Environmental Studies Study Abroad Programs in Mexico

Spend one, two, or three consecutive six-week blocks studying abroad in Mérida – a beautiful, historic, colonial city just a 20-minute drive from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. When class is in session, you'll enroll in courses taught in English at CIEE Yucatán, where you'll be in the perfect place to advance academically, as Mérida hosts more than a dozen universities and several Mexican national research facilities. Outside the classroom, you'll have every opportunity to explore biodiverse nature reserves, UNESCO archaeological sites, and historic towns that make the Yucatán Peninsula so treasured. Build your study abroad adventure! Designed for students requiring a flexible study abroad experience, CIEE's Open Campus Block program was thoughtfully structured to be completely customizable. Select one, two, or three six-week blocks per term at any CIEE Open Campus Block location. Choose from Berlin, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dublin, Kyoto, London, Madrid, Monteverde, Paris, Rome, Santiago, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, and Yucatan.

Discover the world of marine conservation in Mexico's crystal Caribbean waters of the Yucatan Peninsula. Group members will earn their PADI Open Water diving qualification and also gain a basic knowledge of the Mesoamerican coral reef and how to identify the wildlife it supports. Groups get to participate in this interdisciplinary course, accredited by universities and colleges around the world. We introduce students to international service-learning and sustainable development, both in theory and practice. Two weeks prior to departure and two weeks after returning home students engage in lectures, discussion, research, service, and reflection at home and abroad. Emphasis will be placed on relating long-term goals with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and engaging in daily reflection surrounding the experience, led by qualified group facilitators, furthering individual educational development. This course curriculum will be tailored to students' academic level or curriculum. The aim of our Service Learning course is to empower students to gain confidence in their knowledge and practical experience of their subject area.

Explore Merida and the Yucatán through visits to weaving cooperatives, ancient Mayan ruins, cenotes, and local farms. Volunteer in support of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2.3, which aims to double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, especially women, indigenous peoples, and family farmers, through access to resources, knowledge, and market opportunities. This 7-day adventure offers meaningful service and deep immersion in Mexico’s culture. Transferable college credit in Global Studies is available to high school juniors, seniors, and current college students. Community members may audit the course. Based on the Harvard Global Citizenship curriculum and led by a National Geographic Certified Educator.

Delve into site-specific subjects, in your choice of semester concentrations, to create positive social change. Based in Cuernavaca, the capital of the Mexican state of Morelos in central Mexico, these exciting semester programs offers coursework in Intercultural Communication and Media (for fall semester students) or Migration and Transnationality, along with liberal arts options (for fall and spring students). Fall program students can participate in the Communication and Media Studies concentration of Migration and Social Change in Mexico, which equips you for the challenge of today’s media. A focus on socially conscious, responsible journalism is garnered through meeting with traditionally marginalized by society, including migrants, deportees, immigrant returnees from the US, indigenous people, women, LGBTQ people, and others. Fall and Spring students can choose a concentration from the Liberal Arts, Migration, and Social Change program. Concentrations include Migration Studies; Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies; Liberal Arts; and Spanish Language.