Coursework in biology need not be your only academic interest while at URI. Many opportunities to get your hands dirty are available, as are exchange and study away program.

You can learn about internships from the Office of Internships and Experiential Education. Biology students have gained experience through a wide variety of hands-on, semester long internships. The Mystic Marinelife Aquarium and the New England Aquarium and the Roger Williams Park Zoo have welcomed many URI interns. Students also have gained valuable work experience at federal and state agencies such as the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Research experience, and academic credit, can be arranged with any one of the faculty members of the Department of Biological Sciences. Students who have done this in the past have worked on a wide range of topics, including the molecular genetics of slipper shells, the functional morphology of shark feeding, and the demographics of intertidal crab populations.

Biology is the study of life

Field study is an important part of a URI education.

Study Abroad and Bermuda and Portsmouth Programs

Many students choose to spend a semester studying abroad. Many opportunities for study abroad can be found at the Office of International Education. The Biology program particularly encourages students to consider spending the fall semester of their junior or senior year at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, which provides both coursework and research experience in the setting of an active tropical oceanographic research laboratory. An exchange program with the Biological Sciences Department at the University of Portsmouth on the south coast of England for the academic year or just in the spring semester is another excellent avenue for studying away at an academic institution. Many courses in the biology track at Portsmouth will fulfill requirements for your major at URI. The marine laboratory in Portsmouth is just 3 miles from the main campus and is linked by bus service.