No other time in your college career will your classes take you outside the classroom more than during your study abroad. We can also guess that you probably will never get the chance in the U.S. to earn college credit for taking an excursion. Thank you study abroad!
When you study abroad with USAC you’ll have the option to participate in field trips, optional tours, and field studies. They’re all a little different, but today we’re talking about field studies.
What is a field study?
Field Studies are field trip courses where you can earn one-credit while deepening your academic experience by completing additional academic requirements, keeping a journal, and engaging in discussions of the sites visited to better understand their historical and cultural contexts. A field study course counts as part of your credit load.
There are three types of field studies options:
Option 1: Field study that can be taken as a tour
Students have the choice to take an optional tour as a field study for 1 credit. They’ll be on tour with other USAC students, some of who are also taking the tour as a field study and some of who are only taking the optional tour.
Option 2: Field study taken in addition to 3-credit course
Students participate in a field study that compliments a 3-credit course. You receive 1 extra credit for the field study course in addition to the 3 credits for the course.
Option 3: Stand-alone field study course
A 1-credit course that is only offered as a field study.
At USAC we have 45 field study options available throughout out 53 programs. Here are the field study opportunities you can choose from.
Accra, Ghana
Ghanaian Culture and Natural Resources Field Study
Goes with Northern Ghana Tour and Volta Eco Tours (must be enrolled in both tours)
Offered Fall and Spring terms
Northern Ghana Tour
Visit Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city and home of the Ashanti Kingdom. Highlights include the Manhyia Palace Museum, the Cultural Center, and studios of the brass makers, potters, batik makers, and drum carvers. You will have the opportunity to weave the traditional cloth of the Ashanti people or to stamp print a kente stole. You’ll also visit Mole National Park for an encounter with West Africa’s big game: elephants, antelopes, waterbucks, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, and more.
Volta EcoTour
This tour takes you to the highest mountain in Ghana, Mt. Afadjeto, where you will hike and swim in the Wli waterfalls and enjoy time at the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary. The second day, you will visit Akosombo Dam and the largest man-made lake in the world, Lake Volta, which provides electricity to all of Ghana as well as some neighboring countries. En route back to Accra, you will visit the Shai Resource Center for another nature encounter with baboons and birds and visit the caves of the Shai Hills where the indigenous people of the area hid during the Asante wars.
Alicante & Bilbao, Spain
Madrid Field Study
Goes with the Madrid Tour
Offered Fall, Spring, & Summer I
On this four-day field study, you will explore the artistic and historic charm of Madrid by visiting the Prado Museum and Royal Palace. You will also visit the medieval cities of Toledo and Segovia (famous for its Roman aqueduct), as well as the famous Valley of the Fallen, which will be a great opportunity to learn more about the Spanish Civil War.
Bengaluru, India
Population and Poverty Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Population and Poverty Course
Offered fall & spring
This course focuses on India which is one of the population giants in the world today. You’ll get an understanding of the dynamics of population growth across the world and the significance of population composition.
The field work component of Population and Poverty entails 20 hours of work in the field and 13 hours for field work contact hours.
Bilbao, Spain
Santiago Field Study
Goes with Santiago Tour
Offered Summer I & Summer II
On the Santiago Tour/Field Study, you will hike the last 70 miles of the medieval pilgrim path of Santiago over five days. The Camino de Santiago is a spiritual journey that pilgrims of all faiths and backgrounds have traversed for over a thousand years. You will experience this truly unique, introspective journey while learning more about Spain’s history and culture.
Chengdu, China
Guizhou Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered spring
This course will focus on the Miao, Dong, Yao, and Shui minorities. You will receive a brief introduction to their histories, but will focus on the cultural, social, and economical aspects of these groups. As a field study participant, you will complete academic requirements such as writing a research paper, keeping a journal, and engaging in discussions of the sites visited to better understand their historical and cultural contexts.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Hill Tribe Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered fall, spring, summer I and summer II
This field study includes a 2-day, 1-night field trip to Akha village in Chiang Rai province for a rural homestay and several additional half-day field trips to sites close to Chiang Mai city. You’ll also have additional half-day field trips and an additional 2-day, 1-night field trip to a Hmong Village in Chiang Mai province.
Florianópolis, Brazil
Minas Gerais Field Study
Goes with Minas Gerais Tour
Offered spring
This five-day tour will take you to the colonial heart of Brazil. You will be met at the airport in Belo Horizonte at the start of the Spring semester. There you will visit the beautiful historical towns of Ouro Preto, Congonhas, Tiradentes, and surrounding areas. Ouro Preto and Congonhas are UNESCO World Heritage Sites which feature colorful Baroque architecture dating back to their mining booms in the eighteenth century, set in a stunning backdrop of rolling hills. The tour will also include a visit to the fascinating ecological park and contemporary art center, Inhotim, which exhibits a variety of Brazilian and international modern art in a gorgeous natural setting.
Galway, Ireland
Dublin Field Study
Goes with Dublin Tour
Offered summer
This 5-day, 4-night tour offers the opportunity to explore Dublin, the city of writers. Get a state of Irish hospitality and learn more about the history of Ireland’s War of Independence and Civil War in the 1920s. Your visit will allow you to sample Dublin’s historical and cultural riches by tracing the steps of some of Ireland’s most important revolutionaries and exploring the sites that inspired writers such as Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Sean O’Casy, and Bram Stoker. Walking tours of Dublin’s architectural heritage will be complemented by outings to museums, Trinity College, a visit to the theater, and a day trip to the beautiful and dramatic rolling, granite hills of the Wicklow Mountains or the five-thousand-year-old tombs of the Boyne River Valley, a site predating the Egyptian pyramids. There will also be ample time for shopping, exploring, and experiencing Dublin’s nightlife.
Heredia, Costa Rica
Introduction to Tropical Ecology Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Introduction to Tropical Ecology course
Offered fall
This field study is designed to provide practical experience in plant identification using the tools of classification and identification and gaining a real-world experience in plant identification. Field work will provide practice and experience in data accumulation, specimen collection and preparation, identification of major taxa, and use of identification resources.
A one-day trip and an overnight trip will be programmed. The trips involve hiking, so proper outfit and disposition are required.
Latin America and its Cultures Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Latin America and its Cultures course
Offered fall & spring
The course aims to provide you with inside knowledge of the socio-cultural perspective of Costa Rica in Spanish America.
The “field trips” focus to visit sites of archaeological, cultural and social where you have the opportunity to interact and observe the country’s cultural evolution.
Plants and People Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Plants and People course
Offered fall
The field study aims to give the you a real-life experience on the relationship between people and plants, covering the social, economic and spiritual components of this relationship.
A one-day trip and an overnight trip will be programmed. The trips involve hiking, so proper outfit and disposition are required, as well as attending to short lectures from local people on the usage and importance of plants in the places we visit.
Water in Tropical Landscapes Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Water in Tropical Landscapes course
Offered fall & spring
You’ll embark on two field trips to different places in Costa Rica in order to illustrate topics that are studied in class lectures such as tropical hydrological cycle, hydrological metrics, tropical biomes, and ecohydrology processes in a tropical landscape.
One day field trip to Cerro Dantas Wildlife Refuge (http://www.cerrodantas.co.cr/index-en.html). This place is an excellent example of the Caribbean-type ecosystems of Costa Rica, dominated by high rainfall amounts year-round.
Two-day field trip to Tárcoles River Basin lowlands, including a visit to a Pacific-type transition rainforest, Carara National Park (http://www.sinac.go.cr/EN-US/ac/acopac/pnc/Pages/default.aspx). The idea of this field trip is to analyze the effects of land and urban management needs in tropical developing countries in order to preserve ecosystem connectivity.
Introduction to Conservation Biology Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Introduction to Tropical Plant Biodiversity course
Offered spring
This field study offers you the opportunity to have direct contact with tropical organisms, the ecosystems in which these organisms are, as well as apply concepts seen during the Introduction to Tropical Ecology course.
A one-day trip and an overnight trip will be programmed. The trips involve mostly hiking for considerable time, so proper outfit and disposition are required.
Introduction to Tropical Plant Biodiversity Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Introduction to Tropical Plant Biodiversity course
Offered spring
This field study is designed to provide practical experience in plant identification using the tools of classification and identification and gaining a real-world experience in plant identification. Field work will provide practice and experience in data accumulation, specimen collection and preparation, identification of major taxa, and use of identification resources.
A one-day trip and an overnight trip will be programmed. The trips involve hiking, so proper outfit and disposition are required.
Cuba Field Study – History and Society
Stand-alone course
Offered fall & spring
After an on-site orientation and lectures at Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica, you’ll travel to Cuba with USAC staff and stay in Old Habana, one of the best-preserved colonial Spanish complexes in the Americas. Walking tours, museum visits, and guest lectures coupled with cultural activities and meals will provide you the opportunity to interact with Cubans and learn firsthand their perspective of our common histories. This Field Study will focus on various aspects of Cuban culture and society; including possible visits to the Fine Arts Museum, Malecón, Casa de Africa, José Marti Institute, and Guanabacoa Museum, activities and interactions with local students, and, of course, experiencing the cuisine, music, and dancing for which Cuba is famous. The course will explore the impact of its African roots on Cuban culture and religions as well as the present-day political and economic factors Cuba faces in its future. You’ll also visit a tobacco plantation, cigar factory, and a beach resort to experience the full range of Cuba’s agricultural history and present tourism economies, as well as discovering Cuba’s natural beauty.
Lyon, France
Marseille and the Mediterranean Sea Field Study
Goes with Marseille and the Mediterranean Sea Tour
Offered fall
You will travel along the famed Mediterranean Coast and will visit a calanque, right outside of Marseille, a natural setting which combines pine forests, ochre or white rocks, and plain or terraced vineyards that stretch to the Mediterranean Sea. You will enjoy the blue water of the Frioul islands, and will walk along the streets and visit the castle of les Baux-de-Provence, a typical Provencal town where the Mistral (northern wind) blows and medieval ruins are still visible. You’ll finish the tour of the region with Arles, where the painter Van Gogh lived for a few years and painted some of his best masterpieces.
Provence and Avignon Field Study
Goes with Provence and Avignon Tour
Offered spring
This field study course is designed to optimize the benefits of the Provence Tour by providing a solid historic and artistic base for your studies of French language and culture. You will go to the gorgeous city of Avignon, the state city of popes, and visit the palace, the center of Avignon, and the bridge, famous for the French song “Sur le Pont d’Avignon”. You will admire the famous Pont du Gard, a worldwide renowned construction from the 1st century AD. You will also explore the beautiful region of Lubéron to visit a typical provençal village (Gordes) and admire a unique landscape in France la Terre d’Ocre, referred to as the French Colorado. Then you will visit Aigues Mortes, a village located in Camargue at the delta and surrounded by saline landscapes. These visits will allow you to experience the provençal atmosphere, so different from anywhere else in France.
Paris Field Study
Goes with Paris tour
Offered summer I
At the beginning of the summer session, you have the opportunity to visit the extraordinary number of historical and artistic sites of interest in Paris. Your stay in Paris will be a busy one and will include tours of great Parisian landmarks such as le Louvre, la Tour Eiffel, l’Opera, and many more. Bring your walking shoes! You will be expected to keep a journal and choose a research topic specific to Paris.
Madrid, Spain
Basque Country Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered fall
You will visit some of the most important sites of this area of northern Spain with its varied landscape and profound regional identity. Cities visited include the home of two other USAC programs: Bilbao, home of the striking Guggenheim Museum, and San Sebastián, famous for its beaches, scenery, and gastronomy.
Andalucía Field Study
Stand-alone course
offered spring
Andalucía is a fascinating place for its spectacular Moorish monuments, beautiful white hill towns, sparkling blue coast and natural beauty of its mountainous country. This region is made up of eight provinces, all of which have their own unique culture and traditions. Stops on this itinerary include: Granada, Cordoba, and Sevilla. Some of the group activities include going to a flamenco show, touring the famous Alhambra and visiting a unique mosque-cathedral.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Rio de la Plata Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Rio de la Plata – People and Culture course
Offered fall & spring
Explore the three major influences of the Rio de la Plata region – European, Afro-Descendients, and Guachos. Visit their sites to see how they maintain their roots and how they come together as one nation. The study will also explore the cultural aspects of the Uruguayan people including Tango, Candombe, and Mate traditions.
Viticulture Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered fall & spring
Visit local wineries to learn about the viticulture process from how they handle the natural resources and the impact of the industry on the environment, to producing the wine and selling the product. Enrollment in an agribusiness or viticulture course is required to register for this optional field study.
Pau, France
Paris Field Study
Goes with Paris Tour
Offered fall, spring, summer I & summer II
Students on the group flight will be met at the airport in Paris and taken to the hotel. The Resident Director accompanies the group on the tour. The stay in Paris will be busy and will include visits to great Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Opera House, Sainte-Chapelle, Musée d’Orsay and much more. While in Paris, you will stay in a centrally-located hotel. Bring walking shoes!
The tour varies slightly depending on the term. The fall tour includes three nights in Paris and a bus trip to Pau with an overnight stop in the beautiful Loire Valley to visit one of the world-famous Renaissance Loire castles. In the spring, the tour includes three nights in Paris and a train trip to Pau. In the summer, the tour includes four nights in Paris with one-way or round-trip transportation depending on your session.
Prague, Czech Republic
Vienna & Budapest Field Study
Goes with Vienna and Budapest Tour
Offered fall, spring, summer I & summer II
On this five-day tour you will stay in three capital cities besides Prague: Vienna (Austria), Budapest (Hungary), and Bratislava (Slovakia). You will travel by bus to the romantic ruins of the medieval castle Divci Kamen and then onto Český Krumlov, listed by UNESCO for its unique Renaissance castle and townhouses, and for its one-of-a-kind baroque theatre. Next you will visit Vienna and see the Schönbrunn Palace and gardens, St. Rupert’s (the oldest church in Vienna, built in the eighth century), Hundertwasser House, collective housing projects from the 1920s, the Sigmund Freud Museum and the University of Vienna where you can meet local students. Next on the agenda is Budapest, one of the capitals of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. You will visit the Central European University, the Royal Palace, the Parliament building, the Castle and famous hot spring spas. You will then return to Prague with a short stop in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, and visit the castle ruins of Devin that look out over the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers.
Reggio Emilia, Italy
Italian Food Highlights and Hospitality Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered fall & spring
Use the mouth-watering culinary backdrop of the Emilia Romagna region to learn about Italian food and hospitality. The tour will focus on perfect examples of the Italian food industry, well-known around the world, including Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto ham and gelato. Visits to at least 2-3 production sites and points of sale will be scheduled. Discussions and presentations by local experts in the fields of Italian food production, sales and hospitality will be included, as well as one group meal. While Italian cuisine and nutrition will be the main focus, the related topic of hospitality will also be addressed to give you a sense of Italian food and hotel hospitality via restaurant and hotel visits.
The field study is not an overnight tour, but will include 2-4 individual field trips through the semester to select sites. Locations may include Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena, Bologna or others.
San Ramón, Costa Rica
Natural History of Mesoamerica Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Natural History of Mesoamerica course
Offered fall
This course will provide field opportunities to analyze some of the most important aspects of the natural history in Mesoamerica, studying the case of Costa Rica, from its geological aspects to its bio-geographical characteristics. Special relationships between the physical environment and its biological richness will be studied, as well as the threats to resources that affect conservation efforts.
Plant Taxonomy Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Plant Taxonomy course
Offered fall
This laboratory is designed to provide you with practical experiences in plant identification while using tools of classification and identification. You will gain experience in data accumulation, specimen collection and preparation, identification of major taxa, and use of identification resources.
Tropical Ecology Field Study
Compliments Tropical Ecology course
Offered fall & summer I
This field study course consists of three field trips to different habitats (one day field trip and two overnight field trips). The objectives of these visits will be to better understand the topics covered in the lectures such as individual, population, and community level ecological processes, and adaptations to various environments. Through the field study portion of Tropical Ecology, you will gain a greater appreciation for ecological adaptations, ecological succession, sustainability, the value of biodiversity, and long-term ecological research.
Biological Diversity Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Biological Diversity Course
Offered spring
We see that laboratories should play a dual role in introducing biological diversity while at the same time keeping those methodologies within context and within a conceptual framework. The conservation of biodiversity can be achieved only by: “characterizing it, saving it, and sustainably using it”. To achieve this goal one must study life diversity, and quantify it in order to be able to monitor it and save it. Thus you will have several writing assignments and a presentation that you will be responsible for.
Tropical Marine Biology Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Tropical Marine Biology course
Offered spring & summer II
This field study course consists of three field trips to different habitats (one day field trip and two overnight field trips). The objectives of these visits will be to better understand the topics covered in the lectures such as individual, population, and community level ecological processes, and adaptations to various environments. Through the field study portion of Tropical Ecology, the students will gain a greater appreciation for ecological adaptations, ecological succession, sustainability, the value of biodiversity, and long-term ecological research.
Tropical Conservation Biology Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Tropical Conservation Biology course
Offered summer I
This field study course consists of two field trips to different habitats (one day field trip and one overnight field trip). The objectives of these visits will be to better understand the topics covered in the lectures such as individual, population and community level ecological processes and adaptations to various environments. Concurrent enrollment in Tropical Conservation or Tropical Ecology is required.
Ecology and Population Biology Field Study
Compliments 3-credit Ecology Population Biology course
Offered summer II
This field study course consists of three field trips to different habitats (one day field trip and two overnight field trips). The objectives of these visits will be to better understand the topics covered in the lectures such as individual, population, and community level ecological processes, and adaptations to various environments. Through the field study portion of Tropical Ecology, the students will gain a greater appreciation for ecological adaptations, ecological succession, sustainability, the value of biodiversity, and long-term ecological research.
San Sebastián, Spain
Madrid Field Study
Goes with Madrid Tour
Offered fall, spring, & summer I
You will spend four days discovering the artistic and historic charms of Madrid and the surrounding areas. You’ll take a daylong bus trip to the medieval city of Toledo, which is known as the city of three cultures due to those that coexisted there during the Middle Ages: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim. You’ll take another day trip to Segovia, famous for its Roman aqueduct and castle, and the Valley of the Fallen, a monument to those fallen in the Spanish Civil War. Additionally, we will visit many sites of interest in the city of Madrid, including the Prado museum and the Royal Palace.
Santiago, Chile
Northern Chile Field Study
Goes with Northern Chile Tour
Offered fall & summer I
The tour itinerary includes excursions to the village of San Pedro, near the Atacama salt flats and the Andes mountains, as well as the oasis towns of Toconao, Camar, and Socaire; visits to the archaeological museum and sites of the native Atacama culture, with its Inca and Spanish influences; guided excursions to the magnificent national parks of Moon Valley, Flamingo Lagoons in the Atacama salt flats, and the Andean Antiplain Lakes; a night astronomical session in the Atacama Desert; an exploration of the protected ecological area of the Cactus Valley; and a refreshing visit to the Puritama thermal baths.
Southern Chile Field Study
Goes with Southern Chile Tour
Offered spring
The tour itinerary includes visits to Puerto Montt and the fishing port of Angelmó with its traditional markets; the famous ferry crossing to Chiloe Island, the second biggest island in South America with traditional mixed European and native culture; tours of the famed wooden churches of Chiloe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the magical little island of Aucar and the attractive Puñihuil Natural Penguin Reserve; Puerto Varas and the lakes, rapids, and rain forests of the Llanquihue Region with its stunning volcanic panorama. The trip also introduces you to the typical small towns of the German colonization and a refreshing visit to the Aguas Calientes thermal baths.
Torino, Italy
Viticulture Business Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered fall
This tour includes at least three visits to vineyards and sales points, comparing small, family-run operations to larger production sites. The course explains winemaking, but focuses on business and marketing aspects of the Italian wine industry.
Valencia, Spain
Barcelona Field Study
Goes with Barcelona Tour
Offered fall & summer I
Cataluña is the region occupying the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a strong national identity, with a unique culture and language all its own, and with six million inhabitants, it is the second most populated region in Spain. Flanked by the Pyrenees Mountains and bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, it is home to some of the most popular destinations in Spain—most notably its capital city, Barcelona. During the four-day tour you will stay at the center of the oldest part of the city. This will be your launch pad to see UNESCO World Heritage sites like the massive Sagrada Familia, feast at a picnic in nearby Girona, ramble through the cobblestone streets of Barrio Gotico, and feel the mist from a city boat tour.
Madrid Field Study
Goes with Madrid Tour
Offered spring
You will stay at a centrally located hotel and spend four days discovering the artistic and historic charms of Madrid. You’ll take bus trips to the medieval city of Toledo, Valley of the Fallen, and the town of Segovia—famous for its Roman aqueduct and its castle—and visit many sites within the city of Madrid.
Verona, Italy
Italian Food & Wine Business Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered fall
Included are at least three visits to points of interest focusing on the vast culinary and enological resources of the Verona/Veneto region. Samples may include businesses related to wine, olive oil, cheese, rice, or sweets. Tastings included, of course.
Viterbo, Italy
South of Italy Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered fall
The first stop on the tour will be Sorrento, built on cliffs overlooking the Bay of Naples and the volcano Vesuvius. You will then head to Naples to visit the famous castles, the vast Royal Palace, the Piazza del Plebiscito and the National Archaeological Museum. You will also explore Pompeii, buried in 79 AD by one of Vesuvius’ most destructive eruptions. Frozen in time, Pompeii offers a fascinating view of ancient Roman life. You will also have the opportunity to walk up the active volcano or you may take a ferry to the island of Capri. You will travel along the famed Amalfi Coast, its winding cliff-top roads, and tiny, luxurious towns and stop in the town of Caserta to visit the royal palace built in 1752 for Charles of Bourbon.
Hearty of Italy Field Study
Stand-alone course
Offered spring
You will travel by bus through the cypresses and marble quarries of Tuscany on our way to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, where you will visit the Uffizi Museum, the famous Duomo, bell tower, Palazzo Vecchio and Santa Croce Church. Then you’ll head to Pisa to admire the famous Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli. On your way south you will stop in San Gimignano, known for the many medieval towers. Your final stop will be in Siena, a charming hillside town.
Many field studies require an additional fee to pay for meals and travel. If you have any questions about the field studies available at USAC, email us at studyabroad@usac.edu
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