Few places in the world are more iconic than the African savanna. In Tanzania, baobabs and acacia trees dot the horizon, while wildebeest stampede through the Serengeti on their Great Migration. The Big Five – lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo, and rhinos – are all found here. Tanzania is also home to the pastoralist Maasai, agro-pastoral Iraqw, and the hunter-gatherer Hadzabe tribes, all of whom have rich cultural traditions and strong ties to the land.
Study Abroad in Tanzania
Have you ever wanted to go on safari and observe African wildlife in their natural habitat, explore some of Africa’s most famous national parks, or learn about the centuries-old traditions of the Iraqw, Hadzabe, and Maasai peoples?
Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.
Our programs in Tanzania take place in world-famous national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas, and Indigenous communities and small villages. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as biodiversity conservation, wildlife management, human-wildlife conflict, tourism impacts, and climate change. Tanzania has made progress in protecting its large populations of charismatic wildlife, but this rich landscape faces many challenges. Our research concentrates on understanding the impacts of climate change, habitat fragmentation, and competition for resources and promotes successful coexistence between humans and the country’s incredible wildlife.
Tanzania
semester
Wildlife Management Studies
15
Weeks
18
Credits
Fall 2023
Sep 1 - Dec 12
Closed
Spring 2024
Jan 30 - May 10
Open
EXPLORE MORE
summer session I
Fundamentals of Wildlife Management
04
Weeks
04
Credits
Summer 2023
Jun 2 - Jul 2
Closed
Summer 2024
Jun 3 - Jul 2
Open
EXPLORE MORE
summer session II
Carnivores of the African Plains
04
Weeks
04
Credits
Summer 2023
Jul 7 - Aug 6
Closed
Summer 2024
Jul 8 - Aug 6
Open
EXPLORE MORE
semester
15 Weeks
|18 Credits
Fall 2023
Sep 1 - Dec 12
Closed
Spring 2024
Jan 30 - May 10
Open
PROGRAM COSTS
Tuition:
$19,600
Room & Board:
$5,750
Total Cost:
$25,350
Sample Itinerary
Sample Itinerary:
semester PROGRAM
Wildlife Management Studies
Rhotia, Maasai Steppe
Step beyond a tourist experience in East Africa. Explore the iconic landscapes of Tanzania. Meet the country’s charismatic wildlife – from magnificent lions and elephants to thunderous herds of wildebeest and zebras – as you learn about their ecology and behavior. Experience the rich culture and traditions of Tanzania’s Maasai, Iraqw, and Hadzabe tribal communities while collaborating on issues of human-wildlife conflict and climate change. Finish the semester with an in-depth field research project.
- Embark on a multi-day camping expedition in Serengeti National Park, attending field lectures on the behavior and migratory patterns of the park’s magnificent wildlife.
- Learn about elephant and lion ecology in Tarangire National Park and visit Burunge Wildlife Management Area to learn about community-based conservation.
- Conduct a comprehensive field research project: Develop a research question, collect and analyze data, write a paper, and present your findings. Read more about SFS Directed Research projects.
Application deadlines:
Spring – November 15
Fall – May 15
follow sfs tanzania on instagram
Academics
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Tanzania. Read more about the SFS program model. Major academic themes include:
- Wildlife conservation
- Climate change impacts
- African large mammal behavior and ecology
- Field ornithology
- Human-wildlife conflict
- Habitat assessments
- Community-based conservation
- Reptile ecology and conservation
Courses
On the Wildlife Management Studies program, you will take three 4-credit disciplinary courses, one 2-credit language and culture course, and a 4-credit capstone Directed Research course. Courses are participatory in nature and are designed to foster inquiry and active learning. Each course combines lectures, field exercises, assignments, tests, and research. All courses are taught in English. Click on each course to view a description and download the syllabus
SFS 2060
Introduction to Swahili Language and East African Culture
2 credits
SFS 3020
Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Values
4 credits
SFS 3710
Techniques in Wildlife Management
4 credits
SFS 3720
Wildlife Ecology
4 credits
SFS 4910
Directed Research
4 credits
SFS 2060 Introduction to Swahili Language and East African Culture (2 credits)
This course contains two distinct but integrated modules. The Swahili language module offers listening, oral, and written practice of the Swahili language, at a basic level of proficiency, to increase students’ communication and comprehension skills. Much of the Maasai population does not speak Swahili, but it is the national language in Tanzania; this phenomenon will be explained in the second course module. The sociocultural aspects of Tanzanian tribes module emphasizes understanding of, and direct contact and interaction with, the native communities with which SFS works, primarily the Maasai. This exposure to culture and language is reviewed and processed through lectures, field exercises, and classroom discussion. The sociocultural module is designed to help students engage in the culture and be therefore more adept at working effectively in their Directed Research efforts.
SFS 3020 Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Values (4 credits)
This course provides insight into the broad social context surrounding natural resources to determine effective approaches to resource management. Students explore the sociocultural context of resource management including: hierarchies and power structures; formal and informal decision-making processes; value systems relevant to natural resources, including religious factors and environmental ethics; past and present uses of natural resources; economic factors (local, regional, external); ownership patterns; attitudes and other factors that effect change and their historical basis; and legal basis for enforcement of environmental policy. Students are also introduced to major constituencies that effect conservation (NGO conservation groups, economic interests, etc.) and their underlying philosophies.
SFS 3710 Techniques in Wildlife Management (4 credits)
This course introduces students to the questions, principles, and tools used by resource managers in Tanzania’s savanna ecosystem. Students study habitat assessment, plant and animal identification, associations and distributions, and other approaches to evaluating ecosystems. Students examine the behavioral, physiological, and social responses of animals to a changing environment. The course introduces field and laboratory techniques for monitoring ungulate populations and optimizing management practices, as well as addressing decision-making processes on which wildlife management programs are based.
SFS 3720 Wildlife Ecology (4 credits)
This course presents students with the information and conceptual background necessary to understand the underlying ecological principles of Tanzania’s savanna ecosystem. We focus on the fundamental processes and interrelationships between the biotic and abiotic environment. We begin with basic ecological principles, setting them against the background of Tanzania. Students examine the factors underlying distributions, population biology, and behavioral ecology, along with competition and predation, using African examples. Students discuss theoretical models of different basic ecological principles and then debate their applicability or constraints based on observations made in the field.
SFS 4910 Directed Research (4 credits)
This course prepares students to distinguish hidden assumptions in scientific approaches and separate fact from interpretation, cause from correlation, and advocacy from objectivity. Students learn specific tools including: experimental design; field techniques; basic descriptive statistics; and parametric and non-parametric quantitative analysis. Emphasis is placed on succinct scientific writing, graphic and tabular presentation of results, and effective delivery of oral presentations.
Core Skills
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: GIS use and applications, habitat and biodiversity assessment, natural resource valuation, species identification and wildlife census techniques, animal behavior observation skills, radio telemetry, bird species identification, basic Swahili language skills, research design and implementation, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and research presentation.
Field Sites
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include national parks and wildlife management areas, the plains of the Serengeti, rural villages, Indigenous Iraqw, Hadzabe, and Maasai communities, freshwater wetlands around Lake Manyara, wildlife migratory corridors, the volcanic caldera of Ngorongoro, ranches and farms, and Olduvai Gorge – one of the most important paleo-anthropological sites in the world.
summer session I
04 Weeks
|04 Credits
Summer 2023
Jun 2 - Jul 2
Closed
Summer 2024
Jun 3 - Jul 2
Open
PROGRAM COSTS
Tuition:
$5,555
Room & Board:
$2,395
Total Cost:
$7,950
Sample Itinerary
Sample Itinerary:
summer session I PROGRAM
Fundamentals of Wildlife Management
Maasai Steppe, Tanzania
In this summer fundamentals course, the Serengeti becomes your classroom. Through safari drives and field excursions, the wildlife of Tanzania bring the critical challenges of wildlife management and conservation to life before your eyes.
- Embark on multi-day camping expedition to Serengeti National Park, with a stop at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area en route to learn about migratory corridors and explore the giant crater.
- Deepen your understanding of policy and legal frameworks’ influence on environmental conservation and wildlife management paradigms over time.
Application deadlines:
Summer 1 – April 1
follow sfs tanzania on instagram
Academics
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Tanzania. Read more about the SFS program model. Major academic themes include:
- Behavioral ecology
- Field ornithology
- Human-wildlife conflict
- Community conservation approaches
- Wildlife and natural resource management policies
Courses
On the Fundamentals of Wildlife Management program, you will take one 4-credit course. This course is participatory in nature and is designed to foster inquiry and active learning combining lectures, field exercises, assignments, and tests. This course is taught in English. Click on each course to view a description and download the syllabus
SFS 3500
Wildlife Management and Conservation
4 credits
SFS 3500 Wildlife Management and Conservation (4 credits)
This course exposes students to wildlife management practices and the complex issues surrounding sustainable wildlife conservation in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem of Tanzania. Students explore a vast array of concepts and principles in ecology, natural resource management, and socioeconomics, which are central to effective and sustainable wildlife conservation.
Core Skills
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: animal behavior observation, environmental impacts assessment, species identification, wildlife census techniques, natural resource management planning, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, tourism impact assessment methods, and basic Swahili language skills.
Field Sites
You will visit different ecosystems and communities including Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Manyara National Park, Maasai and other Indigenous communities, rural villages, freshwater wetlands, acacia forests, wildlife migratory corridors, and ranches and farms.
summer session II
04 Weeks
|04 Credits
Summer 2023
Jul 7 - Aug 6
Closed
Summer 2024
Jul 8 - Aug 6
Open
PROGRAM COSTS
Tuition:
$5,555
Room & Board:
$2,395
Total Cost:
$7,950
Sample Itinerary
Sample Itinerary:
summer session II PROGRAM
Carnivores of the African Plains
Rhotia, Maasai Steppe
Tanzania is home to more than 35 species of carnivores, including the African lion, cheetah, leopard, and wild dog – all of which are on the IUCN Red List. Study the behavioral ecology and conservation challenges facing these incredible creatures, while observing some of Africa’s largest remaining carnivore guilds up close.
- Visit the Tarangire Lion Project to learn from leading lion researchers and analyze pride population dynamics and individual behavior using radio telemetry and camera trapping data
Application deadlines:
Summer 2 – May 15
follow sfs tanzania on instagram
Academics
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Tanzania. Read more about the SFS program model. Major academic themes include:
- Carnivore behavioral ecology
- Predator-prey interactions
- Human-wildlife conflict
- Wildlife and natural resource management
Courses
On the Carnivores of the African Plains program, you will take one 4-credit course. This course is participatory in nature and is designed to foster inquiry and active learning combining lectures, field exercises, assignments, and tests. This course is taught in English. Click on the course to view a description and download the syllabus
SFS 3121
African Large Carnivores: Ecology and Conservation
4 credits
SFS 3121 African Large Carnivores: Ecology and Conservation (4 credits)
This course focuses on the behavioral ecology and conservation challenges facing large carnivores using Northern Tanzania’s parks and protected areas as investigated landscapes. Students learn about carnivore conservation and apply techniques for studying and managing carnivores. This is done through lectures from large carnivore experts and field-based ecological and social investigation. The field training is conducted in parks and wildlife dispersal areas, and the social surveys include participatory social science techniques in the villages adjacent to protected areas. The data collected will be analyzed using advanced techniques, offering students social and ecological analytical skills that are vital for research and conservation.
Core Skills
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: animal behavior observation, radio telemetry and camera trapping, species identification, wildlife census techniques, basic Swahili language skills, and quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
Field Sites
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include national parks and wildlife management areas, the vast plains of the Serengeti, Tarangire Lion Project, rural villages, Indigenous Iraqw, Hadzabe, and Maasai communities, freshwater wetlands around Lake Manyara, wildlife migratory corridors, the volcanic caldera of Ngorongoro, and ranches and farms.
What Students Are Saying:
“SFS was the first step on my career journey and I feel an enormous amount of gratitude to the program. There is no way I would be where I am today without SFS, and I am still in touch with my professors from the program.”
– Arjun, University of Maryland
“Choosing this study abroad program was hands down the best decision I made during my college career. It was such a unique experience and one that I felt perfectly encompassed what studying abroad is all about. The safari drives and overnight expeditions in and near the national parks were always something I looked forward to and will surely never forget… I mean how often do you get to ride around in open-top Jeeps collecting data on African wildlife?!”
– Emily, Lafayette College
“I absolutely loved SFS Tanzania. The staff and faculty are all amazing, and you are able to have so many unique experiences that you can’t get anywhere else! Also, you really feel like you’re making a difference in conservation, because the community really takes into account what your DR research shows at the end of the semester. I would absolutely recommend this program to any and all who are interested in wildlife, conservation, or both!”
– Hannah, Iowa State University
Where You'll Be Living
Learn to live the pole pole lifestyle at the SFS Center in Tanzania. Surrounded by world-famous national parks and wildlife, it’s the perfect home base for expeditions into the field. Campus is reminiscent of summer camp, with plenty of outdoor and communal spaces, while the small, friendly community of Rhotia is just a short walk away.
- Dorm living in four-person cabins
- Classroom, library, and computer lab
- Kitchen and dining hall, and on-site cooking staff
- Volleyball, gazebo, fire pit, and lounge areas
- Community soccer games and local running routes
- Markets in nearby towns of Rhotia, Karatu, and Mto Wa Mbu
Community
Rhotia, Tanzania
SFS is an active part of the Rhotia community, where we have been based for over a decade.
We have built long-term, collaborative relationships in the communities around the Center, and developed our research plans based on the environmental issues they and the surrounding ecosystems face. Throughout the program, students spend the day with a local family, attend cultural festivals and other community events, visit village markets, and enjoy soccer and volleyball games with community members.
At the end of each semester program, we host a Community Research Night where select students will present their research findings to the community. SFS research data is shared with the community, national parks and conservation areas, local NGOs, and the Tanzanian government.
