Students at Thacher have opportunities to study abroad or at other programs in the U.S. The School Year Abroad (SYA) Program, conducted under the aegis of Phillips Academy (Andover), allows students to live and study abroad for a year in France, China, Italy, or Spain. Additionally, Thacher is a founding school for the Maine Coast Semester (MCS) at Chewonki, in Wiscasset, Maine, a program that allows students to spend half of a year emphasizing the study of ecology and environmental science while continuing study of other disciplines. Admission to both SYA and MCS is highly competitive. Thacher is also a member of the English-Speaking Union and the American Field Service.