Study Abroad | Department of Geography and Geosciences | The University of Vermont(title)

Studying abroad is a profoundly enriching educational experience and geography majors are especially encouraged to do so. Spending time in a foreign country will enrich your education and provide you with an extraordinary set of experiences from which to draw on while at UVM and after you leave.

These might include learning a foreign language, acquiring a set of cultural competencies that will serve you well in your future career, or undertaking field work in a physical setting outside of the United States.

The first step is imagining where in the world you would like to go! Would you like to develop a regional specialty, build language skills, and live and take classes in a particular setting (the tropics, a mountainous region)? Next, you can begin to explore options through the Office of International Education (OIE) and by talking to your academic advisor.

Study abroad experiences can be tailored to fit your schedule. Students may choose to study abroad:

  • For a full semester, usually by taking courses at another university or program.
  • By undertaking a summer study abroad experience which might be through UVM or through another institution
  • By participating in a faculty-led study/travel course over a 2-week winter recess or during a summer session.

The Office of International Education is the first place to visit before you study abroad. This office has a staff of study abroad advisors to assist you, a library of information on a wide variety of programs, and comment sheets from UVM students who describe their own study abroad experiences.

Search the iAbroad on-line database to find information about abroad programs throughout the world.

Reading Grass Páramo in the High Andes

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hiking over snowy mountains

Looking for adventure? Reading Grass Páramo: The High Andes Underfoot is a 3-credit travel course offered in the spring semester. A field trip during Spring Break to páramos of Ecuador (in Sanguay, Cajas, and Chimborazo National Parks) will give students an intimate feel for these magnificent and intense landscapes. The class is taught by Stuart White(Stuart.White@uvm.edu), a geographer who has lived and hiked Ecuadorian páramos for the past three decades.

March 2022 virtual info session (PDF)

Politics of Land Use in Ecuador

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group in front of a waterview

This winter break study-abroad and service-learning course focuses on issues of land use, distribution, and reform in Ecuador. Today, social movements in Ecuador are at the global forefront of grassroots political organization and egalitarian land reform. This two-week-long course provides students with an experiential introduction to the Andean region through the historical, cultural, political, ecological, and physical geography of Ecuador. During the trip, you will stay with families, engage in participatory agricultural work, listen to lectures from Ecuadorian scholars and officials, visit institutions, and embark on guided hikes.

Oaklawn Foundation Study Abroad Award

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This scholarship offers geography majors the opportunity to subsidize their study abroad experience through the generous support of the Oaklawn Foundation. Students may use the funds toward the costs of a domestic travel course or study abroad experience through the geography department or an affiliated program at UVM, or through a program whose transfer credits are recognized by UVM. Funds may be spent within three semesters of application.

To qualify for an award

  • Geography majors with at least 9 hours in geography by the time of departure
  • Completion of at least 60 credit hours overall by departure
  • Minimum 3.25 GPA in geography
  • Completion of GoAbroad preparation in time for departure

Award information (PDF)

Application process

Please send your application to Jennifer Reay Dahlen (Jennifer.Reay.1@uvm.edu) in electronic form by Mid-October, 2024. Email electronic application materials. 

The application package should include the following items:

  • 500-word max. description of how the proposed study abroad program or travel course fits with your other studies as a geography major
  • Proposed budget with estimated costs (e.g. air travel, train, etc.)
  • One letter of support from a geography faculty member to be submitted directly by the faculty member to Jennifer Reay (plan ahead – meet with your advisor soon!)

Questions? 

Discuss with your advisor and/or contact Prof. Shelly Rayback (srayback@uvm.edu), Chair, Department of Geography and Geosciences, Old Mill 201, 656-3019, or Jennifer Reay Dahlen(Jennifer.Reay.1@uvm.edu), Administrative Coordinator, Department of Geography and Geosciences.