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Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences

Study Abroad

The Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences (ESS) offers a variety of study-abroad opportunities that expose students to the social and scientific dimensions of environmental dilemmas around the world.

All ESS majors should study abroad their junior year or during the summer. The ESS Department expects all majors to be present on campus during their senior year to take the required Capsone Bridge (ENVS 100) course fall quarter and Capstone (ENVS 101) in the winter quarter. 

Proposals for new course equivalencies (courses that are not grandfathered into SCU’s existing Study Abroad equivalencies) will, if granted, be for upper division Environmental Studies or Science Elective credit (e.g. not for a specific course).  Please contact the Study Abroad Office and current ESS Chair with questions regarding equivalency requests. 

 

Sea Kayak Expedition to Baja California

Each winter we offer two courses, Writing Natural History (ENVS 142) and The Natural History of Baja (ENVS 144) that involve coursework performed on the SCU campus during Winter Quarter coupled with a week-long sea kayak expedition in Baja California over Spring Break.


Study Abroad in Costa Rica During the Summer

The Costa Rica summer program offers a small cohort of students the opportunity to experience the biodiversity of a Costa Rican tropical rainforest. All students in the Costa Rica study abroad program will enroll in two 5 unit courses: 1) ANTH 197: Field Course: Primate Behavioral Ecology; and 2) ENVS 134: Plant Ecology in the Tropics. Students have two weeks of field instruction at SCU, followed by two weeks at the La Suerte Biological Field Station in Costa Rica where they gain hands-on experience in community ecology and animal behavior. A typical day involves fieldwork (e.g. hiking, data collection) and afternoon lectures and discussions. The final week of the course takes place on the SCU campus where students interpret and present projects.


Environmentally Focused Abroad Programs

In addition, many of our students spend a semester in Kenya, Costa Rica, Mexico, Turks & Caicos, or Australia through the School for Field Studies.


Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) programs

DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad is a government-recognized, high-quality study abroad program established in 1959. All DIS courses and academic programs are intellectually stimulating and challenging – and are all taught in English. But at DIS, studying abroad is not solely about academics, it is about providing a one-of-a-kind opportunity for students to experience new situations and build and develop leadership skills for a globalized world. That is why DIS is dedicated to providing a complete study-abroad experience.


Other study-abroad opportunities can be explored at SCU Study Abroad Programs.