Field Courses
Launch Your Career In Conservation
Our courses provide practical training and experience in the tropics with an emphasis on building skills and understanding. They provide a valuable foundation on which to build a career in conservation, research and sustainable natural resource management.
We run our courses in collaboration with conservation and research institutions in Africa and South East Asia, ensuring they cover priority topics that are relevant.
“Within just one month, I feel that I learnt more than during my four years at university.”
Hands On Dynamic
Learning From Experts
Links For A Lifetime
The Course
How It Works
- Taught at Masters level, TBA courses highlight up-to-date concepts and emerging issues.
- Fieldwork demonstrates how current theories are approached and how research techniques are applied in practice.
- All participants design and undertake their own fully supervised research project, working with a partner. Many publish their first scientific paper based on these student projects.
What You Gain
Skills For Life
- Essential practical skills for your scientific career.
- Confidence in research project design and presentation.
- Insight into conservation approaches and successes in high biodiversity areas.
- A global network of future collaborators – and friends for life!
- Participants from European universities gain 10 ECTS points on completing the course.
Application Information
Who Should Apply
Courses are designed for early career scientists, with teaching pitched at post-graduate level. Applicants must hold a biological degree by the course start date – or have completed at least 3 years of a biological degree course.
You can only attend one course, but you may apply in successive years if not selected.
How and When To Apply
Applications for our field courses typically open between October and March and you can check our current field courses page for details. All applications must be made via our online application form, and PDF version of this can be found here – please use this as a guide to help you consider your responses to the questions. You could then pre-write these and copy and paste the answers across when you login to apply.
More Information
If you have questions, contact the Course Coordinators: for applicants from Africa and Madagascar please email courses-Africa@tropical-biology.org; or for applicants from all other countries please email courses@tropical-biology.org.
Here are a selection of reports from our recent field courses.
Fees & Scholarships
African Applicants
A limited number of full or partial scholarships are available to successful African applicants (for courses in Africa). Scholarships contribute to course costs which include course fees or tuition, national travel, accommodation and subsistence costs as well as the costs of international travel to and from the rendezvous location.
Priority for places will be given to outstanding applicants but we will also take into consideration those who can raise full or part of their participation costs (i.e. course fees and travel costs). We would strongly encourage you to look for funding from grants, foundations or your organisation, and we will be willing to provide letter of support towards your applications.
Fees & Scholarships
All Other Applications
Participants from TBA member organisations pay a reduced rate of £1000. This covers internal transport to and from the field site, accommodation, subsistence and course fees. It does not include your airfares, insurance and visa costs.
The course fee for participants from non-members is £1400. If your institution is not currently a member, why not ask them to join? Applicants from member organisations also receive priority for course places
All successful European and UK applicants can apply for a British Ecology Society scholarship (approximately £400).