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This is an amazing program, with many of the top faculty from UGA's School of Ecology teaching. The program is geared toward field experience and hands-on learning. Students design their own field research projects, collect and analyze data, and present findings in a final symposium. Field excursions will include visits to several national parks and protected areas, including 10 days at Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, at the San Miguel Biological Station which is open by invitation only. Cabo Blanco is located at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Exploring tidepools and studying marine habitats as well as the tropical dry forest will be included in course activities.

Faculty
Jim Affolter See Dr. Affolter bio here.

Pete Brosius See Dr. Brosius's bio here.

Scott Connelly See Scott's bio here.

Diana Lieberman See Diana's bio here.

Dorsett Trapnell See Dr. Trapnell's bio here.

Courses

• ANTH 4275/6275 Community, Conservation & Development (3 hours)
• ECOL 3100 Tropical Field Ecology (4 hours)
• ECOL 3500-3500L Ecology (4 hours)
• ECOL 4960 Field Research (3 hours)
• GENE 3000 Evolutionary Biology (3 hours)
• HORT (ANTH) (PBIO) 3440 Herbs, Spices, and Medicinal Plants (3 hours)
• MARS 4510 Field Study (3 hours)

Students will earn 16 - 18 UGA resident credit hours. Students who complete this semester program will have sufficient credits for a minor in Ecology. ECOL 3500, ANTH 4275/6275, and STAT 2000 are core requirements for the Ecology minor. Other courses contribute toward minor elective classes.

Excursions
TBD

Costs
The program costs is approximately $9000. The cost of the program covers lodging and three meals per day at UGA’s Costa Rica campus, study abroad insurance, and hotels, meals, entry fees, and transportation on program excursions. Additional costs include personal items, in-state tuition, and airfare. Airfare costs generally vary from $550-$850.

Tuition is paid seperately to the UGA Bursar's office. For more information on tuition and fees, please visit the UGA Bursar's website at https://busfin1.busfin.uga.edu/bursar/schedule.cfm

***Note: Out-of-state students pay in-state tuition. The HOPE scholarship applies.

Payment Methods & Schedule

Non-UGA Student Costs & Transient Application
An additional application and $50 processing fee is required for non-UGA students to enroll. Click here for instructions and to download the Transient Student applicaiton. Contact the UGA Costa Rica Office to confirm when you have started the application process.

Non-UGA students will be charged $250, in addition to their tuition, for their non-UGA student accounts through the UGA Bursar’s office.

Application Process
To apply, students must submit a complete application, transient application (if applicable) and a $500 deposit. No application is complete without the deposit, which will be deducted from the total cost of the program. Deposit will be made payable via the UGA student accounts system the week following submission of this application. The deposit will be refunded if the applicant is not accepted, or if the applicant withdraws by the program's withdrawal deadline. Transient students need to include a check for the deposit amount along with their application, click here for complete instructions for transient students.

Enrollment is limted to 24 qualified students.

Target Dates / Deadlines
Application deadline - April 30th, 2010
Withdrawal deadline - May 7th, 2010
After this date students who withdraw from the program will be responsible to cover program setup costs that have been spent on the student's behalf, i.e. hotel reservation, transportation and other payments to local vendors.


Contact Us
Contact Matt Stevens at ugacr@uga.edu or 706-425-3316.