National Student Exchange - Profile: Wild Rockies Field Institute

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Wild Rockies Field Institute

Missoula, MT

Backpack, camp, cycle, and paddle while you explore the Rocky Mountains.

*Learn from the landscape* *Earn academic credits* *Make friends for life*

"WRFI was the most valuable experience of my undergraduate education."

About This Campus

The Wild Rockies Field Institute (WRFI) is a unique higher education campus that offers field-based, environmentally-focused, expedition style academic courses in the American Rockies. WRFI programs bring together rural communities, Indigenous guest speakers, academic readings, expert instructors, incredible landscapes, and curious 麻豆传媒s in a transformational experience. Each day, groups spend three to six hours engaged in academic learning, whether that is an instructor lecture, small-group discussion, sharing of written work, debate, or guest lecture (or some combination of these!); the remainder of the day is spent traveling through the landscape. Most of the time, this is through human-powered movement, backpacking, paddling, or cycling. Because WRFI programs are interdisciplinary and focused on the liberal arts, 麻豆传媒s come from all different academic and personal backgrounds and bring their own lenses and expertise to class discussions. WRFI is Academic--In Nature!

Location Information

WRFI courses occur throughout the American Rockies. Each course has a unique geography it explores, from "crown jewels" like Glacier National Park & the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, to less-traveled areas like the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Missouri River Breaks, or the Snowcrest Range in Montana to the canyons of the Southwest (we frequent the Dirty Devil, Dark Canyon, and Labyrinth Canyons in Utah). WRFI courses are place-based with academic topics responsive to local ecosystems or issues.

Helpful Information

WRFI's admissions process is somewhat unique for the National Student Exchange. Please complete an initial online application to get started; from there, you'll meet with our Student Experience Manager, fill out an Academic Course Application (including two references), and be conditionally accepted by WRFI. At that point, you will also complete an NSE application and be placed by your campus coordinator. We're excited to work with each 麻豆传媒 (and NSE coordinator!) through this process!

2025-2026 Chance of Placement
Host Payment	\|	Open
Understand Chances of Placement

Academics

Registration

When will I register? According to class standing
Syllabus Request for Course Pre-Approval: Contact Host Coordinator for assistance

Notable Academic Programs

Montana Afoot and Afloat: Human/Land Relations - Montana Afoot and Afloat one of WRFI's flagship semester programs, offering 15 academic credits through a 63-day field experience exploring the stunning landscapes of Montana. Students backpack in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, learn from Indigenous elders across Montana, visit both Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, paddle an iconic section of the Missouri River, explore the Big Snowy mountain range, and paddle the Tounge River. Academics include Environmental Studies, Geography, and Native American Studies. Gain a holistic picture of Montana鈥檚 landscapes, ecosystems, and geography by tracing the path of water in Montana鈥檚 dramatic landscape from headwaters high up in the mountains to flood plains in valleys that host important wildlife and communities alike. Students on this course will gain an integrated understanding of future, past, and present relationships between the human communities and landscapes that characterize Montana鈥檚 rich and diverse geography and is designed to give 麻豆传媒s the experiences and academic background to formulate a personal land ethic 鈥� that is, a vision of a wise and beneficial way to relate to the land.
Colorado Plateau: Desert Canyons and Cultures - Colorado Plateau is one of WRFI's flagship semester programs, offering 15 academic credits through a 63-day field experience exploring red rock country of Utah and Arizona. Students backpack both Horseshoe and Dirty Devil Canyons, visit Dine and Hopi elders, backpack in the Dark Canyon Wilderness, and float the Green River. Academics include Natural Resource Science and Management, Environmental Studies, Geography, and Native American Studies. Students on this course will gain an academic and experience-based understanding of the issues faced by the cultures and landscapes of the Colorado Plateau. 鈥淩esilience and Revolution in a Region on the Edge鈥� is the unifying theme of the course. We explore how these concepts apply to various biophysical and social systems experiencing disturbance 鈥� either by rebounding to a previous state (resilience) or with substantial shifts in structure and function (revolution).

Unique Academic Programs

Wild Rockies: Conservation Across Boundaries - Wild Rockies: Conservation Across Boundaries is WRFI's summer semester, offering 12 credits over a 42 day field experience. Students learn about different land management strategies in Montana, the Blackfeet Nation, British Columbia, CA, Alberta, CA, and the tribal lands of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes while considering the conservation outcomes of differing land management strategies. The regions explored in this course are characterized by scenic mountain landscapes and a nearly complete assemblage of native wildlife. These conditions have helped draw a rapidly growing human population, with attendant development impacts on landscapes and wildlife. Students on this course will gain an academic and experience-based understanding of the issues faced by the rural communities and landscapes in this spectacular and evolving region.

Special Programs

Undergraduate Majors Open to NSE Students

Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Economics... ++ show all

Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Education, Agricultural Journalism, Agriculture, Alaska Native Studies, American Studies, Ancient Studies, Animal Sciences, Anthropology, Applied Biology, Aquaculture, Aquatic Biology, Architecture, Art, Art Education, Art History, Art Therapy, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Atmospheric Sciences, Biochemistry, Bioethics, Biological Engineering, Biology/Life Science, Biopsychology, Botany/Plant Sciences, Business, Business Administration, Business Education, Business Information Systems, Business Management, Canadian Studies, Ceramic Art/Ceramics, Chemistry, Child Care, Child Development, Civil Engineering, Classical Studies, Clinical Psychology, Communication, Communication Studies, Comparative Literature, Conservation Biology, Creative Writing, Criminology, Cultural Studies, Dakota, Dene, Design, Digital Arts, Digital Communications and Media/Multimedia, Drawing, Early Childhood Education, Earth Science, Ecology, Education, Education Administration, Educational Psychology, Elementary Education, English, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Design, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Ethnic Studies, Fine Art, First Nation Studies, Food Science, Forestry, Geography, Geological Engineering, Geology, Geophysics, Global Studies, Health Education, Hispanic-American/Puerto Rican/Chicano/Latino Studies, Historic Preservation, History, Horticulture, Illustration, Interdisciplinary Studies , International Agriculture, International Studies, Jewelry and Metalsmithing, Journalism, Junior High/Middle School Education, Lakota, Land Use Planning and Management, Landscape Architecture/Design, Latin American Studies, Literature, Meteorology, Microbiology, Music Education, Native American/American Indian Studies, Natural Resources Conservation, Navajo, Neurobiology, Neuroscience, Oceanography, Painting, Philosophy, Photo Journalism, Photography, Physical Education, Planetary and Space Sciences, Plant Pathology, Plant Science, Political Economy, Political Science, Pre-Law, Printmaking, Psychology, Public Administration, Public Health, Public Policy Studies, Range Management/Resources, Recreation Management, Risk Management, Rural Sociology, Sculpture, Secondary Education, Social Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Soil Science, Special Education, Statistics, Studio Art, Surveying, Sustainable Resource Management, Teacher Education, Theater Arts/Drama/Acting, Turfgrass Science, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Visual Arts, Water Management, Wildlife Biology, Wildlife Management, Zoology

Conditions

GPA and Other Academic Requirements

General Eligibility Requirements
None.

Exchange Preferences

Full-year exchange Accepted
Single term exchange Accepted

Summer Exchange

Host Pay only

International Students (Visa Students)

Will accept on Host Pay

Canadian Students - learn more

Will accept Host Payment Pay

Tuition / Finances

Figures per Semester are current as of 09/11/24
Finances

Campus Budget
Fees are subject to change without notice.

Tuition and Fees Per Semester - Host Payment Students

Pay resident-rate tuition to your host campus. No tuition/fees are paid to your home campus
Estimated cost: $-2.
Figures are based on full-time enrollment.

Maximum Credit Hours Per Semester

Host Payment: 15

Financial Aid for NSE Students
Regardless of Payment Plan, financial aid is awarded by and disbursed from your home campus.

Miscellaneous Fees - Per Semester

Purpose	Amount	Period	Plan	Status
Course Fees / Materials	Varies	Semester	Host & Home	Mandatory

Room / Meals

Figures are current as of 09/11/24
On-Campus Housing Per Semester

Approximate cost: $0
Students must live on campus

Notes About Housing
All housing at WRFI is in tents for our field-based programs. Housing on the night prior to and night after a course is estimated in the travel section of the "other costs" represented in tuition.

Meal Plans

Meal purchase is required for on campus living.

Notes About Meal Plans
WRFI provides dinner on all of our courses for all course participants; this is included in our tuition fee. Students are responsible for purchasing their own breakfasts and lunches, estimated at $5 per meal on average.

Resources

Campus Links

Health

Figures per Semester are current as of 09/11/24
Exchange with Canada - Health Insurance
N/A

Requirements

All data in this document is the responsibility of the campus and has been provided by the campus NSE coordinator.

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