The American Center for Mongolian Studies is now accepting applications for our 2026 Mongolia Field School courses! These experiential short-courses offer an educational travel experience that blends academic insights and discussions with hands-on, immersive travel, allowing participants to interact with local communities in locations beyond the usual tourist track. All courses are taught in English and no prior experience in the course subject matter is required.
In 2026, ACMS will offer the following Field School courses:
Embark on a ten-day journey exploring how Mongolia navigates climate shifts, cultural heritage, and urban transformation. This hands-on field course examines pastoral communities responding to Dzud—catastrophic winter conditions—and traces rural migration patterns reshaping Ulaanbaatar's expanding Ger neighborhoods. From Hustai National Park's grasslands, home to the Przewalski's horse, to evolving peri-urban settlements where nomadic traditions meet city life, participants engage directly with herding families, officials, and urban residents to understand Mongolia's profound socio-environmental transitions. Through immersive experiences in rangeland practices, wildlife observation, and community governance, combined with analysis of resource conflicts and public health issues, this course offers unique insight into a nation balancing ancestral ways with sustainable adaptation in a rapidly changing world.
Lens on Mongolia: Photography, Culture, and Language
July 19-25, 2026
On this immersive seven-day journey through Mongolia, every moment becomes a story waiting to be captured. From the bustling streets of Ulaanbaatar to the sweeping steppes of Hustai and Khugnu-Tarna National Parks, this course blends wildlife photography, cultural exploration, and hands-on language learning. Photograph the rare Przewalski’s horse, elusive gray wolves, and graceful argali sheep in their natural habitats. Capture the vibrant energy of Naadam festivals, nomadic herder life, and centuries-old monasteries, all while learning to frame compelling stories with your camera. Gain practical Mongolian language skills through authentic interactions, enriching your connection to the people, landscapes, and traditions you photograph.
Change and Continuity: Managing Biodiversity in Hustai National Park
July 27-August 9, 2026
This intensive two-week expedition will immerse you in Mongolia's cutting-edge efforts to establish and manage specially protected areas, centered around the globally acclaimed Hustai National Park. The park is home to one of the few remaining thriving herds of the world's last truly wild horses, the Przewalski's horse. This immersive field course resonates with the urgent call from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, highlighting the imminent threat of land degradation primarily caused by agricultural and forestry practices. This degradation imperils landscapes, biodiversity, and essential ecosystem services like carbon sequestration. Hustai National Park serves as a pivotal bastion in combating these detrimental impacts, forming the nucleus of our investigation.
Visit our website to learn more, and apply by February 20, 2026 for priority fellowship consideration. We welcome applications from students, researchers, faculty, life-long learners, and anyone else with a passion to learn and an interest in Mongolia. All applicants must be 18 years of age or older by the start date of their chosen Field School.
For questions, please contact mfs@mongoliacenter.org. We can't wait to see you this summer in Mongolia!
