Marine Biology Study Abroad Programs in Belize

Toucan Education Programs (TOUCAN) is a social enterprise that collaborates with mission-driven colleges and universities to create custom, faculty-directed education abroad programs. We offer ethical, experiential, and intercultural learning opportunities that align with institutional goals of service, global awareness, and community engagement. As an active member of The Forum on Education Abroad, TOUCAN ensures that each program meets the Standards of Good Practice, prioritizing safe, ethical, and sustainable outcomes for all involved. Our dedicated team works closely with faculty directors and administrators, allowing educators to focus on academic content and student mentorship while we manage all logistical aspects for smooth program operation. Belize serves as an ideal "living laboratory," offering rich cultural diversity for impactful experiential and intercultural learning. Faculty can utilize Toucan’s Intercultural Learning Co-Curriculum (ILC) to enhance students' intercultural development. TOUCAN is committed to faculty success through community-engaged learning and rigorous adherence to best practices in health, safety, and security.

Our faculty-led custom group trips are planned months in advance with great attention to detail and meaningful activities based on the group's focus. We specialize in conservation, environment, biology, indigenous studies, and service learning projects. Group activities include lectures from local leaders and educators, government officials, farmers, and healers. The program also includes area tourism activities. These trips are great for faculty looking to get students out into the field for hands-on, real-life experiences. We have staff and resources throughout the country for a broad delivery of itineraries. Prices depend on inclusions, duration, number of participants in a group, and the accommodation type requested. We are happy to work with interested faculty to customize the program based on budget and educational goals. Plus, each group will have a personal advisor from CELA to offer guidance at every step of the process.

The Large Animal Medicine & Marine Conservation course is a two-week Central American adventure that gives you the chance to explore all of Belize, from the rainforest to the Caribbean coast. In the first week, learn about large animal veterinary medicine in the tropics, working with a veterinarian on local farms to learn about and help care for animals such as horses, cows, pigs, sheep, and goats. Lectures supplement field course activities so you can understand the veterinary science behind each hands-on activity. Your program provides community veterinary funding, as it pays for veterinary visits and the supplies used, and also offers you insight into farming and large animal care practice and issues in tropical developing countries. In the second week, live at the beach on the Caribbean Sea to participate in a snorkel-based marine conservation course. The Belize Barrier Reef is a 300km section of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. It’s the second-largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It’s estimated that only ten percent of the species in the reef have been discovered.

Snorkel the second largest barrier reef on the planet, off the coast of the diverse Central American nation of Belize, on this two-week field expedition. You’ll study the ecology and conservation of fish, the water-cleaning role of sponges, the sensitivity of corals to global climate change, and how reefs differ from ecosystems on land. Then, you’ll put your knowledge into practice on a remote Caribbean island – at the Glover’s Reef Research Station – in the middle of a world-class marine reserve. On the Coral Reef Ecology course you’ll submerge yourself in oceanography, marine biology, and marine conservation in a blended format. Begin with three weeks of online instruction, then embark on a life-changing marine science expedition to Belize, where you will conduct a research project of your own design, accompanied by experienced marine biologists.