Undergraduate Programs
Why Study in Woods Hole?
To prepare yourself to make a difference by exploring fundamental biology, understanding biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education.
Since 1888, the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has pioneered the integration of scientific research with education. The MBL provides a variety of immersive programs for undergraduates – for a summer or a semester – who are serious about pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Semester in Environmental Science
Hands-on Learning and Academic Rigor
2025 Course Dates: August 31 - December 16
Spend your fall term doing research in wetlands, bays, and coastal forests on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The MBL’s Semester in Environmental Science (SES) is a 15-week program that provides intensive field and laboratory-based learning opportunities to better understand ecosystem science and the biogeochemistry of coastal forests, freshwater ponds, and estuaries.
Semester/Quarter in Biological Discovery
Dive Deep
2026 Course Dates: March 1 - May 23
Make your spring term an intensive, immersive research experience in discovery-driven biological sciences. The Semester in Biological Discovery is a 12-week program (9-week program for quarter students) offering laboratory-focused courses in parasitology, biodiversity, neurophysiology, imaging, and oceanography using aquatic organisms and cutting-edge technology, modeled on the MBL’s world-renown Advanced Research Training Courses.
University of Chicago Undergraduate Courses
September Term Courses
2025 Dates: August 24 - September 13
In the September Term Courses, students will explore various aspects of the biota of the region surrounding the Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. The focus of the course will be to examine various patterns in the distribution and abundance of the flora/fauna in the islands and associated mainland habitats over the course of 3 weeks through a combination of in class lectures and laboratory sessions, combined with field studies.