Multi-Institution Courses

FIO’s Multi-Institution Field Courses

FIO collaborates with a number of universities around the state of Florida to offer field courses for both undergraduate and graduate students, respectively.

Marine Field Studies Course for Undergrads
Field Studies Course students participate in the Santa Rosa Island geomorphology class at the University of West Florida.
Field Studies Course students participate in the Santa Rosa Island geomorphology class at the University of West Florida.

The Field Studies Course, a 5-week field-intensive marine studies summer course, occurs annually in the 2nd week of May. The group spends a week each at Jacksonville (hosted by UNF), Long Key at FIO’s Keys Marine Lab (hosted by FAU), St. Petersburg (hosted by USF), Fort Myers at the Vester Field Station (hosted by FGCU) and in Pensacola (hosted by UWF) to learn about biodiversity and geochemistry of the various marine ecosystems in the state.

The course is open to all qualified students, regardless of university affiliation and is intended for junior or senior level biology students. Students not enrolled at one of the five host universities must complete a summer transient form (from their respective university’s registrar).

Undergraduate Field Studies Course Flyer

The students blog about their experiences. The 2019 experience blog can be found here and the 2021 course’s blog here. 2020’s course was suspended due to COVID-19.

Visit our Course Photo Gallery to see the students in action.

Marine Fisheries Field Course for Graduates (Multi-Institution Graduate Course)
Graduate Fisheries Course Students in Cedar Key, Florida.
Graduate Fisheries Course Students in Cedar Key, Florida.
Applied Methods in Fisheries Science and Marine Biology

Kicking off in Fall of 2019, the new multi-institution field studies course in fisheries science consisted of students from the three host institutions- Florida Atlantic University (FAU), University of Florida (UF), and University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP). The course is 3 credits (Course #6932) and provides graduate students with:

  • Practical field methods and experience using a wide range of technologies
  • Field evaluation methods of fisheries in estuarine and marine environments
  • Expose place-bound professionals, who may not be able to take typical field-focused course, to field-based methods and experiences

Stay tuned for information regarding Fall 2020 Registration!

Graduate Field Studies Course Poster
Graduate Field Studies Course Poster

Questions about the course or registration? Email the Course’s Head Instructor