Location:

Guayaquil, Ecuador

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

This exciting program is a wonderful opportunity for students interested in life sciences, environmental studies, conservation biology, geology, and geography to experience one of the most ecologically diverse countries in the world and to explore the pressures and challenges on these unique environments.

The University of Toronto offers 3 to 6 week summer courses in Argentina, Australia, Central Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland), China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Italy, Peru, Southeastern Europe (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia), Spain and the United Arab Emirates. Courses are for degree credit and students from other North American universities are welcome to participate. Prices vary by site and range from approximately $4200 to $9000 (this include tuition, accommodation, meals, textbooks, and field trips).

The program is hosted by the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and will use two of its research centres, the Galápagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences, and the Tiputini Biodiversity Station (located in the Amazon Rainforest), as well as its Quito campus. USFQ has been collaborating with partner universities from around the world for many years, sharing their faculty’s expertise and research knowledge to run successful programs for local and foreign students.

Setting Description:

Ecuador is a small country, yet it contains incredible natural diversity: tropical rainforests, snowcapped volcanoes, vast coastal beaches, the majestic Andes mountains, and the incredible Galápagos Islands. Ecuador has 9.2 species per square km, more than any other country in the world. Students in this program will stay in three very different regions of the country, and will experience and study complex ecosystems teeming with astonishing biological and cultural diversity. Andes Highlands: The Andes is the world’s longest mountain range, forming a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. In this region students will view first-hand paramo ecology and the impact of global warming on the glaciers, as well as the physiological, cultural and economic adaptations of indigenous mountain peoples. Amazon Rainforest: Students will live, study and conduct biological fieldwork in pristine tropical rainforest on the north bank of the Tiputini River. The program

Cost:

Prices vary by site and range from approximately $4200 to $9000 (this include tuition, accommodation, meals, textbooks, and field trips).