What Colleges Universities Offer Herpetology? (Complete List)

While it may be difficult to find a degree program in herpetology, it is certainly not impossible to study herpetology in college.

Many schools, while not offering degrees in herpetology, do offer classes in the topic. Some may even have herpetology labs, or herpetological collections.

Some of the top Colleges and Universities offering Herpetology undergraduate and graduate classes include College of Atlantic, University of Georgia, and University of Mississippi in the USA, McGill University, University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Students in biology, wildlife science, or environmental science departments, or other similar departments, may have the option to take herpetology classes as electives.

This table shows a few of the schools we will cover in this article offering classes in herpetology throughout the United States and Canada:

College Name	Herpetology Class	Location
College of the Atlantic	Undergraduate	USA
University of Florida	Undergraduate	USA
McGill University	Undergraduate	Canada
Lakehead University	Undergraduate	Canada
University of Kansas	Graduate	USA
Southeastern Louisiana University	Graduate	USA
The University of British Columbia	Graduate	Canada
University of Toronto	Graduate	Canada
The Amphibian Foundation	Other	International

There are also likely a few other schools not featured on this list that offer herpetology classes as well, but these are among the most popular undergrad and graduate classes.

Finally, we will cover a few options for studying herpetology while outside the USA or Canada, and while not being a student at a college or university.

I personally took the Master Herpetologist Certification offered by the Amphibian Foundation and would highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about herpetology (even to supplement a college or University degree).

These may be far more accessible for someone interested in herpetology, but not prepared to pursue a degree.

USA Undergraduate Herpetology Classes

A variety of well recognized colleges and Universities offer undergraduate herpetology classes throughout the United States.

Undergraduate herpetology classes are offered by:

College of the Atlantic
University of Georgia
University of Florida
University of Massachusetts
University of Mississippi

Lets have a look at what makes each of these colleges and universities offering undergraduate herpetology classes unique.

College of the Atlantic – Bar Harbor, Maine

College of the Atlantic offers herpetology as a class, which meets requirements for their undergraduate Environmental Science degree.

The class involves weekly outdoor field trips, and would be excellent for an aspiring field herpetologist.

University of Georgia – Athens, Georgia

The University of Georgia offers herpetology as a class in their undergraduate wildlife program.

The class is lecture based with a focus on evolution and biology, and would be best suited for someone hoping to focus on herpetological research.

University of Florida – Gainesville, Florida

The University of Florida has a large herpetology department through the Blackburn Lab at the Florida Museum, which is home to one of the top ten largest herpetological specimen collections in the country.

The school does not offer degrees in herpetology, but both undergraduate and graduate students in the Biology and Natural Resources departments are eligible to join the Blackburn Lab.

University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Massachusetts

The University of Massachusetts offers an undergraduate class in herpetology, which can fill a required class spot for students in the biology department.

The class is primarily lab-based, and likely focused more towards research, but does include some outdoor field work.

University of Mississippi – Oxford, Mississippi

The University of Mississippi offers an undergraduate class in herpetology that is lecture and lab based.

This class will be better suited to a student wanting to focus on the research side of herpetology.

Canada Undergraduate Herpetology Classes

A variety of well recognized colleges and Universities offer undergraduate herpetology classes throughout Canada.

Undergraduate herpetology classes are offered by:

McGill University
Laurentian University
Lakehead University
Carleton University

If you are a US-based student, it may be worthwhile considering taking classes in Canada considering the overall lower cost of living and studying.

Lets have a look at what makes each of these colleges and universities offering undergraduate herpetology classes unique.

McGill University – Montreal, Quebec

McGill University offers an undergraduate herpetology class that is mainly lecture based, with some discussion of field work.

This class will likely be best for students wanting to focus on research, but may be appealing to aspiring field herpetologists as well.

Laurentian University – Sudbury, Ontario

Laurentian University offers an undergraduate herpetology class that focuses on the biology, ecology and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

The class has a heavy focus on the need for conservation of reptiles and amphibians, making this a good choice for an aspiring conservationist.

Lakehead University – Thunder Bay, Ontario

Lakehead University offers an undergraduate herpetology class with a focus on the reptiles and amphibians of Canada.

This class would be best suited to Canadian students seeking a deeper understanding of their native herpetofauna.

Carleton University – Ottawa, Ontario

Carleton University’s undergraduate herpetology class is lecture based, but appears to include hands-on learning as well.

This class, while likely better suited for an aspiring researcher, may offer a well-rounded education for an aspiring field herpetologist as well.

United States Graduate Herpetology Classes

A variety of well recognized colleges and Universities offer graduate herpetology classes throughout the USA.

Graduate herpetology classes are offered by:

University of California, Davis
University of Kansas
Southeastern Louisiana University

Graduate students may find themselves with a wider range of options, since many schools may have advisors with experience in herpetology who would be willing to work with a graduate student hoping to specialize in herpetology.

Lets have a look at what makes each of these colleges and universities offering graduate herpetology classes unique.

University of California, Davis – Davis, California

The University of California, Davis offers both a lecture-based class and a lab-based class in herpetology for graduate students.

This allows for students with a wide range of goals in herpetology to thrive in this program.

University of Kansas – Lawrence, Kansas

The University of Kansas has Master’s and PhD programs in Herpetology through their Biodiversity Institute.

Herpetological focuses are available to students in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program.

Southeastern Louisiana University – Hammond, Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana University does not have a dedicated herpetology department, however, their website lists multiple faculty members with focuses in various aspects of herpetology.

An aspiring graduate student could apply for mentorship under these faculty members to focus on herpetology in their graduate program.

Canada Graduate Herpetology Classes

A variety of well recognized colleges and Universities offer graduate herpetology classes throughout Canada.

Graduate herpetology classes are offered by:

University of British Columbia
Mount Allison University
University of Toronto

Lets have a look at what makes each of these colleges and universities offering graduate herpetology classes unique.

The University of British Columbia – Vancouver, British Columbia

The University of British Columbia offers a graduate level class on Amphibian and Reptile Biology.

This class is available for graduate students in the zoology department.

Mount Allison University – Sackville, New Brunswick

Mount Allison University’s biology graduate program offers many options for specialization, including herpetology.

Students focusing on herpetology work with The Riley Integrative Ecology lab, which mentors graduate students in herpetology.

University of Toronto – Toronto, Ontario

The University of Toronto’s Department of Ecology and Evolution includes The Rollinson Lab, which is focused of herpetology.

The lab is focused primarily on the evolutionary ecology of reptiles and amphibians, and is therefore best suited to students with same specific interest.

Other Herpetology Classes & Programs

If you are not located in the United States or Canada you may want to take a class that is available internationally.

The Amphibian Foundation – Atlanta, Georgia

The Amphibian Foundation, a non-profit conservation organization, offers their Master Herpetologist program online three times per year.

This is a college-level herpetology class, and students who pass receive a certificate declaring them a Master Herpetologist.

Additionally, The Amphibian Foundation offers the Conservation Research Bridge Program.

This is a 1 to 3 semester in-person program where students actively engage in herpetological research under the guidance of professionals, and work hands-on in amphibian conservation.

Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo – Gainesville, Florida

The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo is an AZA-accredited zoo on the campus of Santa Fe College.

The zoo is staffed by student zookeepers, who work hands-on with zoo animals, as well as taking a variety of classes.

The program lasts just under two years, and while students do not pick specific focuses such as herpetology, students do work in all sections of the zoo including the herpetology department.

This program is best suited to aspiring zookeepers.

Links to all the colleges mentioned in this article can be found in the sources section below.

Sources