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Experiential Learning at Clemson

Experiential Learning (ExL) is for every student at Clemson. Our research shows that when you actively participate in educational experiences, you gain a greater understanding of complex topics, you remember detailed information better and you have a great time, too. Explore ten different types of experiential learning we offer to see what might be a fit for you.

A female science student wearing glasses reads a book in her lab with glass bottles lining the shelf behind her.
Two Clemson students in wide-brimmed hats measure the depth of a dig they're conducting on campus in front of the Shoeboxes.

Types of Experiential Learning

Visit the Find My Experience page to see detailed information and next steps for each of the learning types listed below.

Find Your Experience

Workplace Learning

Center for Career and Professional Development

International Education

  • Conduct field studies abroad.
  • Enroll in partner institutions across the world.
  • Embark on a service-learning trip.
  • Conduct research to benefit global communities.

Study Abroad Opportunities


Creative Inquiry

  • Join a cross-disciplinary undergraduate research team.
  • Solve real-world problems.
  • Create peer-reviewed publications.
  • Present your findings.

Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research

Leisure Skills Courses

  • Explore more than 150 recreational courses at Clemson.
  • Gain a new skill.
  • Have fun and get outdoors while earning class credit.

Learn About Leisure Skills

Force of Nature

Students Manage the Fireline

Through Fire Tigers, forestry and wildlife students take specialized training courses and participate firsthand in controlled burns to gain a greater understanding of land management practices and the ecological impacts of wildfire.

Read the Full Story
Watch Their Experience

“Learning about fire in a different context helps me be a better land manager.”

Caroline Sharpe
wildlife and fisheries biology '19

A female student in fire safety equipment uses a kerosine torch to start controlled burn

Creative Practice

  • Express yourself through the arts.
  • Take creative academic courses.
  • Engage in the arts through workshops or special events.

Student/Peer Teaching

  • Be a student teacher in a local school.
  • Mentor fellow undergraduate students.
  • Lead tutoring sessions on campus.

Teacher Education Field Experience


Service or Client-Based Learning

  • Apply classroom knowledge to real problems.
  • Serve businesses, organizations and people in our community.

Simulations

  • Apply classroom concepts to real situations.
  • Adjust to changing circumstances and find innovative solutions.
  • Engage in fieldwork.
  • Serve real and simulated patients through clinicals.

Capstones

  • Apply four years of learning in one project-based class.

Student Research

  • Expand upon a project you find interesting.
  • Work with a faculty mentor.
  • Present your findings at conferences.

Experiential Learning News