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  • Locations: Puerto Natales, Chile
  • Program Terms: Fall, Spring
  • Homepage: Click to visit
  • Program Sponsor: The School for Field Studies (SFS) 
  • Dates / Deadlines
Program Description:

SFS CHILE: WILD PATAGONIA: FIRE AND ICE (SEMESTER)

sfs chile


PROGRAM DETAILS

  • Terms: Fall, Spring
  • Credits: 18 semester-hour credits
  • Prerequisites: One semester of college-level ecology, biology, or environmental studies/science, 2.7 GPA, 18 years of age
  • Application Deadline: Fall: May 1st. Spring: November 1st. Early applications encouraged
  • Financial Aid: All accepted students can apply for need-based scholarships, grants, and loans


OVERVIEW

Explore the soaring peaks, massive glaciers, and narrow fjords of Patagonia. Spend a semester with the trails of national parks like Torres del Paine as your classroom for research and field work. Study climate change impacts and conservation approaches in some of the world’s wildest ecosystems, and experience the full diversity of the region through expeditions to the southernmost tip of South America and the volcanic lakes region of northern Patagonia.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
  • Hike through the dramatic landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park.
  • Journey to northern Patagonia’s lakes region, home to the lush Valdivian temperate rainforests, the active Calbuco and Osorno volcanoes, and massive blue whales.

SFS students live and study at the Center for Climate Studies, located near the bustling port city of Puerto Natales – the gateway to the famous Torres del Paine National Park. This scenic city, surrounded by the jagged peaks of Cerro Benítez and the deep blue waters of the Señoret Channel, serves as your home base for expeditions throughout the region.

RESEARCH THEMES

  • Climate change impacts and resilience
  • Glacial and freshwater dynamics
  • Geology and volcanic activity
  • Penguin behavior
  • Endangered species protection
  • Coastal and alpine ecology
  • Conservation strategy and practice
  • National park visitation and protected areas management
 

CORE SKILLS

  • GIS
  • Water quality assessments
  • Terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity survey techniques
  • Species identification and population monitoring
  • Landscape and soils analysis
  • Natural resource valuation
  • Basic Spanish language
  • Research design and implementation
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Research presentation
 

LEARN MORE

REQUEST INFORMATION

APPLY NOW


CONNECT WITH SFS

Visit the SFS website
Call the Admissions Hotline at 800.989.4418
Email admissions@fieldstudies.org
Read updates from the field on the SFS Blog
Follow SFS on Instagram and Facebook
Watch student videos on YouTube and Vimeo
 

Dates / Deadlines:
Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Approximate Decision Date (Subject To Change) Start Date End Date
Spring 2025 11/01/2024 ** Approximately 2 weeks after the deadline TBA TBA
NOTE: The deadline listed is for REGISTRATION with the Reves Center! The APPLICATION itself will be due to the third-party provider or host university DIRECTLY, based on THEIR deadlines (which may be before or after the W&M registration deadline listed above).

** Students will be notified of their status for this program and be able to complete post-decision materials following the term's application deadline.