WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT STUDIES,
TANZANIA
PROGRAM DETAILS
Terms: Fall, Spring
Credits: 18 semester-hour credits
Prerequisites: One semester of college-level ecology, biology, or environmental studies/science; 18 years of age
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions. Early applications encouraged
Financial Aid: All accepted students can apply for need-based scholarships, grants, and loans
OVERVIEW
Northern Tanzania is a hub of wildlife tourism. Home to world-famous national parks such as Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, this remarkably scenic area is the center of tourism in East Africa. It has also been the home of the Maasai, Iraqw, and other groups for centuries.
Our curriculum and research focus on how changes in land use and resource availability in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem can be managed to foster the well-being of local communities while safeguarding and promoting biodiversity conservation.
Students learn about the socioeconomic, policy, and environmental drivers and implications of demographic change and land reform for wildlife conservation and rural development.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Multi-day field expedition and camping trip to Serengeti National Park, studying large mammal ecology, wildlife migrations, and tourist behavior in the park
Multi-day trip to Tarangire National Park and surrounding areas for field exercises on wildlife population counting, lion ecology and behavior, conservation models, and human-wildlife conflicts
Visit cultural manyatta (settlements), an opportunity to glimpse Maasai and Iraqw cultures: traditional ceremonies, demonstrations of fire-making, and dances by Maasai morans (warriors)
DIRECTED RESEARCH
Through Directed Research (DR)—as opposed to basic, applied, or independent research—students conduct research on a specific topic that is part of the SFS Center’s long-term strategic research plan, which has been developed in partnership with local community stakeholders and clients.
The course, taught by resident SFS faculty, provides students with the opportunity to apply the scientific process in a mentored field research project that addresses a local environmental issue. Through the DR project, students contribute to a growing body of scientific research that informs local conservation and resource management decisions.
NOTE: The U.S State Department currently has a Travel Warning posted for Kenya. (http://travel.state.gov/). Students must meet with an advisor to discuss the petition process to apply for this program.