SFS TANZANIA: WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT STUDIES
(SEMESTER)
PROGRAM DETAILS
Terms | Fall, Spring
Credits | 18 semester-hour credits
Prerequisites | One semester of college-level ecology, biology, or environmental studies/science | 2.7 GPA | 18 years of age
Application Deadline | Fall: May 1st. Spring: November 1st. Early applications encouraged!
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OVERVIEW
In the Serengeti, students watch wildebeest herds surge across endless plains, shadowed by lions and cheetahs in pursuit. Days stretch into nights beneath an unbroken sky, where hyenas call and constellations blaze over one of Earth’s last great migrations. Across the Maasai Steppe, elephants press through narrowing corridors while lions prowl village edges, the very spaces where fieldwork begins. In Tarangire and Manyara, they set camera traps, map migration routes, and listen as elders recount shifting rains, placing data within the deeper story of landscape and livelihood.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
→ Track predator movements at dawn and dusk during multi-day Serengeti camping expeditions using direct observation and GPS fixes.
→ Map elephant foraging routes across Tarangire–Manyara rangelands by recording fresh signs, dung counts, and browsing patterns.
→ Assess irrigation withdrawals and tourism water use impacting Lake Manyara’s wetlands, noting seasonal fluctuations in bird and fish abundance.
→ Engage with Maasai and Iraqw hosts to understand how cultural tourism balances income benefits with pressures on tradition.
→ Conduct Directed Research: frame a stakeholder-driven question, collect and analyze field data with faculty guidance, and present actionable findings to local partners.
LOCATION
SFS students live and study at the Center for Wildlife Management Studies. Known locally as “Moyo Hill Camp” and surrounded by Tanzania’s world-famous national parks and wildlife, it’s the perfect base camp for expeditions into the field. Campus is reminiscent of summer camp, with plenty of outdoor and communal spaces, while the small, friendly community of Rhotia is a short walk away.
RESEARCH THEMES
- Wildlife Conservation
- Climate Change Impacts
- African Large Mammal Behavior and Ecology
- Field Ornithology
- Human-Wildlife Conflict
- Habitat Assessments
- Community-Based Conservation
- Reptile Ecology and Conservation
CORE SKILLS
- GIS
- Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment
- Species Identification and Wildlife Census Techniques
- Animal Behavior Observation
- Natural Resource Valuation
- Radio Telemetry
- Bird Species Identification
- Basic Swahili Language
- Research Design and Implementation
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Research Presentation
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LEARN MORE
REQUEST INFORMATION
APPLY NOW
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CONNECT WITH SFS
• Visit our website: fieldstudies.org
• Email: admissions@fieldstudies.org
• Read updates from the field on our blog
• Follow us on Instagram
• Watch our videos on Vimeo
