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University students > Gaining credits > USA & Canada
Credits for students from the USA and Canada The University of St Andrews in Scotland, which is internationally recognised for the quality of their research and teaching in conservation and biology, is offering course credit to US and Canadian students joining Operation Wallacea expeditions. This means that you can gain course credits from one of the best British universities for your summer vacation spent assisting with our biodiversity surveys.
Students joining expeditions with Operation Wallacea for a minimum of 4 weeks, can gain credit for the experience by taking the Tropical Research and Field Study Course offered on site by St Andrews. The course is run in parallel with normal activities so you will still be in the field working on conservation projects all day but at the end of the expedition you can take away the credit as well.
The course is usually worth between 3-6 credits (10-20% of a years credit) depending upon your institution. The credit can be used towards your degree as normal biology credit, or it can be used for more specialised credit such as humanities, genetics, independent and field studies, lab credit, or many other requirements of your degree. Enrolment with the University of St Andrews costs $1000, which includes all administration, and assessment fees.
Structure The 4 weeks of accredited expedition has to include a Training Course and a minimum of two weeks on Research Projects. This means a student planning their 4 weeks of credit gaining options within their expedition can do either; 1 week of Required Training and 3 weeks on Research Projects OR 1 week of Required Training, 1 week of Additional Training (not including dive training) and 2 weeks on Research Projects. Enrolling Once you have decided on which Operation Wallacea expedition you want to join, you should then to speak to your study abroad department and probably also your academic advisors about how it will be included into your degree. To help with this we have provided a course overview that you can show them that describes most of the key features of the course. You can also e-mail standrewscredit@opwall.com for further information.
Once you have confirmed with your institution, you then need to book onto an Operation Wallacea expedition. Once you have booked your expedition, please then e-mail standrewscredit@opwall.com to register for the BL3400 Tropical Research Course. You will then be contacted directly by St Andrews with details about the further enrolment and payment process. By doing this you become a registered student of the University of St Andrews and will gain access to the course website and the St Andrews electronic library and reading lists to help you prepare for the course.
Funding Opportunities Many universities and colleges will run course credit through their Study Abroad or International Education Offices. These offices have a large number of grants and funding opportunities available for this kind of credit approved off campus or internship type experience. In some cases the funds available will cover the entire cost of the expedition and course credit fees and in many other cases there will be sufficient grants available to substantially offset the costs. We highly recommend that you approach these offices at your university and ask how you can apply for this money.
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