Study biology abroad
An in-depth guide to studying biology as an international student.
Biology degrees abroad
Biology is a diverse subject that covers a wide range of areas concerned with living organisms. A biology degree can cover environmental issues, cellular studies, genome sequencing, disease, and many more topics. You can study biology abroad, or you could choose to study a specialized area of the subject like microbiology, human biology or cellular biology.
If you’re interested in the diversity of life in the natural world and how our bodies work, biology could be the perfect subject for you. As a biology graduate you’ll be well placed to pursue a career that could see you help fight disease or improve our health and well-being.
Studying biology abroad comes with a range of advantages that could improve your learning experience and help you in your future career. It can give you access to some of the most highly ranked programs, cutting-edge facilities and expose you to new environments you wouldn’t find at home.
Biology program structure
As biology is such a huge topic that covers many areas, the content and structure of each program is likely to be different at each university. Many programs will focus on the core areas of the subject in the first year or two of the program, and then allow you to follow a specialized path.
You will get the option to choose from a range of optional or elective modules on most biology programs. This allows you to tailor your program to suit your interests and career aspirations and means you could focus on human biology, marine biology, ecology, biodiversity, or many other areas.
Biology degrees are usually taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical laboratory sessions. Many programs will include field trips which let you get your hands dirty and learn practical skills. You will be assessed through essays, written examples and practical assessments.
At undergraduate level you will study biology as a BSc over three or four years, depending on where you’re studying. Some universities offer an MBiol (Master of Biology), that you can study at undergraduate level over five years and combines a bachelor’s and master’s program.
If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you can study a master’s in biology (MSc) over one or two years. If you want to gain a PhD in biology, most doctorate programs can take up to five years to complete.
Here’s some of the modules you can expect to study on a biology degree program:
- Cell and molecular biology
- Genetics
- Human biology
- Ecology and environmental science
- Diversity of life
- Laboratory skills for biology
- Anatomy
- Animal physiology
- Biotechnology
Types of biology degrees
How to study biology abroad
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Biology study abroad programs
Biology undergraduate programs
Bachelor's in biology
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Biology - BSc Fisher College, USA
- Program type
- Bachelor's
- Duration
- 4 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 31,992 USD
- Start date
- January, September
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Biology - BA Greenville University, USA
- Program type
- Bachelor's
- Duration
- 4 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 27,580 USD
- Start date
- January, August
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Biology - Pre-professional - BSc Concord University, USA
- Program type
- Bachelor's
- Duration
- 4 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 18,186 USD
- Start date
- January, September
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Biology (Pre-Med) - BSc St. Francis College, USA
- Program type
- Bachelor's
- Duration
- 4 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 26,688 USD
- Start date
- January, May, September
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Biology - BA Long Island University Post, USA
- Program type
- Bachelor's
- Duration
- 4 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 35,736 USD
- Start date
- January, September
Associate in biology
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Biology - ASc Santiago Canyon College, USA
- Program type
- Associate
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 8,304 USD
- Start date
- February, June, August
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Liberal Arts & Sciences: Mathematics & Science (Biology) - ASc Mohawk Valley Community College, USA
- Program type
- Associate
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 6,892 USD
- Start date
- January, September
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Biology - ASc Douglas College, Canada
- Program type
- Associate
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 18,000 CAD
- Start date
- January, May, September
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Biology - ASc St. Charles Community College, USA
- Program type
- Associate
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 5,520 USD
- Start date
- January, August
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Biology (for Transfer) - ASc San Jose City College, USA
- Program type
- Associate
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 8,138 USD
- Start date
- January, August
Diploma in biology
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Biological Science Technology - Conservation Biology - UGDip Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Canada
- Program type
- Undergraduate diploma
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 18,356 CAD
- Start date
- September
Biology graduate programs
Master's in biology
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Biology - MSc Long Island University Post, USA
- Program type
- Master's
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 44,100 USD
- Start date
- January, September
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Biosciences: Evolutionary Biology - MSc University of Turku, Finland
- Program type
- Master's
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 12,000 EUR
- Start date
- January
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Biology (Biology and Society) - MSc Arizona State University, USA
- Program type
- Master's
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 24,318 USD
- Start date
- August
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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - MSc University of Helsinki, Finland
- Program type
- Master's
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 15,000 EUR
- Start date
- September
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Science (Applied Biology & Biotechnology) research - MSc RMIT University, Australia
- Program type
- Master's
- Duration
- 2 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 33,600 AUD
- Start date
- February, July
Doctorate in biology
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Applied Biology & Biotechnology - PhD RMIT University, Australia
- Program type
- Doctorate
- Duration
- 3 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 33,600 AUD
- Start date
- February, July
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Molecular & Cell Biology - PhD University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA
- Program type
- Doctorate
- Duration
- 3 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 22,896 USD
- Start date
- August
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Aquatic Resources and Integrative Biology (Entering with Master's Degree) - PhD Texas State University, USA
- Program type
- Doctorate
- Duration
- 3 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 15,034 USD
- Start date
- January, August
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Biology - PhD Clark University, USA
- Program type
- Doctorate
- Duration
- 3 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 15,616 USD
- Start date
- January, September
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Biology - PhD (with foundation) Maynooth University, Ireland
- Program type
- Doctorate
- Duration
- 5 years
- Tuition fees per year
- 15,000 EUR
- Start date
- September, January, June
Certificate in biology
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Secondary Science with Biology - GradCert London Metropolitan University, UK
- Program type
- Postgraduate certificate
- Duration
- 1 year
- Tuition fees per year
- 12,700 GBP
- Start date
- September
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Secondary Science (Physics, Chemistry or Biology) - PGCert Bath Spa University, UK
- Program type
- Postgraduate certificate
- Duration
- 1 year
- Tuition fees per year
- 13,300 GBP
- Start date
- January, September
Future biology careers
There’s a wide range of careers you can pursue with a degree in biology, but exactly what you can do may depend on the level of degree you obtain. For example, certain roles in medicine would require additional qualifications, but a bachelor’s in biology will give you plenty of transferable skills that open up a number of career paths, including:
- Research scientist
- Biotechnologist
- Pharmacologist
- Microbiologist
- Marine biologist
- Forensic scientist
A bachelor’s degree in biology can be a good foundation for a number of medical careers. For example, in the US you could go on to study medicine or dentistry after completing a biology degree.
Understanding what career you’d like after graduation can help you work out which program and country of study is right for you. Make sure the program you choose covers the areas you’d need to study to start the career you want.
