Nairobi, Kenya
Located on the east coast of Africa, Kenya is home to a diverse population of over 40 million. The cosmopolitan capital city of Nairobi is the home base for this program. With a population over 3 million, Nairobi is East Africa’s regional center for trade and is host to the United Nations regional headquarters. Students participating in this program will not only experience Kenya’s vibrant urban environment, but through a variety of program excursions they will visit rural areas where most Kenyans live and work.
About the Program
This program is offered through the New York 6 Liberal Arts Consortium in partnership with St. Lawrence University. SLU operates a 5.5 acre gated campus in Karen, a suburb of Nairobi, that serves as a base for all students and two faculty directors for about 8 weeks out of the semester-long program. Students also spend time traveling throughout Kenya and East Africa to explore various course components outlined in the academic program below.
The Kenya program is an interdisciplinary academic program that combines classroom, field-based, and experiential learning models and provides numerous opportunities for cultural immersion to enable students to gain first-hand knowledge and experience in both urban and rural settings. The program includes two required courses:
- Culture, Environment, and Development in East Africa (core course)
- Swahili Language
Students also select two electives from areas ranging from biology and environmental studies to anthropology, history, international relations, sociology, and Africana Studies:
- Gender Issues in Modern and Traditional Kenya
- Biodiversity, Conservation, and Management in East Africa
- Critical Issues in Socio-Economic Development in Kenya
- Introduction to the History of Modern Kenya
As part of the core course, students will engage in 5 discrete field experiences and undertake an independent study project with an organization based in East Africa. The field components are comprised of: Rural Agriculture; Hadza community-based project in Tanzania; Urban Study; Amboseli National Park/Maasai community; and Coastal Environments.
More information about the curriculum and the electives is available here.
This program is open to all juniors and seniors in good academic and social standing with a minimum GPA of 2.8. Due to the challenging nature of study abroad, and as this program requires a high level of independence, maturity, and flexibility, student academic and disciplinary records will be carefully screened. Preference in admission will be given to students who have already undertaken one or more courses focused on Africa. All admitted students will be required to take an additional course with content on Africa prior to departure
For the 8 weeks based at the Karen campus, students will live in residence halls. During the remainder of the program, students will reside with host families, in guesthouses, and in tents during rural program excursions.
In addition to day trips in and around Nairobi, extended excursions to Mombasa, Amboseli National Park, and the Yaeda Valley region of Tanzania are an integral part of the academic and cultural experience.
Students will be charged standard HWS tuition and fees, room and board fees, and a $600 administrative fee. This will cover tuition for a four-course semester, health insurance, housing, meals, and program-related activities and excursions. Additional expenses not covered include airfare, visa, cell phone/local SIM, books, and personal expenses (laundry, entertainment, ground transportation, and independent travel).
We estimate airfare for this program at $1200-$1400 from the East Coast, visa at $160, books at $100, and local SIM with calling/data plan at $100. It is difficult to give an accurate estimate of personal expenses because student spending habits differ considerably. We would suggest a minimum of $750-$1000. However, students on a tight budget should be able to manage with less. If you are concerned about finances we strongly encourage you to talk to the CGE staff who can offer information and advice based on your specific situation
HWS students must complete all components of the Global Education application in order to be considered for admission to this program.
- This program is offered every Fall semester.
- All components of the application must be submitted online by the published deadline. Specific deadline dates are set each semester and typically will be in late September/early October (for Fall programs) and late February/early March (for Spring programs).
Program Handbook
IMPORTANT: The handbook(s) below is/are the most recent handbook(s) published for this program. A new version, with updated information, will be made available each semester. Program participants will receive their updated handbook approximately 2-3 months prior to their program’s start date.
FALL HANDBOOK
Please DO NOT MAKE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS until you have received final confirmation of the program start/finish dates for the specific semester you are attending. Dates included in versions of the program handbook intended for previous semesters do not necessarily apply to future programs.
NOTE: The information above is subject to change. Please see the CGE for more information.
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