college credit & 529s

Earn Credit

Through Western Colorado University and our parent organization, Carpe Diem Education, we are able to offer up to 3-credits for 10+ day programs, and up to 6-credits for 4+ week programs.

How the Credit Works

The cost is $220 per credit, paid to Global Routes. The student grades are based on the following criteria FOR EACH COURSE:

  1. Three essay prompts each of 1000+ words.
  2. A Course Evaluation by your Global Routes Overseas Educators.
  3. A final 500+ word summary of your learnings.

The grading instructor works at the University and all correspondence is done directly with them.

Course Summaries

ENVS 100: Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (3 semester credits)

ENVS 100 is an interdisciplinary, historical analysis of the development of environmental problems, movements, and philosophies. Students apply historical lessons to critically examine sustainable solutions locally and globally. Throughout this course we will explore topics ranging from food systems to natural resource extraction, recreation, and government involvement. While some of our topics may be uncomfortable to unpack, it is important to understand how our world works so that we can make efforts towards improvement. Understanding these topics will help you navigate the world as you know it and prepare you for challenges that you may face in your careers and personal lives.

This course examines the role of policy in confronting climate change. We take a broad and introductory approach to this topic ranging from local to international scales and across organizational types. This course is roughly broken down into three parts: 1) current policy conditions and how we got here, 2) sector-specific policy recommendations, 3) integration, prioritization, and consequences of climate policies.

This course introduces students to environmental justice: a perspective that understands injustice and inequality as fundamentally linked to environmental problems and outcomes. Students will study contested ideas about privilege, power, and marginalization, while examining their relationship to environmental problems.

An introduction to the skills, tools, and tactics required for sustainable food production, including raising vegetables and managing livestock. This applied course involves hands-on experience with crop and livestock planning, operation design, soil health management, pest control, and distribution strategies.

Registering for Credit

Once you’ve been accepted to a Global Routes program and have selected your courses, you’ll register NO LATER THAN TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR PROGRAM START. Note, late registrations may be available but incur a late fee set by the universities.

  1. Go to the following url https://western.edu/
  2. Click on the red APPLY button at the top right of the screen
  3. Takes you to a page that says ‘APPLY NOW – Become a Mountaineer’ (scroll down), Ready to Apply?  At the prompt: ‘I am a’ (use the down arrow) select ‘Center for Learning & Innovation Student’
  4. Select CLI Application
  5. Create a login/password for Slate Application tool – you’ll get a pin to login.
  6. Select Outdoor Partner
  7. Select our parent organization, Carpe Diem
Using your 529 College savings plan

YES. You can. 529 plans can be used for the entire program tuition minus airfare, for any student earning half-time credit in a term (6+ semester credits over summer, fall, or spring). 

The best way to use your 529 is to have your plan administrator disburse funds to you the family, and then you pay those funds to Global Routes. 

In some cases plan administrators may require the funds come directly to the University or to Global Routes, and we’re happy to work with these options – please contact Global Routes for more details.

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