Location:

Quito, Ecuador

Program Type:

Intensive Language

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Duration:

3-4 weeks, 1-3 months

Language:

Spanish

Program Overview

Program Description:

Strengthen your Spanish language skills and explore Quito, a large city high in the Andes surrounded by volcanic peaks. Sample dry-roasted corn from street vendors while marveling at Old Town’s colonial architecture, narrow streets, and lively plazas.

Take one language course is taught over a three-week period and receive 4 undergraduate credits. All classes are held at the University of Minnesota’s partner organization Fundación CIMAS, a local study center. Language courses are taught by experienced instructors who are native speakers. Small class sizes allow you many opportunities to practice your language skills and receive feedback from the instructor. You will be in class with other program participants. You may also participate in this program as an optional language pre-session for the MSID Ecuador program.

Homestays are an integral component of the learning experience and often a highlight for participants. Your family provides not only housing and most meals but is a vital connection to Ecuadorian culture and daily life. 

Excursions vary each term, but you will typically take a city tour of Quito and a field observation trip to Saqusili (just South of Quito) to visit a traditional market.

Setting Description:

Few countries as small as Ecuador contain such remarkable geographic and biological diversity. It ranges from coastal deserts to temperate mountain valleys to Amazon forests. Culturally and racially, its population includes every mix of indigenous, Spanish, and African elements. The program is based in Quito, an Andean city within sight of snowcapped volcanoes, which houses a remarkable mix of colonial and modern, rich and poor.

Additional Program Information

Requirements:

2.5 GPA; freshmen and above; minimum three semesters college-level Spanish; American degree-seeking students

Scholarships:

Yes

Scholarships Description:

The Learning Abroad Center’s Study Abroad Scholarship provides awards for non-University of Minnesota undergraduate students going on eligible Learning Abroad Center credit-bearing programs.