Advising for SFS Programs
Field Research at the Source
Since 1980, advisors at more than 500 colleges and universities have sent students to SFS field stations to do environmental research.
What Makes SFS Unique
Residential Cohort
Students live and do research together for the full program. The cohort model builds day-to-day accountability and relationships that last well beyond the semester.
Center Based
Every program operates from a permanent SFS field station. Students are embedded in the landscape they're studying.
Environmentally Focused
Every program is interdisciplinary by design, pairing ecology and field biology with environmental policy, economics, and social science. One environment, studied from every angle.
Directed Research
Student fieldwork feeds faculty-directed, multi-year research plans. The semester capstone, Directed Research, is a minimum 100 hours of fieldwork producing data that community partners and agencies use.
Applied Learning
Students run the science themselves: data collection, species identification, transect surveys, water sampling. The field itself is the classroom.
Part of the Community
Centers are longtime neighbors in their host communities. Students work alongside local partners on research questions that come from real stakeholder needs, and findings are presented back to the community at term's end.
Center by Center
The 12 Centers at a Glance
A quick read on each campus and its surroundings. Share these early to help students choose well, and select any card for the full Know Before You Go guidance.
Australia
- The Center
- A 153-acre rainforest campus on the Atherton Tablelands, its stilted cabins tucked into the hills.
- Ecosystem
- Tropical rainforest beside the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
- Nearest Town
- Yungaburra, 20 min (pop. 1,200) · Cairns, 90 min (pop. 150,000)
Highlights
- Camping expedition in the Daintree, the oldest rainforest on Earth
- Day trips to the Great Barrier Reef
- Rainforest restoration with local community groups
Bhutan
- The Center
- A former hotel in the Paro Valley of the Himalayas, surrounded by conifer forests and river systems.
- Ecosystem
- Field sites from alpine meadows and mountain forests to river valleys.
- Nearest Town
- Paro, a 10-minute walk (pop. 12,000) · Thimphu, 1 hour (pop. 115,000)
Highlights
- Treks through remote Himalayan villages and mountain passes
- Gross National Happiness as environmental governance
- Monasteries where Buddhist philosophy meets ecology
Cambodia
- The Center
- A campus in a quiet suburb of Siem Reap, with daily access to the city's shops, cafes, and temples.
- Ecosystem
- Tropical wet-dry climate of high heat, humidity, and seasonal monsoons.
- Nearest Town
- Central Siem Reap, 3 miles (pop. 250,000) · Angkor Wat, 6 miles
Highlights
- The only SFS center with a city at its doorstep
- Excursions to Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh
- Freshwater ecosystems, environmental ethics, fish, and elephants
Chile
- The Center
- A former hostel in Puerto Natales, Patagonia's gateway to Torres del Paine National Park.
- Ecosystem
- Glaciers, fjords, mountains, grasslands, and coastal habitats.
- Nearest Town
- Puerto Natales, a 5-minute walk (pop. 18,500) · Punta Arenas, 3 hours (pop. 144,000)
Highlights
- Glacial and freshwater ecosystems in a changing climate
- Penguin colony surveys in Tierra del Fuego
- Fieldwork in Torres del Paine and surrounding protected areas
Costa Rica
- The Center
- A rural campus among rolling hills and family farms, with a pool, soccer field, and outdoor classroom.
- Ecosystem
- Tropical climate moderated by elevation, from cloud forest to dry forest.
- Nearest Town
- Atenas, 3 miles (pop. 8,000)
Highlights
- Farm-to-table meals from the campus's own fruit and vegetables
- Coffee farms, co-ops, and national parks as field sites
- Curriculum spans agriculture, Indigenous livelihoods, and climate
Croatia
- The Center
- A campus in the quaint seaside town of Veli Lošinj, on the island of Lošinj in the Adriatic.
- Ecosystem
- An evergreen island archipelago with hot, dry summers.
- Nearest Town
- Mali Lošinj, walking distance (pop. 7,500)
Highlights
- Class time aboard research boats and along island coastlines
- Sea turtle rescue, photo-identification, and GIS mapping
- Basic wildlife veterinary techniques, a strong pre-vet fit
Italy
- The Center
- Student apartments in Greve, a bucolic Tuscan town in Chianti, a short walk from SFS classrooms.
- Ecosystem
- Tuscan wine and farm country in the Chianti hills.
- Nearest Town
- Greve itself (pop. 14,000) · Florence, 45 min (pop. 380,000)
Highlights
- Weeklong excursion to the Aeolian Islands off Sicily
- Language and food exchange in the English for Pasta program
- Fieldwork from the Apennine mountains to the Maremma coast
Kenya
- The Center
- A camp of permanent safari tents in the Kimana wildlife corridor, in the foothills of Kilimanjaro.
- Ecosystem
- Savanna surrounded by national parks and Maasai conservancies.
- Nearest Town
- Kimana, a 5-minute drive (pop. 10,000)
Highlights
- Expeditions to Amboseli, the Maasai Mara, and Ol Pejeta
- About a week studying mountain gorillas in Rwanda (semester)
- Weekly game drives, walking transects, and community visits
Panama
- The Center
- A former hotel on Isla Colón in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, on Panama's Caribbean coast.
- Ecosystem
- Coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and island rainforest.
- Nearest Town
- Bocas Town, a 10-minute drive (pop. 13,000) · Panama City, a 1-hour flight
Highlights
- Reef, mangrove, and marine-protected-area surveys by boat
- Tourism and climate impacts on island communities
- Indigenous and local perspectives on stewardship
Peru
- The Center
- A former retreat center in the city of Tarapoto, in the Peruvian Amazon's San Martín region.
- Ecosystem
- Lowland and flooded Amazon rainforest, rivers, and cloud forest.
- Nearest Town
- Tarapoto, a 10-minute walk (pop. 180,000) · Lima, a 1.5-hour flight
Highlights
- Forest health and recovery in one of Earth's most biodiverse regions
- Development and extraction pressures on Amazonian communities
- Indigenous knowledge systems in conservation
Tanzania
- The Center
- A 3-acre open-air campus with a volleyball court, gazebo, and fire pit, an easy walk from the village.
- Ecosystem
- Highlands between the Tarangire-Manyara and Ngorongoro-Serengeti ecosystems.
- Nearest Town
- Rhotia, a 5-minute walk (pop. 29,000) · Karatu, 15 min (pop. 280,000)
Highlights
- Multi-day Serengeti camping, tracking predator movements
- Bird and fish abundance studies at Lake Manyara
- Wildlife encounters on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
Turks & Caicos
- The Center
- A former oceanfront hotel on South Caicos, with a saltwater pool and wild donkeys and flamingos nearby.
- Ecosystem
- An Atlantic island of reefs, sand flats, seagrass, and mangroves.
- Nearest Town
- The island's small town (pop. 1,500)
Highlights
- The SFS dock puts the harbor a quick snorkel away
- Optional SCUBA certification in semester and summer, never required
- Rays, barracuda, dolphins, and whales for neighbors
Governance
Who Stands Behind the Academics
Independent oversight runs through the whole program, from the external board that governs SFS to the U.S.-accredited university that serves as its School of Record.
Board of Trustees
The School for Field Studies is governed by an external Board of Trustees that counts SFS alumni among its members.
Institutional Partners Council
The Institutional Partners Council brings faculty and administrators from partner colleges and universities into SFS governance, advising on academic quality from curriculum design to student outcomes.
School of Record
The University of Minnesota has served as the SFS School of Record since June 2014, working with SFS on program quality and issuing official transcripts. Schools can receive either a School of Record transcript or direct credit from SFS.
See It for Yourself
Advisor Site Visits
SFS hosts regular site visits for advisors, guided by the Center Directors and faculty who run each field station.
- 2026Croatia & Italy
- 2025Panama
- 2024Kenya
- 2023Costa Rica
- 2019Kenya
- 2019Bhutan
- 2018Costa Rica & Panama
- 2018Cambodia
- 2017Tanzania
- 2015Cambodia
- 2014Australia
- 2014Panama
- 2013Turks & Caicos
- 2012Costa Rica
Routing the Right Students
Who Thrives at SFS
Environmental science majors are the obvious referrals, and our strongest students also come from biology, political science, anthropology, pre-med, and economics. Disposition matters more than major.
- 01 Courteous
- 02 Ready for early mornings and shared space
- 03 Looking for an academic challenge rather than a gap year
Institutional Relations
Find Your Rep
Hover or tap your state on the map to see your contact, with a direct email link. The key below lists each rep's states, and each name is an email link too.
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Devin Foxall
Northeast: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT
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Amy Burrows
Mid-Atlantic: DC, DE, MD, NC, NJ, SC, VA
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Mike Rainaldi
Midwest: IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, NE, OH, PA, WI, WV
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Leah Pfitzinger
West & Rockies: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, ND, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY
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Adriana K. Smith
South: AL, AR, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MO, MS, OK, TN, TX
Ready to Send Your Students into the Field?
Browse all 29 program offerings across 12 centers, or line them up side by side in our comparison tool.