Off-campus study in the U.S.
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, Portland, Maine. Selected Wheaton students may participate in a semester of interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in documentary photography, nonfiction writing and editing, and field research at the Salt Institute. Selected student projects are published in the institute’s magazine, become part of the permanent archives, and are displayed in the Salt Gallery for a wider public audience. Enrollment is limited to approximately 25 students, who receive close guidance and individual supervision as they develop their projects. Students learn the steps of field data collection and the development of professional skills needed to shape their independent research for publication. Grades and credits become part of a Wheaton student’s academic record and students pay regular Wheaton tuition and fees for this Wheaton-affiliated program.
The Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Wheaton is a member of the Marine Biological Laboratory Consortium in Environmental Science. Select students with strong backgrounds in environmental studies may qualify for fall semester study at this world-renowned center for research, education and training in biology. While at the MBL, students enroll in two core lab and lecture courses in aquatic ecosystems and terrestrial ecosystems, select elective seminars and undertake an independent project. A special effort is made to understand the links between ecosystems on land and in water at global, regional and local scales. The MBL library is jointly operated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, serving as a primary source of scientific information for the large, multi-institutional Woods Hole scientific community. Grades and credits become part of a Wheaton student’s academic record and students pay regular Wheaton tuition and fees for this Wheaton-affiliated program.
Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program, Mystic, Connecticut. Under the auspices of Williams College and the Twelve College Exchange Program, described below, this program offers an interdisciplinary, field-based approach to studies of the sea: history of the sea, literature of the sea, oceanography or marine ecology, and marine policy. Students also learn maritime skills under professional instruction, including boat building, iron forging, sailing skills, celestial navigation or the history and culture of sea music. The program offers three field seminars each semester, with a ten-day offshore voyage on a traditionally rigged tall ship along coastal New England (fall semester), or the Florida Straits (spring semester), a ten-day seminar exploring the Pacific Coast of California (fall semester) or the Pacific Northwest (spring semester), and a field seminar to the Mississippi Delta and the Gulf of Mexico. Admission is competitive. Applications must be made in February of the preceding year. More information is available in the Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services. Grades do not become part of a Wheaton student’s academic record, and students pay tuition and fees to Williams College for the Mystic Seaport Program. Wheaton merit scholarships are not available, but Wheaton grants are available.
The National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Waterford, Connecticut. Under the auspices of Connecticut College and the Twelve College Exchange Program, described below, students in theater may spend one semester of concentrated study in directing, play writing, acting, movement and voice, design and other electives. A final project draws together all these elements, culminating in a performance open to the public. Two weeks of the semester are either spent abroad or in New York City. NTI also offers a semester in Russia at the Moscow Art Theater School. The program is very competitive and requires an audition with NTI staff. Grades do not become part of a Wheaton student’s academic record. Students pay tuition and fees to Connecticut College for the NTI Program. Wheaton merit scholarships are not available, but Wheaton grants are available.
The Twelve College Exchange Program. Regional colleges cooperating with Wheaton in exchanging junior-year students include Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Trinity, Vassar, Wellesley and Wesleyan. Admission is competitive, and students should indicate strong curricular reasons for wishing to participate in the exchange. Applications and information on eligibility are available through in the Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services; a minimum GPA of 2.67 (B-) is required. Grades do not become part of a Wheaton student’s academic record. For the period of study away, no fees are paid to Wheaton; students pay tuition and fees to the host exchange institution. Wheaton merit scholarship and financial aid funds are not available, though students are eligible for state and federal aid programs.
Washington Semester, Washington, D.C. Qualified students may spend one semester of their junior year at American University, participating in one of twelve programs, with the approval of the appropriate Wheaton department chair. Students enroll in a core seminar, which consists of meetings with guest lecturers from a wide network of national and international organizations and agencies and class readings. An elective course or research project is undertaken, along with an internship placement two days a week. Grades do not become part of a Wheaton student’s academic record. For the period of study away, no fees are paid to Wheaton; students pay tuition and fees to American University. Wheaton merit scholarship and financial aid funds are not available, though students are eligible for state and federal aid programs and may apply to American University for special scholarships.