Spring 2025 Travel Courses

The Marine Lab is offering travel courses for the spring 2025 semester. 

The Spring 2025 Travel Course Interest Form is now active.

Undergrads: 

Graduate Students:  

Registration & Policies

COVID-19 Policies

  • Students must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to departure for their program. Please check the Duke website to ensure you are in compliance; https://covidvaccine.duke.edu/requirements. 
  •  You will be expected to comply with all country exit/entry requirements. If required, students may need to sequester while waiting for test results or as part of entry quarantine requirements.
  • If you are feeling ill, suspect you might be ill, or have any COVID-19 symptoms (see: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html), you should isolate yourself and contact program administrators to inquire about getting tested for COVID-19 or treated for your illness.
  • Face coverings: You must wear appropriate face coverings at all times when required to do so by local health authorities and/or program staff, both inside and outside buildings. Appropriate use of face coverings is critical in minimizing risks to others. Wearing a face covering is not a substitute for physical distancing when required to do both.

     

Travel Requirements

  • All students are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
  • Students must have a valid passport with at least six months of validity when traveling internationally. Most countries will not permit a traveler to enter their country unless the passport is set to expire at least six months after the final day of travel.
  • All participants will be asked to complete a Participation Agreement, which includes a Travel Course Waiver & Release and a Medical Information Form, for each course. Participation agreements for undergraduates need to be signed by parents/guardians. 
  • Students may participate in up to two travel courses.
  • Review the Center for Disease Control website for any recommended or required vaccinations. Duke has a travel clinic on main campus (Durham, NC) to support student vaccination needs. Students from outside universities should check with their institution to determine the best way to get any needed vaccines. Carteret County does not carry all of the required vaccines, so we recommend students get the required vaccines before arriving to the Marine Lab.
  • Visit travel.duke.edu for additional information including SOS International Travel Insurance, and the required Duke Travel Registry.

Costs

In addition to semester tuition, students will be responsible for a travel course fee, travel to and from the location, and some meals (depending on the course). Review the individual course descriptions for associated costs.  

How to Register

Space is limited. Duke Marine Lab staff work with students to ensure fair distribution of slots for undergraduates and graduates. Permission for travel courses is granted by individual instructors and in conjunction with Marine Lab administration after a Dean's check to verify good academic standing. Please contact Gwendy Womble with questions.  

If it is your intention to take more than one travel courses and you are interested in research independent study, please send an email to Gwendy Womble.

Please complete the Travel Course Qualtrics to note your travel course preferences and to provide us with some information about you. This form will ask for your passport information. Read the expectations for each travel you are interested in prior to completing the survey. You will be asked to sign an acknowledgment that you have read and understand the course expectations in the form. 

**To request a permission number for a travel course, please complete the Travel Course Qualtrics survey.

Travel Course Refund Policy

Voluntary Withdrawal

In the case of withdrawal, any remaining paid tuition will be refunded in accordance with the Duke University refund policy outlined in the Duke University Bulletin of Undergraduate Instruction https://trinity.duke.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies/tuition-refund:

  • Withdrawal before classes begin: Full tuition refunded.
  • Withdrawal during first or second week: 80% of tuition refunded.
  • Withdrawal during third, fourth, or fifth week: 60% of tuition refunded.
  • Withdrawal during sixth week: 20% of tuition refunded.
  • Withdrawal after six weeks: No tuition refunded.

If a student elects to withdraw from a travel course before classes begin, the program fee will be removed from the student’s bursar account. Airfare is nonrefundable; students are responsible for these costs if they withdraw from the course after the purchase has been made.

Refunds for Involuntary Withdrawal

Duke students asked to withdraw due to academic or disciplinary probation, suspension, or violation of the Duke Community Standard once a program is underway will not receive a refund.

 

Spring 2025 Travel Courses 

To request a permission number for a travel course, please see the "How to register" section above.

Block A: MARINE ECOLOGY - 2025 LOCATION BELIZE,  course fee- $3850

MARSCI/ENVIRON BIOLOGY 273LA. Undergraduate Registration

ENVIRON 773LA. Graduate Registration  

Factors that influence the distribution, abundance, and diversity of marine organisms, including a survey of the major flora and fauna in the marine environment. Topics include physical characteristics of marine systems, adaptation to environment, species interactions, biogeography, larval recruitment, and biodiversity and conservation of communities found in rocky shores, tidal flats, beaches, marshes, mangrove, coral reefs, and subtidal areas.

Spring 2025: Marine Ecology is being taught as a travel course and the location for 2025 is Belize. Students interested in participating in this course will need to complete the course questionnaire via the DUML Travel Course Qualtrics to receive a permission number to enroll. 

Block B: BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY - TRAVEL COURSE ON R/V SHEARWATER,  course fee- $1000

MARSCI, BIOLOGY, ENVIRON 369LA, EOS 273LA. Undergraduate Registration

ENVIRON 704LA. Graduate Registration

Discusses patterns of abundance, diversity and activity of organisms in major ocean ecosystems. Identifies major physical, chemical and ecological processes that affect these patterns, and analyzes impact of biology on ecosystems. Uses a 'flipped' classroom for enhanced development of quantitative skills to measure these patterns, emphasizing hands-on data collection and analyses, multiple field trips aboard DUML research vessels, and participatory activities to demonstrate core concepts in biological oceanography. Taught at Duke Marine Lab. Spring section requires travel. Recommended intro bio or AP Bio credit. Instructor consent required, visit DUML website for details.

Students interested in participating in the Biological Oceanography travel course are required to write a short paragraph declaring interest in the course. Please upload into the DUML Travel Course Qualtrics to receive a permission to enroll.

 

Block C: URBAN TROPICAL ECOLOGY - SINGAPORE AND INDONESIA, course fee- $2000

MARSCI/ENVIRON/BIOLOGY 571A. Undergraduate and Graduate Registration

Experiential field oriented course in Singapore with an excursion to Indonesia focusing on human ecology, tropical diversity, disturbed habitats, Asian extinctions, and resource management. 

**This course requires a great deal of walking (several miles a day) in a very warm and humid climate. Students in this course should be comfortable walking between 5 & 13 miles per day. If you know that you are physically unable to do this level of activity but would still like the experience, contact tom.schultz@duke.edu to discuss. 

Students interested in participating in the Urban Tropical Ecology course are required to respond to and acknowledge the statement of expectations for the course via the DUML Travel Course Qualtrics prior to receiving a permission number to enroll. 

Block D: BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF SEA TURTLES - PUERTO RICO & ST. CRIOX, course fee- $1900

MARSCI/BIOLOGY/ENVIRON 375A.Undergraduate Registration
ENVIRON 777A.  Graduate Registration

Essential biology of sea turtles (evolution, anatomy, physiology, behavior, life history, population dynamics) and their conservation needs; emphasis on their role in marine ecosystem structure and function. Basic ecological concepts integrated with related topics including the conservation and management of endangered species, the contributions of technology to the management of migratory marine species, the role of research in national and international law and policy, and the veterinary aspects of conservation.

Students interested in participating in the Sea Turtles travel course are required to acknowledge and sign the statement of expectations for the course in the DUML Travel Course Qualtrics to receive a permission to enroll.

 


*Course Fees: The course fee will be posted on students’ Duke bursar bill and usually includes in-country food, lodging, activity fees, and on-site course-related transportation. There are exceptions. Students should check with the instructor for details. Fees subject to change.