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May 31 - Jun 30
Jun 6 - Jul 6
None
SUMMER 2021 PROGRAM UPDATE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SFS has decided to suspend summer programs that operate in more than one country. For this reason, this program has been suspended for Summer 2021 as it includes program travel to New Zealand. SFS will resume offering this program in Summer 2022. Check out a list of other available Summer 2021 programs here.
Rainforests are shrinking, but hope is not lost. In this two-country program, you’ll learn how environmental and social factors have contributed to forest fragmentation in the spectacular, once-vast rainforests of Australia and New Zealand. Travel between the two countries to compare endangered species management practices, natural resource use in indigenous communities, and approaches to ecosystem restoration.
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. This program is not running during Summer 2021. Summer 2022 pricing will be released in July 2021.
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 generally take place 6 days a week.
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 Australia and New Zealand. Read more about the SFS program model.
Major academic themes include:
On the Rainforests of New Zealand and Australia 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 3540 | Rainforest Management Studies | 4 credits |
This course compares and contrasts the ecological, geographic, social, economic, and historical factors that have shaped natural resource management in Australia and New Zealand. Students gain an understanding of the drivers of species extinctions and current conservation problems including management of endangered species. In both countries, students examine the influence of fragmentation on abiotic and biotic attributes of forest communities during field exercises, and identify management techniques with regard to biological systems, national boundaries, and political structures.
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: GIS use and applications, species identification and population monitoring, forest survey methods, and quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include primary/old-growth rainforests, Indigenous protected areas, podocarp and Kauri forests of northern New Zealand, rainforest restoration projects, fruit farms and other agricultural sites, and an eco-lodge in the rainforest.
Take back-to-back summer sessions and get the hands-on learning and skill-building experiences of an internship, while also going off the beaten path and exploring the world. 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
Watersheds of the Wet Tropics (Australia Summer II)
In Australia, at the end of a narrow, winding road, in the middle of a lush rainforest, lies the field station, a 153-acre property surrounded by protected World Heritage forests and the nearby town of Yungaburra 20 minutes away. For the New Zealand expedition, the group will stay in a variety of housing including a city-based hostel in Auckland, a traditional Māori marae, and area lodges. The Australia Center is described below: