campus employment, is applied toward the program. Extra costs include Duke health insurance (estimated $1800 which may be waived with proof of own insurance and completion of waiver form), round-trip transportation to North Carolina, and personal expenses. If you enroll in a track or course that entails travel outside of North Carolina, whether domestic or international, you will be responsible for all costs associated with that travel experience. 

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, the program requires a nomination from Allegheny’s Global Education Office before students can apply directly to the program. So, students must complete the Allegheny approval application and then wait for further instructions to apply to their program. 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. After a student has been approved by Allegheny, the Global Education office will send the student’s nomination and/or application documents to the program abroad. Students will receive instructions directly from the host program’s visiting student office with their next steps. For more information about the study away application process, please visit the application steps page.