Panama City, Panama: Energy and the Environment

Program Dates

Costs and Financial Aid

The total cost of the program for 2025 is $20,168 and includes all registration fees and tuition, overseas insurance, flights, passport, visa, pre-departure costs, housing, excursions, meals, and estimated personal expenses during the semester abroad.

You will be able to apply for federal and institutional financial aid to cover a portion or all costs of this program.

Application

The application for Fall 2025 is now open.  You must indicate your interest in this program on your UT Austin application. You will then receive a supplementary application in your MyStatus portal. The deadline to apply to UT Austin is December 1, 2024 and the supplemental application for Take the World by the Horns must be received by December 11, 2024. 

Energy and the Environment

Explore the amazing biodiversity of Panama in the Take the World by the Horns program through visits to wildlife preserves, marine exhibition centers, and fieldwork excursions to sites such as a 300-island archipelago. Panama is ranked No. 1 in the world by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity due to its location between three distinct bodies of water: the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Chiriqui, and the Gulf of Panama.

You will make an immediate impact and gain invaluable experience by participating in internships with environmentally focused nonprofit organizations. You will also enroll in four academic courses with our partner, School for International Training (SIT), focusing on environmental study, fieldwork ethics, and research design, including an internship to jump-start your academic and professional career.

There is no language requirement for participation. Spanish language lessons will be incorporated throughout the semester but will not appear on your transcript. Upon your return, you may take a placement test or seek an evaluation to assess your UT Austin language course level. 

Academics

The Take the World by the Horns courses in Panama City are integrated into the degree plans for students in the College of Liberal Arts, Moody College of Communication, College of Education, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, School of Information and College of Fine Arts (Arts and Entertainment Technologies only). 

The academic design for this program combines an introduction to the theoretical frameworks of environmental studies with the practical experience of an internship focusing on environmental issues.

• “Introduction to Environmental Studies” provides an academic foundation to explore the Earth’s physical environments, while “Introduction to Cultural Anthropology” examines civil and social structures that impact the environment.
• “Internships 101” credit-bearing placements for internship work at environmental nonprofits.
• “First Year Foundations for Success: Career Pathways” course will help students explore how their internship experience will create further professional and academic opportunities.

Signature Course Offered

After completing their fall semester abroad, students can enroll in a signature course to continue to explore the academic themes with their cohort. 

Professor Lito Porto’s signature course, “Process Ecology Across Lifeforms, Disciplines, and Dimensions,” uses a multidisciplinary lens to examine how ecological systems inform human interactions within an environment. The approach challenges the traditional divides between hard sciences and humanities, and will provide students with context and vocabulary to connect their experiences in Panama with a variety of disciplines as they transition to life on campus in Austin.