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A unique educational experience.
The Nantucket Field Station, one of the facilities of UMass Boston's School for the Environment, is a 107-acre field site of pristine salt marsh, rolling uplands, and harbor waterfront which provides education, research, and community service. We are a world-class research and educational institution and a deeply engaged member of the Nantucket community.
Each summer, UMass Boston offers several field courses from June through August. These courses feature field work that allows participants to use the island’s natural and cultural resources to investigate classroom topics. Courses offered explore many fields of study — from marine biology to spider ecology.
BIOL 306 - Marine and Coastal Ecological Research Methods (3 cr)
August 2 - 14, 2026
Instructor: Elizabeth Boyle
Fee: Tuition plus $804
Apply to BIOL 306
BIOL 344/345 - Ornithology & Lab (4 cr)
June 1 - 20, 2026
Instructors: Luis DeLeon Reyna & Daniel Buitrago
Fee: Tuition plus $1,292
Apply to BIOL 344/345
ENVSCI/ENVSTY 321L - Spiders on Nantucket (4 cr)
July 13 - August 1, 2026
Instructor: John Dobyns & Tyler Kulak
Fee: Tuition plus $1,207
Apply to ENVSCI/ENVSTY 321L
Tuition
Summer 2026 Tuition Rate Structure
Matriculated
- Resident: $557 per credit
- New England Regional: $975 per credit
- Non-Resident: $1,374 per credit
Non-Matriculated
- Resident: $494 per credit
- Non-Resident: $1,207 per credit
Please note: The tuition and fees do not cover meals, books, insurance, or travel to and from Nantucket Island.
Course Descriptions
BIOL 306 Marine & Coastal Ecological Research (3 credits)
Supervised research on the adaptations and interactions of organisms of the beaches, salt marshes, sand dunes, and embayments of Nantucket. Meets every weekday during two weeks of the summer at the University's field station on Nantucket.
Prerequisite: BIOL 210 or 252 or 290.
BIOL 344/345 Field Ornithology (4 credits)
Ornithology is the study of birds. This course will explore the complex biology of birds, including evolution, functional morphology, physiology, ecology and behavior. Field, museum and laboratory activities emphasize particular aspects of morphology, ecology and behavior, as well as taxonomy and identification alongside native Massachusetts species.
The goal for this course is to provide a base of knowledge about birds in a way that will inspire you to keep learning about them through lecture, laboratory and field time. The course will focus primarily on the behavior, ecology and evolution of birds and the development of field skills.
Please note: Both Lecture and Laboratory are required.
ENVSCI 321L Spiders of Nantucket (3 credits)
This course will introduce students to important field and laboratory-based methods for assessing biodiversity and estimating species richness, with applications for natural resource management and conservation. The spiders of Nantucket will serve as a model for diving into biodiversity field and laboratory methods due to their rich diversity over the island and distinct species-specific characteristics that allow for training in taxonomy. In this course, students will learn about spider biology, anatomy, life history, classification and taxonomy, and ecology through classroom lectures and discussions, field sampling, and laboratory processing and identification activities. Students will become familiar with the primary literature and scientific writing through two writing assignments.
Please note: ENVSTY 321L and ENVSCI 321L are the same course.