Our color brochure for this program is available here (pdf-legal size).
The Costa Rica Tropical Biology program is a collaborative program between the School of Biology at UCR and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at KU. The program offers Biology and Environmental Studies majors an opportunity to complete required core and elective courses in their major. All Biology courses and labs are taught in English and include field work in the various ecosystems in Costa Rica. Students also gain foreign language experience through cultural immersion and a three credit Spanish course appropriate to each student's proficiency level.
Costa Rica is known for its natural beauty, diversity of flora and fauna, social and political stability, and high educational levels. The country is a traveler's paradise, with miles of coastline, active volcanoes, national parks, cloud forests, and rain forests. San José, Costa Rica's capital, is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city. It lies in the Central Valley on a plain surrounded by mountain ranges, savannahs, and working coffee plantations.
Costa Rica is the perfect outdoor classroom, creating an ideal atmosphere for
training biologists in the sciences of both tropical and conservation biology.
Despite its relatively small size, Costa Rica is an extremely varied country
that hosts markedly different climates on its Pacific and Caribbean sides, thus
allowing biologists to study a broad range of natural ecosystems. Costa Rica
is home to approximately 26 National Parks and scores of wildlife refuges, biological
and forest reserves, and protected areas. It is estimated that more than 25%
of the country has been set aside for conservation.
The Universidad de Costa Rica is the oldest
and largest university in Costa Rica, with a population of approximately 35,000
students. The University of Costa Rica offers all the facilities of a major
university, including an extensive library collection, computer labs, research
facilities, sports teams and clubs. 
The University of Kansas maintains an office located on campus close to many UCR facilities. Three Costa Rican staff advise students on matters related to academics and housing, and organize excursions and gatherings. Staff provide a five-day, on-site orientation for students upon arrival in Costa Rica. The orientation will introduce students to Costa Rican culture, history, and politics through lectures and field trips as well as familiarize students with San José and the surrounding areas.
Instructors in the program are UCR professors who regularly teach these and other courses to Costa Rican students. All faculty are specialists in their field and have conducted extensive research in Costa Rican ecosystems.
Biology courses are taught in English by faculty from the Universidad de Costa
Rica (UCR) School of Biology.
Students will receive credit for one core course, two elective courses and three
laboratory credits.
Core course with lab:
•BIOL 414/415: Principles of Ecology (4 credits) (syllabus)
Elective courses with labs:
•BIOL 420/418: Seminar in Natural History of Costa Rica (4 credits) (syllabus)
•BIOL 420/418: Seminar in Biodiversity and Conservation (4 credits) (syllabus)
This
program provides students the opportunity to perform field experiments in a
variety of ecosystems within Costa Rica. Each semester, students will visit
the following national parks and wildlife refuges:
Lowland Dry Forest
•Palo Verde National
Park and Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve
•Ostional
Wildlife Refuge
Lowland Wet Forest
•Osa Peninsula
•La Tirimbina Rainforest
•Tortuguero National
Park
•Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
Premontane and Montane Forest
•Alberto Manuel Brenes
Biological Reserve, also known as Reserva de San Ramón
High Montane and Paramo Forest
•Cerro
de la Muerte
Students will spend 30 days working in the field over the course of the semester
program. During field trips, students will conduct group and individual research
projects. These projects comprise an integral part of the biology course curriculum
and the students' field training.
Students live in private homes with Costa Rican families. The homestay is designed to help students improve their Spanish language proficiency and immerse them in Costa Rican life. Three meals are provided daily. Most students use the very good, inexpensive city bus system to travel from their residence to the University.
Fall Semester: August 13 - December 7, 2007
Spring Semester: February 12-June 13, 2008
This program is open to students from any accredited U.S. college or university with an interest in Biology, who have: a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA; a minimum of two semesters of college-level course work in Biology; and no less than two semesters of college-level coursework in Spanish (or the equivalent). Students may petition a waiver of the Spanish requirement through the Office of Study Abroad.
Spring/Fall 2008: $9,100 ($9,400 for non-KU students)
The program fee includes tuition and fees at KU and UCR, room and board for the academic period, all field research excursions, orientation at KU and UCR, group activities and field trips, student visa, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation services, and administrative costs.
Estimated additional costs: airfare, books, passport, Costa
Rica departure tax, and personal expenses.
All dates, costs, and program information are subject to change as necessary due to fluctuations in the exchange rate or other reasons.
KU students who qualify for financial aid in the form of Stafford and/or other loans, Pell or SEOG Grants, and scholarships may apply the aid to the cost of a Study Abroad Program.
Limited supplemental scholarships are available to KU undergraduates. Applications are available at the Office of Study Abroad. You can also download the scholarship application. The scholarship application deadline is March 1 for Fall and October 1 for Spring.
Non-KU students should check into the financial resources available to them at their home institutions.
Deadline for Fall: March 1
Deadline for Spring: October 1
Applications are available in the KU Office of Study Abroad. You can also download the application.
(Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to download an application. If your computer does not have Acrobat Reader you can download it for FREE.)
Universidad de Costa Rica website
Grupo de Kansas website
Costa Rica National Parks
La Tirimbina Rainforest Center
Reserva Alberto Manuel Brenes
Cerro de la Muerte
Palo Verde National Park
Ostional Wildlife
Refuge
Tortuguero National Park