Study Abroad in Rome, Italy

Ciao! Join us in Rome and explore marine ecology and history through this immersive Fall 2026 study abroad program.
Program Details

Program dates: Fall 2026 (September 30 to December 4)
Priority application deadline: February 15, 2026
Instructors: Dr. Ken Sebens and Dr. Olivia Graham
Credits: 15

Courses Include

Marine ecology of the Mediterranean (BIOL 433)
Global ocean – Human culture (OCN 480)
Elementary Italian (ITAL 101)
Senior seminar in ecology

Info Session

Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Hitchcock Room 320, 5 to 6 PM

For questions, please email: sebens@uw.edu 

Hundreds of thousands of US students take part in study abroad programs each year, earning credits towards their degrees while immersing themselves in different cultures around the globe. For Isabella Robinson, a third year student majoring in Marine Biology and French with a QSCI minor, a study abroad program took her to a much warmer and saltier sea than the Puget Sound which neighbors the University of Washington…The Mediterranean Sea.

Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Programs offer students a unique opportunity to take part in research related to their field of study. Involved in the Philippines-IRES (International Research Experience for Students) this summer was UW Marine Biology senior, Grace Davis. Funded under an NSF award, the program is led by the Old Dominion University and Texas A&M Corpus Christi University and provides students with an independent research project with Filipino mentors from the Silliman University (SU) in the Philippines, with a focus on fisheries impacts on marine biodiversity. 

We spoke to Lauren Walthour, a UW Marine Biology student, taking part in a study abroad semester in Australia. Find out about her studies, research abroad experiences and what inspired her to pursue a marine biology major.
Dolphins, dreams and marine biology
I am participating in the semester long study abroad called SIT (School for International Training) Australia: Rainforest, Reef, and Ecology program. 

Andrew Chin, a senior double majoring in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and Marine Biology shares his month-long experience sailing South Pacific with the SEA Semester program