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 environmental 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.
Follow our Travels:
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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 Reserve, 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 (Session II).
- Get inside access to local decision-makers, business owners, and leaders, for hands-on training in sustainability practices in ecotourism (Session II)
- Learn technology for innovative agriculture and energy production in the historic city of Cartago (Session III)
- Gain knowledge and skills for carbon accounting toward the goal of carbon neutrality (Session III).
PROJECTS
Help design or manage farm production and waste (Session III); contribute to conversations and deliberations on integrated conservation and economic development projects (Session II).
Program Blogs
Click to OpenProgram Blogs
Daily Life
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HOUSING
Students stay on the Global Institute campus and in homestays:
- Campus accommodations: Students stay on campus in shared rooms with en suite bathrooms. Three simple, but hardy meals are served in the dining hall. The campus includes indoor and outdoor common areas for recreation and study and allows exclusive access to forest trails and gardens.
- Homestay: Students stay with Costa Rican families in simple, rural homes during a one-week homestay. They are provided private rooms and three meals per day. Bus transportation from the town center and the CIEE Global Institute is provided.
Co-curricular travel: Students and staff make a field trip in both Session II and III to different locations. During those excursions, the group stays in simple lodges.
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MEALS
Campus accommodations: Three simple, but hardy meals are served in the dining hall.
Homestay: Students are provided three meals per day.
Monteverde, Costa Rica Where You'll Study
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A
CIEE MONTEVERDE
Located next to the Monteverde Cloud Forrest
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B
Getting Around
Students get around by foot and take buses, taxis, and ATVs
Academics
Click to OpenAcademics
This summer program is designed for energetic, outdoorsy students, interested in immersing in academics, local culture, and nature. See what it’s like to live sustainably in Costa Rica, where low-impact practices are a way of life. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energies and environmental impacts. Investigate engineered responses to the need for managing energy, water, and nutrient flows in the production of food, fuel, and electricity. Students can also enroll in an optional Communicative Spanish Language course (1 credit). In-class work is augmented with co-curricular visits to the city’s rich variety of cultural institutions and organizations relevant to the course offerings.
CIEE Global Institute – Monteverde is located on an extensive 153-acre campus that includes forest and farms against a backdrop of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Facilities include classrooms, residence halls, and recreational areas in a natural setting. There are wet, dry and GIS laboratories, a herbarium, plus organic gardens to support a wide array of STEM studies and research opportunities. An extensive trail system through forest and fields, links classrooms to a botanical garden, animal stables, and coffee and vegetable production areas.
GPA
2.5
Language Prerequisites
There are no specific language requirements for this program.
Recommendations
It is recommended that students participating in this program have completed 2 college-level courses in the natural sciences, environmental studies, sustainability, or agriculture.
Program Requirements
All students are required to enroll in one 3-credit CIEE course per session.
Program Credit
Total credit: 3-4 U.S. semester/4.5-6 quarter credits per session
Course Credit
- CIEE course: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 45 contact hours per session
- CIEE Communicative Language course: 1 U.S. semester/1.5 quarter credits; 15 contact hours
Academic Culture
Students should expect their schedules to be very structured and full. Classes are scheduled for Monday through Saturday, with daily homework assignments and weekly quizzes. Students are expected to attend all classes, all daylong activities and outings, and one overnight excursion within the country per session. There is no time for weekend travel and you will be strongly encouraged to spend evenings and Sundays extra-curricular activities, practicing the language and learning about the local culture.
Grading
Grades are based on quizzes, exams, essays, oral presentations, deliverables, plus attendance and participation in classes, including outings.
Language of Instruction
English
Courses
Click to OpenCourse Information
Course Notes
Students studying with CIEE for multiple sessions may only take Communicative Spanish once.
Summer 2021 Courses
Click to OpenSummer 2021 course offerings and syllabi will available early fall.
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
CIEE offers more than $8 million in scholarships and grants annually to help students like you make your study abroad dream a reality.
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
- MSI 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 & Fees
Click to OpenDates & 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.
Program |
Application Due |
Start Date |
End Date |
Fees & Housing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Session II 2021 4 weeks | Apr 1, 2021 | Jun 15, 2021* | Jul 13, 2021* | |
| Summer Session II and III 2021 8 weeks | Apr 1, 2021 | Jun 15, 2021* | Aug 9, 2021* | |
| Summer Session III 2021 4 weeks | Apr 1, 2021 | Jul 13, 2021* | Aug 9, 2021* |
*Dates for this program are provided as tentative dates. Please consult with your study abroad advisor to confirm dates before purchasing your flights.
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, your college or university may charge additional fees for study abroad, or may require you to receive a transcript via CIEE's School of Record, which carries an additional fee of $500.
Looking for funding?
What's Included
Click to OpenWhat's Included
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.
Get Started
Here's what you need to do to take the next steps:-
1
START AN APPLICATION
Apply Now
You're one step closer to an amazing study abroad experience! -
2
CONNECT WITH YOUR CAMPUS STUDY ABROAD OFFICE
Share your plans and confirm you're on track to meet all required steps to go abroad. -
3
Contact Us
Send us an email if you still have questions or need information about applying to this program.
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