Field schools

Field schools take you out of the classroom, conducting hands-on study and research in locations across Canada and around the world.

Geography field study courses take students to the edge of glaciers, face-to-face with whales and knee-deep in mudflats. You’ll apply your classroom and textbook knowledge and hone your research skills through a major independent field-based project.

Please contact geography@uvic.ca if you are interested or have any questions.

Upcoming field schools

•  Agroecology - Belize, February 15-22, 2025
•  Sustainable cities - Europe, May 5 to June 8, 2025
•  Mountain meteorology  - Vancouver Island, Anticipated Spring 2026

Fees & funding

Most field schools have fees on top of normal tuition. Fees range from a few hundred dollars to more than $1000 per course, depending on the field school.

Our field schools are directly subsidized by the Faculty of Social Sciences field school support fund. You do not need to apply to receive this support.

Learning at other institutions

If you’re thinking of taking courses or field schools elsewhere as part of your degree, you have 2 options:

• participating in a formal exchange program
• studying on a letter of permission (including field and language schools)

Talk to our undergraduate advising team about any courses or field schools you want to take elsewhere.

Visiting from other institutions

If you’re not a UVic student but thinking of taking our field schools as part of your degree, please visit the UVic admissions page to see which admission category would apply.

You should also speak with your undergraduate adviser to ensure you follow your institution’s steps to apply credits.