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SUMMER 2021 PROGRAM UPDATE: Due to the ongoing pandemic, the program itinerary and details that you find outlined on this page may shift to accommodate enhanced safety measures, park closures, and thoughtful community interaction. This may include but is not limited to the field sites visited, guest lectures, community visits, and other program activities. We will communicate pre-program changes with students and are available to answer any specific questions regarding this program. You can read more about how SFS is addressing COVID-19 on our programs here.
In Bhutan, a deep cultural and spiritual reverence for life has aided in the preservation of the country’s tigers, snow leopards, and other wild cats. Using camera traps and radio telemetry, study the conservation of these elusive creatures and learn how adaptation and management strategies can ensure their survival in a changing world.
SFS provides a comprehensive study abroad experience during a 6-day/week program schedule. SFS delivers the highest level of support and an unparalleled academic experience.
In addition to the SFS program costs listed to the left, students should plan for additional expenses such as airfare, a passport, visas, medical costs, and personal spending.
Check out the Financial Planner below for an estimated breakdown of these costs along with more information about financially planning for your program abroad with SFS.
Download the Financial PlannerAll students are welcome to apply for our need-based financial aid. Students who exhibit financial need for their program will be offered SFS financial aid. SFS aid is offered through a combination of scholarships, grants and loans.
Pell Grant Match
SFS matches Federal Pell Grant funding for students applying to an SFS semester program.
Many SFS students receive aid through their home institutions or other outside sources, so check with your financial aid office to see what aid may apply to an SFS program.
Learn More about Financial AidCait was raised on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Cait joined the SFS team in 2017 after graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Sociology and Education. During the fall of her junior year, she studied in Florence, Italy. In the heart of Tuscany, she discovered her passion for learning and experiencing through education abroad. Throughout her career, Cait has facilitated a Faculty-Lead Program throughout Ireland and Scotland, served as an International Coordinator for a higher education first year abroad program, and has served in SFS Admissions advising and preparing students for their adventures to the field. Cait loves to share her passion for education abroad with every student she serves, and believes international education is an important part of any student’s undergraduate experience. Cait can’t wait to prepare you for your SFS experience!
Itinerary varies from term to term and is subject to change. Program activities take place 6 days a week with one day free.
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 Bhutan. Read more about the SFS program model.
Major academic themes include:
In the Big Cats of the Himalayas: Tracking and Conservation 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 3191 | Tracking and Conservation of Big Cats in the Himalayas | 4 credits |
is an interdisciplinary, field-based course focused on understanding key issues and challenges associated with conservation of wild cats and associated species. Bhutan is home to 10 wild cat species, with the snow leopard, tiger and the clouded leopard being the most charismatic big cat species and Bhutan is increasingly seen as the last biodiversity refugia. Students will be introduced to the socio-political and cultural significance of Himalayan landscapes and biodiversity, with a special focus on these charismatic species. Interactions with stakeholders from the government, academia, local people, and civil society will enable students to understand field realities of changing landscapes and human-wildlife conflicts. Students will learn camera trapping techniques and associated data analysis skills to estimate population sizes and map species distribution ranges in a GIS. Students will also be introduced to radio-telemetry. A final student project will aim at developing either a conservation project proposal or an adaptive species management plan for a designated landscape.
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: GIS, species identification and distribution mapping, biodiversity surveys, camera trapping and radio telemetry, species management planning, and quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include mountain ecosystems, subalpine conifer forests, alpine meadows, rural villages and small towns, subtropical broadleaf forests, high-altitude mountain passes, monasteries and sacred sites, and agricultural communities.
Get more out of your SFS experience when you take back-to-back summer sessions. More time to explore, more time to learn, and more time to build practical skills. Each summer session focuses on a different topic, and you’ll have time to travel independently between sessions. Receive a $1,000 discount on your second session (effective for Summer 2020).
RECOMMENDED PROGRAM COMBO
Forests in the Land of the Thunder Dragon (Bhutan Summer I)
The Center is located at one end of the stunning Paro Valley, at the base of a towering ridgeline dotted with Buddhist monasteries. Campus is a small cluster of buildings designed in the traditional Bhutanese architectural style. A pleasant 10-minute walk brings you to the markets, shops, and cultural events of Paro Town.