Center for Global Education & Field Study

At Colorado College, the Block Plan transforms learning into an immersive experience that naturally extends beyond the classroom. With one course at a time in an intensive 3.5-week block students and professors can fully dedicate themselves to a subject, creating the flexibility to step off campus and into the field. Whether it is a day trip into the Rocky Mountains, hands on research in the the Mountain West region, or extended travel across the U.S. or abroad, courses are designed to move learning from theory to lived experience. This focused format allows for field study, site visits, and sustained engagement that traditional semester schedules simply cannot match. That is why:

• 300+ Courses each year include Field Study
• More than 1,000 CC students participate in Field experiences each year. 
• "On Campus" courses can include time in Rockies, in neighboring states, in New York, Boston, D.C., New Orleans, or California.

With opportunities available throughout the year--not just in limited windows--faculty can take advantage of opportunities only available during certain dates, from attending global conferences and summit to regional festivals. Students can integrate global experiential learning seamlessly into their degrees. Thanks to our flexible schedule, students can...

• Choose to spend January and February in Paris, then return to Colorado to finish out the spring. 
• Start the year in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) and be back in the USA for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the Holiday Season
• Spend 2 blocks on campus and then head to Germany for the Christkindlmarks of November and December.
• Take a break from Winter with a January-February Block in Melbourne, Australia or Patagonia in Argentina. 
• Study Chemistry or Computer Science for two blocks, then dive deep into Chinese language and culture in Shanghai to finish up the year. 
• Sign up for 3 courses in their major for Fall semester, but add a music course in Vienna to the mix.
• Participate in student organizations all year, but fit in a block studying democracies in Botswana and South Africa.
• Play a sport and still spend Block 8 in Scandinavia studying human kinesiology, or Block 2 in New York, studying film. 

With the Block Plan structured around 4 blocks in traditional Fall/Spring semester clusters, Colorado College is able to offer its students both faculty-led language immersion programs with 2- or 4-block options as well as more than 150 partner-led semester options. Study on the Block Plan on campus, then spend spring...

• On a sailing ship in the Caribbean studying the impact of plastics on biodiversity with a Sea Education Association semester. 
• Interning in the office of a U.S. Senator, at the National Press Club, the DC Superior Court, or the National Institutes of Health with the Washington Semester
• Researching Pacific Salmon, Ice Engineering, or Native Dance on the AlaskaMester
• Studying Graph Theory, Topology, or Deep Learning at the Budapest Semester in Mathematics
• Mastering Japanese, studying Mass Media, and joining the Kendo Club and at Waseda University in Tokyo
• Working an archaeological dig or exploring Byzantine architecture in Greece with College Year in Athens
• Engaging with Maori Communities with a Frontiers Abroad semester in New Zealand
• Enrolling "across the pond" at the London School of Economics, Oxford, University College Dublin, or the University of Edinburgh

Thanks to a combination of flexible scheduling, a broad pool of faculty-led and partner-sponsored programs, and financial aid policies designed to minimize the financial impact of selecting to study away, Colorado College has made study away a reality for 70%-75% of all graduates over the past decade, with more than 1 in 4 students participating in multiple study away programs, and over 1,000 students per year experiencing field study through the College. 

As an example, some of our graduates in the Class of 2025 included...

• A Neuroscience Major who spent a semester in France, a summer in Senegal, and a block in Hawaii.
• A Music major who joined a Music course in Panama, a dance & theater course in India, and 2 blocks of language study in China.
• An English & Creative Writing Major who went to Greece the summer after their first year, then Berlin as a sophomore, and the Galapagos Islands as a Senior.
• An International Student who studied Russian in Kyrgyzstan, Psychoanalysis in Chicago, and French Philosophy in Paris
• An Education Major who studied pedagogies in Italy, and Spanish with a summer in Spain and 2 blocks in Mexico
• A Psychology major who studied in Egypt and France with CC faculty before spending a semester at University College London

• Global Study Abroad
• Domestic Study Away
• Community-Engaged Learning
• Internships & Career Preparedness
• Field & Faculty-Led Research
• Sustainability Research