Study Abroad / Study Away

Summer 2023 - AMTRAK Tourism: Trains, Cities and Sustainability

Hop on board this, first of its kind, rail-based study away. Using public passenger rail, explore and practice sustainable tourism in style aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder, Coast Starlight, and California Zephyr. Students dive deep into the planning, policy, and impacts of sustainable tourism from cultural, economic, and environmental perspectives. Visit national parks, large metro regions, small towns, and post-industrial cities to see how universities, tourism bureaus, Native American reservations, small businesses, and environmental organizations handle tourism sustainably.

Summer 2023 - CUMBRIA, England

This four-week Michigan Tech faculty-led study abroad summer program takes place in Carlisle, England at the University of Cumbria from July to August.

Students and staff explore northern England and southern Scotland, through a mix of course options, field trips, and site visits. 

Spring Break 2023- MEXICO - Local Communities and Development

Join us for an immersive spring break experience in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. We will be learning about how local communities in this region are dealing with an explosion of international tourists and investments. Spend a week moving between small Mayan communities, coastal tourist destinations, and amenity migrant hubs, critically thinking about how the local landscape is changing and how identity in the area is utilized in these decisions. We will see how beach access has been restricted for locals, how bio-reserves compete for protection and funding, how Mayan cooperatives are forging a new economic path, and how amenity migrants are living in and with the communities they now call home.

Summer 2024 - Monteverde, COSTA RICA

Costa Rica is a world leader in land protection, biodiversity, ecotourism, and reforestation while also experiencing profound social and economic development over the past several decades. It is an ideal place for students to learn about sustainability in practice, rural community development, and population pressures related to urbanization and migration. Students will also learn Spanish, live in a cloud rainforest, and participate in daily community life.

Summer 2024 - WALES -  Community Transformations

Wales is an historic nation located within the United Kingdom, but with considerable autonomy. With their own cultural and environmental sector and laws, a strong and growing minority language, and a unique geography surrounded by coasts on three sides with the Cambrian Mountains running down the nation’s spine, Wales offers a diverse, beautiful, and safe environment for students to gain experience in the environmental humanities and social sciences.