A unique approach to environmental field studies.

We offer students an immersive and personal experience with important environmental and cultural issues facing our wildlands and the cultures they support. Our small student teams travel to the heart of where today’s environmental challenges occur, and together we seek solutions for the critical concerns facing our world’s wildlands. Students have an unparalleled opportunity to work side by side with our faculty and active researchers, helping to find answers to important environmental problems. Our overarching goal is to have students leave our program with extensive knowledge about a specific region and the broader skills and understanding of ecological, geological and social sciences to effectively evaluate this information in their future careers.

Affordable immersion.

Wildlands Studies field programs are affordable—at a fraction of other field and study abroad programs—and financial aid may apply. Our academic term programs offer just the right balance of intensive academic coursework, and enough time left in the quarter
to explore on your own.

Data driven.

Students study primary research, field manuals, environmental impact assessments and planning documents, and also consume published research, case studies and government research. They may confer with public land management officials and staff, and attend guest lectures featuring speakers from relevant wildlands and wildlife management agencies, researchers from nearby universities, conservation organizations and a wide variety of interest groups.

How is academic credit established?

Western Washington University establishes academic credit based on contact hours from the amount of work expected from a typical student in a class, laboratory or similar setting. We equate our course offerings within the Western Washington guidelines, while providing field based, experiential, intensive learning experiences.

Students on our programs have contact with their instructors for eight to ten hours each day, six to seven days a week for the entire length of the program. A typical morning starts with a discussion of the day’s events over breakfast, followed by a lecture or seminar. Field research work often follows, with day ending with dinner and an after dinner discussion or debrief.

There’s little downtime on programs—just a half-day or so to do laundry and chores, every week or two. Many students do their assigned reading, prepare papers and other assignments early in the morning or in the evenings, after the structured part of instruction has concluded.

This level of contact—about eight contact hours a day for an estimated thirty-six academic teaching days—totals 288 contact hours, or about double the amount required by students with an average course load of 15-quarter credits. Keep in mind too, that many of our programs are longer than thirty-six days, most are forty--four and some forty-six.

Many students have told us that the rigor of their field program resulted in a richer, more satisfying learning experience than in a typical
classroom-based quarter.

The profile of the ideal student. 

Students seeking outdoor field study are an ideal fit for our programs. They will get the most out of the experience if they are flexible, open, patient, are self-motivated and willing to work toward a common goal. A sense of humor is always welcome and a plus.  

Successful students tend to embrace being outdoors regardless of the weather. They want the experience of living in rustic areas and have an enthusiasm for new experiences, people and places.