Jul 7 - Aug 6
Jul 8 - Aug 6
None
Australia is a land of strange and fascinating wildlife. Study abroad in Australia with SFS and spend your summer observing tree-climbing kangaroos, egg-laying mammals, flightless birds, giant lizards, and the many other iconic animals that live in Australia’s ancient rainforests and dry savannas. Learn how each of these species has developed special adaptations to Australia’s unusual habitats and consider the policies and actions needed to preserve these precious ecosystems.
Application deadlines:
Summer 2 – May 15
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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.
All 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 AidThis 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. Read more about the SFS program model.
Major academic themes include:
On the Marsupials of 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 3272 | Marsupials of Australia | 4 Credits |
In this course you will understand the factors that resulted in the dominance of marsupials on the Australian continent and current factors that jeopardize their survival into the future. You will become familiar with a wide array of marsupial species that inhabit different habitats of Australia today and which threats they are facing. Mitigating these threats requires knowledge of their ecology and behavior, the application of sophisticated and preferably non-invasive field research methods and the introduction of effective conservation policies. This course will introduce you to some of these field research methods that Australian scientists are using to study marsupials and other mammalian species and to the current legislative and community-driven conservation tools.
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: wildlife observation techniques, non-invasive population assessments, habitat and biodiversity assessment, population viability studies, citizen science protocols, and human development impact assessment methods.
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include primary and secondary tropical rainforest, savannah habitat, caves, coastal scrub and mangroves, wetlands, and local conservation and restoration groups.
Take back-to-back summer sessions and get the hands-on learning and skill-building experiences of an internship, while going off the beaten path and exploring the world. Each session focuses on a different topic, and you’ll have time to travel independently between sessions.
RECOMMENDED PROGRAM COMBO
Rainforests of Australia (Summer I)
At the end of a narrow, winding road, in the middle of a lush rainforest, lies this remote field station. Our 153-acre property is surrounded by protected World Heritage forests, and you can see incredible wildlife from the front steps of your cabin. Nearby Yungaburra and Cairns provide the occasional return to civilization.