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Field Trips

For Students

Field trips take place in a number of Social Sciences courses. Typically field trips are planned semester-by-semester for any given course offering, depending on the instructor, season, and offering details. To find courses that currently have or have recently involved field trips, the best strategy is to review current and recent course outlines.

In some cases, field trips (or more robust field-based experiences) may be regular and recurring features of a course, as pre-determined by the department through university curriculum processes. To find courses that always include a field trip, the best strategy is to consult the formal course descriptions in the undergraduate calendar.

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For Instructors

Instructors wishing to add a field trip to a current or upcoming course, or to plan an extracurricular field trip, can seek guidance and support from their department and from the Social Sciences Careers & Experiential Education team. Here are a few things to keep in mind as an instructor:

McMaster's Health and Safety Practices Review McMaster's Policies

All persons participating in field trips, research activities and placements that are McMaster sanctioned travel are required to complete a standard document: RMM 801 Field Trips, Student Placements and Research Activity Planning and Approval Program.

Transportation Planning Email the Experiential Team

McMaster and the Faculty Social Sciences do not currently have ongoing contracts with preferred vendors for chartered bus or transportation companies for in-course field trips. The Careers & Experiential Education team is able to provide insights into typical going rates for chartered services to help you budget, and to share contacts for commonly-used companies.

Startup Costs for Adding a Field Trip Learn More

If you are an instructor considering a new field trip in a current or upcoming course, modest funds are available to help offset the costs of transportation, admission, supplies, et cetera. Details are provided in the the Fund an In-Course Experience in the Teaching section of this website.

Sustainment Learn More

Department planning and budgeting for the cost-sharing of recurring or regular field trips in a given course can be tricky. Fortunately, department leaders and instructors do have additional tools at their disposal for long-term planning. This resource page is aimed at supporting department-level decision-making towards sustainable teaching and learning innovation.

Visit the Teaching Page