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  1. Coe
  2. Academics
  3. Majors & Areas of Study
  4. Biology
  5. Research & Internships

Research & Internships

There is no better way to learn biology than to do biology — and Coe offers many ways to really gain hands-on experience in biology.

One of the advantages of being at a school like Coe is the opportunity conduct research with one of your professors. This can take place during the academic year — as an independent study — or during the summer. The faculty have advanced training in their field of expertise and bring this wealth of knowledge to the laboratory setting. Keep in mind that most summer positions at Coe include pay, free housing and a free course credit. Coe's Research Experience for Undergraduate site funds students from across the nation to come and do research at Coe — it also is open to Coe students. Find out about potential research areas on the biology faculty page.

Off-Campus Opportunities

Off-campus programs at Coe are an integral part of the science curriculum. Coe’s location within the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor provides internship opportunities at six medical centers, at specialty clinics within the Cedar Rapids MedQuarter and at hundreds of other companies such as Cargill, ADM, Iowa Academy of Science, Integrated DNA Technologies, the DNR and many more.

The Coe Biology Department regularly offers month-long May Term courses such as marine biology taught in Belize, tropical ecology in Uganda and advanced research laboratory taught on campus. In addition, Coe's exceptional health and science internship program offers a chance to spend May Term exploring career options in medicine, laboratory science or related fields. 

You also can spend a term on one of the exciting off-campus programs offered through Coe:

  • The Wilderness Field Station in the Boundary Waters area of Northern Minnesota
  • The Oak Ridge Science term (at the National Laboratory in Tennessee)
  • Compete nationally for American Society for Microbiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute National Institutes for Health and National Science Foundation research fellowships at universities and research institutions
  • Washington Term or the New York Term (explore public health or public policy issues)