The School for Field Studies (SFS) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest environmental study abroad programs for undergraduates.
We combine hands-on studies with scientific research focused on today’s critical environmental issues. SFS students undergo a transformational experience that assists them in advancing their careers as skilled professionals and as globally aware citizens.
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To receive physical copies of our latest catalog, flyers, posters, or other advising materials, please fill out a materials request form here.
SFS will be conducting a Cambodia site visit in May 2018 at our Center for Conservation and Development Studies in the Lower Mekong.
This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about our semester program, ‘Conservation, Ethics, and Environmental Change,’ which is based in Siem Reap. There is limited space, and applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We look forward to seeing you in the field!
Your Institutional Relations Manager (IRM) is your primary contact at SFS; they can help you learn more about SFS and advising your students on SFS programs.
Meet the SFS IRM for your region.
SFS maintains a 24-hour emergency message system while students are in the field.
CALL 978.741.3544, AND SELECT OPTION 2 FOR THE EMERGENCY SYSTEM.
Outside of normal business hours, please leave a message and a staff member will be paged. Problems or emergencies that arise in the field will be reported directly to the SFS Safety Department. SFS will then contact appropriate parties as necessary.
From the earliest stages of program development, SFS exercises a series of quality-control measures to ensure we are consistently delivering study abroad programs of the highest quality. Our School of Record, the University of Minnesota, helps provide academic oversight and reviews program curricula and quality in consultation with the Forum on Education Abroad’s Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad. As an indicator of our quality, many of our partner institutions have been sending their students on SFS programs since our founding in 1980. Click here to learn more.
The academically rigorous and interdisciplinary curriculum of each program is designed to allow students to actively discover and understand the complexities of local realities related to environmental, social, and economic problems. SFS students confront and conquer academic challenges that they are rarely exposed to at their home school. Our interdisciplinary, experiential approach to education is designed to train students to learn by doing. As students engage in high-quality field research, they begin to understand the challenges of confronting environmental issues, and are able to take what they learn in the field back to their home institutions.
Our strategic research plans are the backbone of our programs. Each plan is generated through a collaborative process involving SFS faculty, local stakeholders and clients, and external research advisors. The research agenda is designed to answer key questions related to critical social and environmental problems and to provide our hosts with detailed and accurate information for decision-making and action. The research outputs include scholarly and popular articles, public service announcements, and oral presentations to community members and other stakeholders. Our research is designed to be rigorous, accurate, relevant, and able to hold up to peer review.
Our Admissions team will help guide your students from the earliest stages of interest all the way to the moment they land-in country—advising them on the best program fit, answering questions about the experience and how to prepare, and ensuring that they arrive in-country ready for the program.
The safety of our students is our constant priority, and proactive risk management is integral to everything we do. Along with robust safety systems and a reputation for safe, structured programs, SFS takes care to manage the entire timeline of each student’s experience. Through diligent medical screening, setting clear expectations regarding living and health preparations, and educating about environmental and cultural awareness, personal responsibility, and conduct, we can give students the right tools to succeed. Click here to learn more.
Find more resources on our Advising for SFS page!
Before your students apply, be sure to encourage them to read the program components and relevant information. Being unlike everyone else also means we’re not a good fit for everyone.
Read about the full Admissions Process here.
SFS participants are registered at and receive transcripts from the University of Minnesota, our School of Record. The only exceptions are students from SFS Affiliate schools that have selected to have direct credit transfer.
Advisors can request an update to their students’ application statuses by contacting our Admissions Office at admissions@fieldstudies.org.