Information for term Summer Sustainability + The Environment
Application deadline, and cost information.
Overview
Click to OpenLive on the edge of the world famous Monteverde cloud forest, while exploring sustainable economic development (Session II), and ecological engineering (Session III). There’s no better setting to study these topics than in Costa Rica, a little country with a big reputation for protecting the environment, harnessing renewable energies, and creating secure food systems. You’ll discover many treasures during your time abroad in this special country as you explore sustainable fisheries, tourism, conservation, agriculture, or renewable energy.
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Take excursions
to farms, island communities, protected areas, renewable power plants, and more.
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Attend classes in
Sustainable Development (Session II), or Environmental Engineering (Session III).
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Live with a local family,
advance your Spanish skills, and integrate into Costa Rican culture.
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visitors every year
200K -
seasons a year
3 -
Location & Culture
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Your Destination
Perhaps best known for the famed Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, this small, international community nestled along the edge of the cloud forest in the Tilarán Mountains is a portal to a lush haven of biodiversity. Today, tourists contribute the principal revenues to the zone, though coffee plantations and dairy farms still dot the landscape. The region, comprising numerous small towns, is home to about 5,000 people of diverse backgrounds.
The Culture
EXCURSIONS & ACTIVITIES
- Visit fishing communities on the island of Chira, where locals are leaders in the sustainable fishing industry.
- Get inside access to local decision-makers, business owners, and leaders, for hands-on training in sustainability practices in ecotourism, agriculture, and energy production.
- Try local foods produced on the farms where they are grown.
PROJECTS
Help design or manage farm production and waste; contribute to conversations and deliberations on integrated conservation and economic development projects.
Daily Life
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HOUSING
Homestays: While at our base in Monteverde, students live with local families, and get familiar with the daily routine of rural life in Costa Rica. Students will have the opportunity to practice Spanish, participate in family and community events, and have an insider view of the community. There is also privacy, a chance for down time, and freedom to explore the town with friends. Students have a private room, access to a shared (family) bathroom, a key for the house, and laundry service.
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MEALS
Students are provided with breakfast, a sack lunch, and dinner. Host families can generally accommodate diet requirements and restrictions, such as vegetarianism or veganism. More specialized or restricted diets might be possible as well.
Monteverde, Costa Rica Where You'll Study
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CIEE MONTEVERDE
Monteverde
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Getting Around
Students get around by foot and take buses, taxis, and ATVs
Like what you're seeing so far?
request more informationWhat you need to know
The program detailsSee what it feels like to live sustainably at CIEE, where low-impact practices are a way of life and learning. Compost your organic trash to help cultivate native plants that support local wildlife on the center grounds. Grow and eat organic crops from the CIEE Heritage Garden. Even bask in the natural light of the sun or flick a switch for solar powered energy.
STEM courses are taught by CIEE faculty in English.
Academics
Click to OpenEligibility
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OVERALL GPA
Students need to have an overall GPA of at least 2.5.
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PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
2 college-level courses in the natural sciences, environmental studies, sustainability, or agriculture
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Curriculum
Recommended Credit
- Course credit: 3 semester/4.5 quarter hours per session
- Optional Communicative Spanish Language course credit: 1 semester/1.5 quarter credits
- Optional Communicative Spanish Language contact hours: 15
Two STEM courses are offered in successive sessions: Sustainable Development for the Tropics (Session II); and Environmental Engineering for the Tropics (Session III). Students can select the optional Communicative Spanish Language class for credit in one session only.
Note: This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to change as a result of ongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be canceled due to insufficient enrollment.
Scholarships
Click to OpenScholarships & Grants
Last year, we awarded more than 1,000 scholarships per term for a total of $5 million, helping more students get on planes and live their dreams in faraway places than any other organization.
Students who apply to this program are eligible for the following scholarships and grants:
- Ping Scholarships for Academic Excellence
- Ritzmann Tropical and Marine Ecology Scholarships
- Global Access Initiative (GAIN) Grants
- Stohl International Undergraduate Research Scholarships
- CIEE Gilman Go Global Grant
To be considered, submit the CIEE Scholarships & Grants application within your CIEE program application. Learn more at the Scholarships & Grants section of our website.
See more scholarship infoDates, Deadlines & Fees
Click to OpenDates, Deadlines & Fees
You get more for every dollar when you study abroad with CIEE, because our high-quality programs include everything from excursions to insurance. There are no hidden charges, and no disappointing surprises when you arrive.
YOUR FEE INCLUDES:
- Tuition
- Housing
- Meals
- Advising before you depart to set goals and answer questions
- Optional on-site airport meet-and-greet
- Two-day orientation – an introduction to Costa Rica culture, your academic program, and the city, plus practical information about living in your host city
- Full-time program leadership and support in your host city
- Field trips and cultural activities
- Overnight excursions
- Insurance and other travel benefits, with CIEE iNext
To help you budget, keep in mind that students are responsible for the cost of international airfare, local transportation, books and supplies, visas, and personal expenses. In addition, ask your college or university study abroad advisor if your school charges additional fees for study abroad.
No Hidden Fees
Program |
Application Due |
Start Date |
End Date |
Fees & Housing |
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| Summer Session II 2018 4 weeks | Jun 18, 2018 | Jul 16, 2018 |
$3,850
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Program FeesCIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel insurance with benefits. Participation Confirmation = $300 * Educational Costs = $2,743 ** Housing = $640 *** Insurance = $167 Total Fees = $3,850Estimated CostsStudents are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration. Meals not included in program fee = $100 International Airfare = $600 † Local Transportation = $50 Books & Supplies = $100 Personal expenses = $400 Total Estimated Costs = $1,250Financial AidCIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $5 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, MSI grants, Gilman matching grants, and Pell matching grants. This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time. Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $500 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed. * non-refundable ** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students *** includes lunch and dinner daily, plus brunch on Sundays † round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure |
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| Summer Session II and III 2018 8 weeks | Jun 18, 2018 | Aug 12, 2018 |
$6,930
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Program FeesCIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel insurance with benefits. Participation Confirmation = $300 * Educational Costs = $5,183 ** Housing = $1,280 *** Insurance = $167 Total Fees = $6,930Estimated CostsStudents are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration. Meals not included in program fee = $200 International Airfare = $600 † Local Transportation = $100 Books & Supplies = $200 Personal expenses = $800 Total Estimated Costs = $1,900Financial AidCIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $5 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, MSI grants, Gilman matching grants, and Pell matching grants. This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time. Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $500 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed. * non-refundable ** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students *** includes lunch and dinner daily, plus brunch on Sundays † round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure |
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| Summer Session III 2018 4 weeks | Jul 16, 2018 | Aug 12, 2018 |
$3,850
Click to Close
Program FeesCIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel insurance with benefits. Participation Confirmation = $300 * Educational Costs = $2,743 ** Housing = $640 *** Insurance = $167 Total Fees = $3,850Estimated CostsStudents are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration. Meals not included in program fee = $100 International Airfare = $600 † Local Transportation = $50 Books & Supplies = $100 Personal expenses = $400 Total Estimated Costs = $1,250Financial AidCIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $5 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, MSI grants, Gilman matching grants, and Pell matching grants. This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time. Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $500 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed. * non-refundable ** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students *** includes lunch and dinner daily, plus brunch on Sundays † round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure |
Looking for funding?
Our Staff
Click to OpenOur Staff
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Hector Castaneda
Instructor
Hector Castaneda has a doctorate from the University of Florida in Interdisciplinary Ecology.
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Karen Masters
Director
Karen Masters has a doctorate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University.
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Erick McAdam, MSc
Instructor
He has a B.A. in Biology from Berea College, Kentucky and an MS from Oregon State University in Sustainable Forest Management with emphasis on remote sensing of forest attributes and process-based growth modeling.
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