Graduate Interdisciplinary Field Courses
Understanding and promoting health takes more than medicine. A myriad of determinants contribute to well-being and conversely disease, including the fact that the health of humans, animals, and their shared ecosystems are interdependent on one another (“One Health”).
Additionally, people of different cultures define health and view disease in many different ways, and understanding cultural influences is critical to optimizing health and healthcare.
The Global Health faculty-led field courses introduce students to the healthcare systems, challenges to and determinants of health and well-being, community interactions, and the impact of culture on health and disease in the respective countries.
Faculty-led interdisciplinary experiences
The SMPH Office of Global Health currently offers four faculty-led interdisciplinary field courses. Ecuador, Thailand, and India field courses are offered through International Academic Programs (IAP); the Guatemala Service Learning Experience is offered through the SMPH Office of Global Health. Choose a destination below for program details and application information.
2026 Field Course Info Session
If you were unable to attend the Fall 2026 Field Course Information Session, or would like to revisit information for a specific destination, select one of the country-specific recordings below.
To access the presentation slides from the session, please see the Field Course Information Session Slides.
Guatemala
Ecuador
Thailand
India
Participation Requirements
All faculty-led field course students are required to be in good academic standing. By submitting an application, students acknowledge this requirement and consent to the verification of their academic standing by the SMPH Office of Global Health.
All students traveling to Thailand, Ecuador, and India (IAP programs) are required to participate in a preparatory course. Please contact SMPH Office of Global Health for more details: smphglobalhealth@hslc.wisc.edu.
For more information on IAP programs requirements, please see the recording below
Tuition Remission Information
For students who have teaching or research assistant positions eligible for tuition remission, please note that most field experience costs (including the Program Fee charged by the UW International Academic Programs) are NOT considered tuition and therefore NOT eligible for tuition remission. Tuition for an independent study field experience (course number 699) may be eligible. Please discuss all tuition remission questions with the UW Division of Business Services.
Thailand
Field course students visit Thai National Health Security Office, gaining understanding of Universal Health Coverage in Thailand
India
Demonstration of human emergency services at EMRI Green Headquarters in Hyderabad, India
Guatemala
Students attending to patients under faculty supervision in clinics in the rural communities of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala
Ecuador
Students in the UW Ecuador Global Health Field Course meeting with an agriculture expert and learning about methods they are employing to improve pasture quality and, thereby, milk yields from dairy cattle
India
Learning from community health (ASHA) workers about their scope of work and challenges in Vikarabad, India
Thailand
Students working with Mahidol faculty learning to identify mosquito species as part of the mosquito vector surveillance activities
Ecuador
Boat trip from Coca on the Napo River to the Yarina Ecolodge in the Amazon rainforest
Guatemala
Students and faculty unwinding with a game of soccer played with our Guatemalan hosts