Hokies Abroad Programs
Virginia Tech offers three faculty-led study abroad programs annually in the South Pacific that explore the interdisciplinary and complex relationship between humans and the environment. These programs are open to all majors, do not have prerequisites, and can fulfill a number of degree and general education requirements. Expect experiential learning, exposure to new environments and communities, and insightful local guides and instructors. Whether in winter or summer, we welcome you to study with us Down Under!
Tasmania + Queensland, Australia
May 23 – June 16, 2024
Credits – 6 credits (BIOL 3954)
Apply – by February 15, 2024
Estimated program fee – $5,000
(excl. VT tuition, fees, and airfare)
Contact – Professor Bob Bush, rbush@vt.edu
This three and a half-week program combines a week in Tasmania with an additional two and a half weeks in North Queensland, Australia. Learning takes place out in the field, spending time with local experts, conducting service learning projects and studying environmental, economic and cultural sustainability by applying traditional and modern ecological knowledge.
Antarctica
Fall 2024 online course + January 6 – 22, 2025 travel
Credits – 6 credits (GEOG 3954/5954)
Apply – by February 15, 2024
Cost – the 2023 fee was $12,300
(excl. VT tuition and airfare)
Contact – Lynn Resler, resler@vt.edu
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the remote and dramatic wilderness of the world’s least-understood continent. Towering icebergs, glacier-draped mountains, and waddling penguins are just a few of the wonders that greet you on this experiential program as you hike, cruise, and study the frozen landscape. Attending virtual seminars with Antarctic experts prior to your departure ensures you have the most enriched experience possible.
New Zealand’s South Island
December 26, 2024 – January 17, 2025
Credits – 6 credits (GEOG 3954/5954)
Apply – by October 1, 2024
Program fee – $6,400
(excl. VT tuition, fees, and airfare)
Contact – Lynn Resler, resler@vt.edu
This three-week experiential program will examine resource conservation and the natural, and related social, history of New Zealand’s South Island during a southern hemisphere summer. In this course you’ll use New Zealand as a case study to examine different cultural perspectives on the three pillars of sustainability: environment, social equity, and economics.
This program was such an awesome way to learn about the environment and sustainability outside of the classroom all while being able to explore the beauty of New Zealand. I loved learning while traveling and seeing the environmental perspective of a different country.”
Emma Rafferty
Sustainable Biomaterials and Geography Major
NZ’s South Island program 2018-19
This experience was one of the best I have ever been a part of. I made some of the best friends I have ever had and collaborated with them to create write-ups and concept map presentations on topics we all came to be passionate about. My writing and communication improvements, thanks to the course material, have allowed me to effectively voice my experience and new understanding of environmental concerns.”
Lucas DuMez
Biology (and now also Sustainable Packaging) Major
NZ + Australia program 2018
Winter Session in New Zealand
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Summer in New Zealand + Australia
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Antarctica Gallery
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