Global Fairfield: the Americas

Global Fairfield offers students a variety of semester-long and short-term options in this region of the world. Students studying on programs with our approved partners will earn transfer credit.

Watch for our newest business exchange with Catholic University of Uruguay!

AIFS South America Semester and Summer Programs

AGENTINA -This location offers semester or summer session learning opportunities in the charismatic, sophisticated city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, with our Global Partner - AIFS. Best for students studying Anthropology, Latin America and Caribbean studies, Sociology and/or Spanish, students will study through the University of Belgrano. The University of Belgrano is one of the oldest and largest private universities in Argentina. International students play a vital role in the community life of the university, which hosts over 2,500 students from over 40 different countries every year. The campus is located in one of the smartest and most cosmopolitan neighborhoods of the capital amongst wide tree-lined avenues, museums and mansions, with easy access to downtown Buenos Aires.

CHILE – Viña del Mar, Chile is a beautiful beachside city where students study at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. The University is located in the hills of Vina overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful garden city of Viña. Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI) was the first university in Chile to obtain the prestigious triple accreditation of AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. Courses for students studying business, economics, history and political science.

ECUADOR – This environmental science summer study abroad program is in the biodiverse Galápagos Islands of Ecuador at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). USFQ is one of Ecuador’s top-ranked universities. It has a community of 7,000 students and 300 professors and is a leader in education, research, creativity and entrepreneurship. This program includes academic field visits with USFQ faculty and naturalist guides give students vital insight into the Galápagos’ environmental characteristics and supplement classroom-based teaching.

AIFS Central America Semester and Summer Programs

COSTA RICA – Students can choose from a semester or summer study abroad program at Universidad Veritas in the lively capital city of San José, Costa Rica. Veritas University has grown to become one of the most highly regarded private universities in Latin America. It specializes in creative industries and sustainability. The semester program offers a range of academic disciplines like, Environmental Sciences, International Studies, Political Science, Spanish and Visual and Performing Arts. Spanish language is the only academic discipline offered in the summer program.

School for Field Studies Semester and summer programs (SFS)

The SFS model offers students a comprehensive and balanced education, firmly grounded in both research and real-world application. Their centers have established a long-term presence in the countries where they operate, fostering meaningful relationships with the communities which enable them to study diverse ecosystems over extended periods.

§  Students conduct research in the field and get to experience all the excitement and challenges of field data collection.

§  Students work directly with a Ph.D. faculty member from project design to final written report.

§  Each SFS Center has an ongoing strategic research focus which allows the work to expand beyond the scope of one-off projects.

§  Students join scientists around the world working to understand our environment and how it is changing.

§  SFS research is influenced by the local communities. SFS provides valuable data to community leaders, local environmental groups, and government agencies, allowing them to make informed and sustainable policy decisions.

SFS South AmerIca Programs

Semester Programs

Chile – Wild Patagonia: Fire and Ice

Patagonia is a land of fire and ice.  There are massive glaciers and active volcanoes form a wild landscape unlike any other. Students spend a semester amid soaring peaks, narrow fjords, and fields of ice as they study conservation and the impacts of climate change. The trails of Torres del Paine National Park becomes the classroom for research and field work.

Peru – Biodiversity and Development in the Amazon

This program has students “discovering the living Amazon” while exploring the extraordinarily biodiverse ecosystems of the northern Peruvian Amazon. The focus of this program is Peru’s conservation and development issues which threaten the region – from climate change to resource extraction Immersed in field learning, the student will experience flooded forests on a multi-day riverboat expedition and travel to the Andean highlands to visit cloud forests and the historic Incan capital of Cusco, the hub for visitors to Machu Picchu.

Summer Programs

Chile -The Patagonian Winter

This program’s location in Chile takes student to the rugged landscape of Southern Patagonia, at 51 °S latitude, for a deeply interdisciplinary exploration of how ecology and society intertwine to usher in the new season. Students will travel to the world-famous Torres del Paine National Park to study how terrestrial and freshwater plants and animals have adapted to meet this yearly challenge in the land of glaciers. During the program students will have the opportunity to celebrate the indigenous New Year on the night of the Winter Solstice and learn how lifeways adapt to the extreme southern environment.

SFS CENTRAL AMERICA AND IsLAND Programs

Semester

Costa Rica – Ecological Resilience Studies

Costa Rica, home to rainforests, volcanoes, rushing waterfalls, and a laid-back culture that reflects the national motto: “Pura Vida” is the location for this semester program. Students are fully immersed in the country’s many national parks, farms, and tropical ecosystems full of incredible biodiversity. This location is unique as it engages students into the Center’s sustainable food efforts – gather fresh mangoes from campus trees, visit the chicken coop to gather eggs, harvest kale from the garden, master composting, and more. 

Panama – Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies  

Bocas del Toro is a vibrant community of thriving underwater ecosystems to the rich green rainforests where students study the impacts of tourism and development on the island system’s unique habitats, evaluate local environmental policies, and apply the principles of sustainability and conservation to your research project. This semester program has students traveling extensively around the islands of Bocas del Toro – above and below the water -encountering mangroves, rainforests, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and agroforestry fincas.

Turks and Caicos - Marine Resource Studies - This semester program is located on the island of South Caicos, where spectacular marine ecosystems remain largely untouched by tourism and development. This hands-on program has students snorkeling or scuba diving to locate marine life while conducting research on coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves. Beyond marine life students will be asked to evaluate fisheries resources and policies while collecting data that helps community members balance their rights and needs with the island’s conservation goals. 

Summer

Costa Rica - Biodiversity and Sustainable Food Systems

Using coffee and chocolate as case studies, students will explore the relationships between food systems, ecology, conservation, and sustainability. They will learn how different agricultural techniques have the potential to restore biodiversity and combat climate change. Included in their studies will be the sociocultural history of coffee and cacao, from Indigenous histories to modern production and exports. Several planned field trips will allow students to see first-hand the methods of producing coffee and chocolate.

Costa Rica - Environmental Justice from the Ground Up

Students in this program will tackle the challenging topic of environmental justice from a community perspective. Students will dive deep into the themes of food sovereignty, water access and management, tourism’s impact on biodiversity, and the development of sustainable resource alternatives.

Panama – Tropical Island Ecosystems: The Human Impact

Students who study on this program are immersed in the dynamic community of Bocas del Toro. The region offers a variety of diverse environments from coral reefs and mangroves to beaches and rainforests that will have students actively hiking and snorkeling to perform research. They will study the human impacts, such as tourism, on the island’s ecosystems and communities, meet the local residents who depend on both tourism and natural resources and learn about current approaches to sustainable development in the archipelago.

Turks and Caicos - Fundamentals of Marine Conservation – This program has students dive under the waves and study marine conservation. Students explore the spectacular reefs and turquoise waters of South Caicos while learning about the environmental issues and policies affecting the island ecosystems and community, and gain the skills needed to conduct marine research. 

Turks and Caicos - Marine Fauna - Students on this program study turtles, octopus, rays, and iguanas in the waters surrounding the remote island of South Caicos. This specialized course has students immersed in the ecology and conservation of marine fauna through classroom lectures, snorkel or dive sessions, and species identification exercises.

For additional program details or to set up a meeting on how these programs can support your work, please contact Callie O’Neill, Curriculum Administrator and Program Manager. Please reach out to Patricia Pivarnik to arrange a future classroom or club visit.