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Field learning

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Learning by doing

Our researchers and students conduct research or engage in field learning on all seven continents and oceans. Any Stanford student may join a variety of programs, from two-day coastal geology Field Courses to multi-week Sophomore College field studies and Bing Overseas Seminars. We also offer a quarter-long field course in social and biophysical systems in Hawaii.

Field Education website

A student sitting on a sailboat

For more information about field programs, including resource documents, virtual field trips, and more, please check out the field education page.

Visit the website

A female student with a bright yellow backpack walks towards the class in a volcanic rock field in Hawaii

Wrigley Field Program in Hawaii

A quarter-long course for students interested in Earth systems, biology, geological sciences, and cultural anthropology. The 2022 program application will open in Winter 2022.

Learn more about the program

Want to know more about our field education?

Ryan Petterson

Contact Ryan Petterson, Director of Field Education

Sophomore College courses about Earth

A two-unit, three-week immersive summer seminar for academic exploration in a variety of locations.

Learn more about Sophomore College

Learn by Doing in Alaska

Bing Overseas Seminars
about Earth

Learn about the Earth while studying abroad and earning Stanford credit through the Bing Overseas Seminar Program (BOSP).

A student snorkeling and reaching towards an octopus on a coral reef

 

Ecology and Management of Coral Reefs of Palau

Read more about this trip

Learn more about the Bing Overseas Seminars

 

Learning through fieldwork about Pacific coral reefs

Stanford@Sea

A 10-week investigative science and policy course examining the impacts of human actions on ocean ecosystems. Contact Professor Rob Dunbar at dunbar@stanford.edu for more information about the program. Read about Stanford@Sea

Learn more at Explore Courses

A juvenile Minke whale surfaces as two students look overboard the Stanford@Sea ship
Two students help each other scoop chicken feed into a bucket on the O'Donohue Farm

Learning on Stanford's educational farm

The O'Donohue Family Educational Farm is Stanford’s home for hands-on learning in sustainable agriculture.

Learn more about the farm


 


 

Going into the field?

Resources for a well-equipped and safe field experience. Learn more about policies, travel registry, safety, equipment, travel guides and resources. 

See all field resources (SUNETid required)