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The School for Field Studies (SFS) Turks and Caicos Islands - Fundamentals of Marine Conservation (Summer I) (Outgoing Program) Print  Save  Share
  • Locations: South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Program Terms: Summer
  • Homepage: Click to visit
  • Program Sponsor: The School for Field Studies (SFS) 
  • Restrictions: WVU applicants only
Dates / Deadlines:
Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Decision Date Start Date End Date
Summer 2027 05/01/2027 ** Rolling Admission 06/01/2027 07/01/2027

** Indicates rolling admission application process. Applicants will be notified of acceptance into this program and be able to complete post-decision materials prior to the term's application deadline.
Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Language of Instruction: English Minimum GPA: 2.6
Program Description:

SFS TURKS & CAICOS: FUNDAMENTALS OF MARINE CONSERVATION
(SUMMER I)

Flamingo tongue snails with orange-ringed spots cling to a pink sea fan in turquoise water

PROGRAM DETAILS

Term | Summer Session I | 4 weeks

Credits | 4 semester-hour credits (8 credits if taken with Session II)

Prerequisites | No course prerequisite | 2.6 GPA | 18 years of age by program start

Application Deadline | April 1. Rolling admissions: apply early, programs fill fast.

Financial Aid | All students are encouraged to apply for SFS financial aid, which includes need-based scholarships and SFS loans.

OVERVIEW

Coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves ring this island, and all three are under pressure. Four weeks here teaches you how to monitor them and what it takes to protect them.

You’ll snorkel and dive reef sites, survey mangrove and seagrass habitats, and compare biodiversity inside and outside marine protected areas to measure whether the boundaries are working. SCUBA certification is available during the session; diving is never required.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

→Snorkel and dive reef sites to assess coral and fish biodiversity, calculating biodiversity indices from visual surveys.

→Learn to tell mangrove species apart by leaf shape at Moxy Bush, and study how these nurseries shield the coast and feed the reef.

→Survey queen conch inside and outside a marine protected area, comparing size and abundance to test whether the boundaries work.

→Learn marine protected area design theory through a stakeholder-negotiation debate, and study hurricane impacts on reef recovery.

LOCATION

Students live and study at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies. The center sits on the waterfront at the southern edge of South Caicos, in one of the Atlantic’s most remote marine environments, where reef, mangroves, and seagrass meadows all converge within a mile of the classroom. South Caicos is the fishing capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, where spiny lobster and queen conch still sustain the economy the way they have for generations.

Students live in shared housing, eat together in the campus dining hall, and walk to the dock for morning snorkels. The island has no stoplights and about 1,500 residents, an intimate setting where every face is familiar and every reef is within boat range.

SUMMER COMBINED

Take both summer sessions back-to-back and earn 8 credits, at the same center or across centers. Each session is a separate program with its own focus. Follow this one with Marine Fauna in Summer Session II, or with a Summer Session II program at another SFS center.

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