Other Field School Opportunities

Opportunity for UTM Students: Primate Field School (in Costa Rica or Nicaragua)

primate in tree, butterfly on flower, toucan on tree branch, people observing through binoculars

Dr. Laura Bolt provides the opportunity for interested students at UTM to complete a primate field school in Costa Rica or Nicaragua under her direction and to earn course credit for this experience. Dr. Bolt is also available to supervise undergraduate students through UTM’s Research Opportunities Program and to act as an advisor for independent research projects.

Dr. Bolt leads Primate Behaviour & Ecology field school courses through Maderas Rainforest Conservancy (MRC), a conservation non-profit organization that protects tropical forests in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The MRC primate field school is an intensive field course that provides students with experience in studying wild monkeys in a tropical forest environment, and is excellent preparation for graduate studies in primatology, animal behaviour, and ecology. The course includes daily lectures and hands-on training in primatological field methods and culminates with an independent research project on wild primate behaviour. In Costa Rica, mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus imperator), and Central American spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) are present at the site, and student projects may be completed on any/all of these species. Independent projects are designed individually by each student and guided by the course instructor, and are completed at the level of an undergraduate thesis. Interested undergraduate and graduate students at all levels of training are encouraged to apply for the MRC primate field courses.  

Currently, MRC is enrolling for courses in:

  • Winter 2023-2024 (December 27, 2023 - Jan 9, 2024); and
  • Summer 2024 (session A: May 30 - June 22, 2024, session B: June 24 - July 17, 2024)

Contact Dr. Laura Bolt for more information.


Field Schools in North America


Field Schools in Europe


St. George Field School Resources

U of T St. George Anthropology List of Field School and Research Opportunities


More Resources

Institute for Field Research