Get ready to go!

Salama!

Welcome to the Get ready to go! page for the 2026 McGill East Africa Field Study Semester (EAFSS). The content on this page is necessary to prepare you for your departure in January, so read it carefully.

You should also review the 2026 EAFSS Student Handbook .

Course offerings for 2026

Registration to the courses offered in the EAFSS will open in late December. These are the courses that will be offered: 

Kenya (choose one)

ANTH 416: Environment and Development: Africa - Jon Galaty

GEOG 404: Environmental Management - Thenya Thuita

Uganda (choose one)

BIOL 429: East African Ecology - Patrick Omeja & Dennis Twinomugisha

GEOG 416: Africa South of the Sahara - Sarah Bortolamiol

Tanzania (choose one)

GEOG 423: Dilemmas of Development - Jon Unruh - GEOG 423 Syllabus

WILD 375: Issues in Environmental Sciences - Geoffrey Soka

Context courses (taken by everyone, research completed through the entire semester)

ANTH 451 - Research in Society and Development in Africa

BIOL 451 - Research in Society and Development in Africa

Mandatory Pre-departure Sessions

Attendance is mandatory for all pre-departure sessions. Unless otherwise noted, all sessions will take place in Room 650 - 2001 McGill College Ave. In case of a serious scheduling conflict or emergency, notify Prof. Jon Unruh and the FSIO office (ifso.science [at] mcgill.ca). Failure to do so may constitute grounds for dismissal from the program.

Important Information

Read the information below carefully to prepare you for the mandatory tasks that you must complete to participate in the program.

Payment Schedule

The Student Accounts Website provides information on how to make payment. Use your McGill ID as the account number.

Once you have paid your fees online, send an email student.accounts [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Africa%20Field%20Study%20Semester%20-%20payment) (Student Accounts) with our office in Cc (ifso.science [at] mcgill.ca) with the following information: student ID, full name, the amount you sent, and a statement that the amount is for the McGill East Africa Field Study Semester Winter 20XX program. Follow these same steps each time you make a payment.

Insurance Requirements

Confirm that your insurance covers you appropriately for the semester, that it can be extended if you decide to stay abroad after the end of the semester, and that it includes:

Personal travel medical insurance with a minimum $1,000,000.00 CAD coverage is required to participate in the program. This can be difficult to get in Europe. It might therefore be a good idea to exceptionally get the McGill insurance this year.

Medevac coverage refers to emergency air ambulance services that transport clients from the site of a medical emergency to the nearest hospital equipped to provide the necessary treatment.

Emergency health coverage.

Read the exclusions of your insurance attentively. Pre-existing medical conditions might not be covered as well as specific activities including some sports. For example, the McGill insurance is very specific about the conditions in which scuba diving would be covered. Insurances are not all the same, so you may need to call different insurers to ensure that you are covered according to your own specific needs.

McGill Student Insurance - Canadian students

Canadian students are covered under their respective student society’s Health and Dental Plan: Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU) or Macdonald Campus Students' Society (MCSS). These plans include travel insurance for academic study abroad programs. Be sure to review the travel section of your plan carefully. You can find links to each plan here.

Travel coverage inquiries can be made using the StudentCare Contact form. 

McGill Student Insurance - International students

International students are covered under the McGill International Health Insurance Plan through International Student Services. To ensure coverage during the field study program, you must make a request for extended International Health Insurance through the International Student Service's (ISS) International Health Insurance Portal. Do NOT contact Medavie Blue Cross for this information, as the request must always go directly through ISS.

Flight Information

Booking your flight early will help keep the cost lower. Note that the program starts in Nairobi, Kenya and ends in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Immigration officials may ask you to show a return or onward ticket upon entry in the country and you could be refused entry if you do not have it. Because of potential changes to the program itinerary, or if you are unsure of your return date, you may want to book a ticket that is changeable. Many students choose to stay in Zanzibar, or to travel a bit in East Africa, after the program's end.

McGill Travel Registry

It is mandatory to fill the McGill Travel Registry before the program starts. To access and complete the form, you must download the app on your personal Android or iOS device. You can complete the form in more than one sitting, saving your changes and coming back to it later. To finalize and submit it, you must accept the terms of the Travel Guidelines. Until you accept the terms and submit the form, it will remain incomplete and you will receive monthly email reminders.

Travel Start Date: 24 January 2026

Travel End Date: 12 April 2026

Destination: Make a separate entry for each country based on the itinerary provided to you by the program director and the Field Studies and Internship Office.

Host Institution Name: IFSO Office, McGill University
Phone number: 514-398-1063
Email address: ifso.science [at] mcgill.ca

Term: Winter 2026

McGill professor name & email address: Jon Unruh - jon.unruh [at] mcgill.ca

McGill application reviewer name & email address: Myriam Theriault - ifso.science [at] mcgill.ca

McGill Health Services

You must submit medical documentation to confirm that it is safe for you to particiapte in the program. If you are unable to book an appointment with your regular physian, you can book an appointment with a doctor at McGill through the Wellness Hub.

McGill University is committed to ensuring an environment free from abuse, exploitation, harassment, and all forms of misconduct. Do not hesitate to reach out to the Director of your program if you have any issues. You can also see here which telehealth services you can use while abroad.

Mandatory Tasks

You must complete all tasks by their assigned deadline. Note that there is hyperlinked text within the table to connect you to online forms and webpages.