University of Montana
AC-5: Immersive Experience

The College of Forestry and Conservation offers a minor in Climate Change Studies that is available to all students, regardless of discipline. As part of the minor, students may select a sustainability-focused immersive experience in Vietnam to study the effects of climate change.

The faculty-directed New Zealand & Sydney, Australia study abroad program introduces students to alternative energy projects and carbon emissions trading. Students spend time in Kaikoura learning about sustainable communities and businesses. They then visit Christchurch to learn about sustainable agricultural practices. In Queenstown, students learn about managing sustainable tourism enterprises. Finally, they explore the themes of international business, marketing, and sustainability in Sydney, Australia.

The Environmental Studies program's Forum for Living with Appropriate Technology (FLAT) is a sustainable demonstration house located in Missoula, Montana and run by students. Project successes include a converted two-car garage turned passive solar community gathering place, solar panels that power the house, and pellet stove installations and permaculture via a prodigious garden, greenhouse and hot bed. The FLAT is a living/learning community that invites students from any major or discipline to apply to live in the house and earn academic credit for their sustainability-focused projects while receiving free housing. Student residents also coordinate events and learn skills like gardening, food preservation, and basic home care and maintenance.

The Wilderness & Civilization program - Each fall, a small group of students from around the country gather at UM’s Wilderness Institute to study wildlands and the human/nature relationship. Wilderness and Civilization combines the strengths of field experience with dedicated faculty and small-group living and learning. Coursework is interdisciplinary: we draw on art and ecology, literature and policy. We also emphasize practical skills in wilderness risk management and wilderness travel. Wilderness and Civilization offers students the opportunity to explore contemporary conservation debates, draw connections between disciplines, and practice cooperation as a force for positive change. Students successfully completing the program receive a minor in Wilderness Studies that complements any major.

The College of Forestry's Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management program offers an immersive study abroad experience in Botswana and Zambia. Students travel to Africa to learn about international conservation and development in national parks and wildlife areas of Zambia and Botswana. The course covers issues of livelihoods and sustainable development in Zambia and Botswana using the Livingstone region of the Zambezi as a model to explore the complex interactions between natural resources, local people, NGO’s, government agencies, tourism providers, resource managers and tourists. Curricula focuses on livelihoods, conservation, livelihood change and nature-based tourism in the context of sustainable development.

Additional links to programs above:
UM FLAT - https://hs.umt.edu/evst/opportunities/umflat/default.php
Climate Change Studies Program - https://www.cfc.umt.edu/ccs/hands-on-learning/default.php
Business New Zealand & Australia program - https://www.business.umt.edu/programs/global/new-zealand-australia.php