Costa Rica: San Jose Semester

CCIS Study Abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica

Program Overview

A small, democratic country in Central America nestled between the Caribbean and the Pacific ocean, Costa Rica is exceptional in that many environments can be visited within a short time. Rain forests, cloud forests, unspoiled beaches, coral reefs, white water rivers and volcanoes can be reached within a couple of hours by car from San José. Costa Rica is one of the few stable, democratic republics in Latin America. It has the highest standard of living of the Central American countries. The health record is excellent, and illiteracy is very low. Peaceful by nature, the Costa Ricans have no army, as it was abolished in 1948.

Universidad Veritas is located in the capital city of San José. At 4000 feet above sea level, it boasts a springtime climate all year round. The city surprises visitors by its vitality. Despite its cosmopolitan atmosphere with Central, South and North Americans as well as Europeans on busy downtown streets, its residents display an unmatched friendliness and warmth. Tourists as well as visiting businessmen happily testify to this. Every year the country attracts a large number of persons who, having visited Costa Rica once, decide to return to settle there. Students have easy access to the city's museums, restaurants, bustling markets, and the National Theater. The surrounding areas, including beaches on both the Pacific and the Caribbean coasts, are all within a few hours' drive from the city.

Academic Profile

Universidad Veritas in San Jose

Veritas, founded in 1991, is a private Art, Design and Architecture University, located in San Jose, Costa Rica. The university enrolls approximately 1100 students year-round, specializing in Advertising, Architecture, Digital Animation, Film and Television, Interior Design, and Photography.

The campus is located only minutes away from downtown and the city's museums and restaurants.

Faculty from Universidad Veritas hold advanced US or Costa Rican degrees, and a great number of years of teaching in their respective fields.

Universidad Veritas is one of Costa Rica's new private universities. It is located in a residential section of town and has a local student population of approximately 3,500. The Veritas Instituto Espanol (Intensive Spanish for Foreign students) is part of the university, and offers students from around the world the opportunity to advance their Spanish language skills while taking other courses in English taught by bilingual faculty from the university. Students should not expect all of the facilities and accoutrements available on a U.S. campus. The classrooms and administrative offices of Universidad Veritas are located in the Edificio ITAN, Carretera a Zapote, San José. Universidad Veritas is recognized for its excellent programs in Art and Graphic Design.

Course Offerings

All elective courses carry three semester credit hours, and students are normally required to enroll in 15-18 credits per term. All full-time students take at least two or three Spanish language courses and one or two electives in English. These are offered in a variety of disciplines, depending on the student's academic interests.

Students participating in the summer programs typically take one elective in English and one Spanish language course for a total of 6 credits during the 5-week period.

Spanish language courses are taught in 4-week modules, during the mornings. English courses are taught in the afternoons.

Miami Dade applicants can find a list of courses here:

MDC Costa Rica Informational Booklet

Activities and Opportunities

Student Life

Extracurricular Activities

In addition to the vast outdoors activities and visits to beaches, mountains, and volcanoes, students in the Veritas program will have the opportunity to participate in weekend excursions, weekly tropical dance lessons, sports, Latin American cooking lessons, museum and artisan market visits, volunteer work with underprivileged children in the afternoons, and youth groups.

Volunteer Program

Universidad Veritas also coordinates volunteer programs for students who are interested in the national park and reserve system. "Volunteers and Projects for the support of Conservation Areas" is a program that gives support to the National System of Preservation Areas of Costa Rica. This program allows interested students the possibility to learn more about the support or our National Parks, Wildlife Shelters, Forest Reserves, etc".

If a student would like to participate in specific areas such as species monitoring, turtle nesting, botanical projects, etc, he/she should indicate it on the application and personal statement

Housing

Students are placed with host families in a Costa Rican homestay in San José, usually one student per family. Students are given private rooms with laundry service, and breakfast and dinner on class days. For students who do not opt for the homestay, Universidad Veritas will arrange accommodations at an additional cost. The Student Affairs staff coordinates all housing arrangements and social, cultural, and sports activities.

San José, Costa Rica Semester Program Details

Duration

Fall 2010: September 27 through December 17, 2010

Spring 2011: January 3rd-March 25th, 2011

Application Deadline(s)

Fall 2010: August 1, 2010

Spring 2011: November 15, 2010

Financial Aid

Please speak with your advisor or Financial Aid rep at your school.

Eligibility Requirements

At least 2nd semester freshman standing and a 2.5 GPA

Academic Levels

All levels of Spanish are eligible, from beginner to advanced

Costs

$6,395 (CCIS member)
$6,595(non-member)

Miami Dade College requires a $30 application fee and no additional deposit.

Truman requires a $300 deposit, deducted from total amount due, upon acceptance to the program, but does not have an application fee.

Prices and Dates are subject to change

Costs Included

Instructional costs abroad, CCIS and sponsor, room and half board, health insurance.

Costs Not Included

Estimated: Airfare ($1,500), personal and miscellaneous expenses ($2,000), textbooks ($100), partial meals (400)

Entry Requirements

Valid Passport, no Visa is required.

All costs, fees, and dates are subject to change without notification. Please contact the appropriate individual to verify all costs, fees, and dates for this program.

Submit Application Materials To:

Please visit the Miami Dade Website for a more detailed view of the Costa Rican programs:

MDC Costa Rica Informational Booklet

MDC GLOBAL

Leeza Fernand

Office of International Education
Miami Dade College
300 NE Second Avenue
Suite 1440
Miami, FL 33132
lfernan7@mdc.edu
(305) 237-3580
(305) 237-7439 (Fax)

Eva Fernandez

Programs Manager Office of International Education
Miami Dade College
300 NE Second Avenue
Suite 1450
Miami, FL 33132
efernan1@mdc.edu
(305) 237-3008
(305) 237-7439 (Fax)

- or -

Rosa Virginia Mendez, Study Abroad Advisor

Truman State University
Center for International Education Abroad
Kirk Building 114
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 785-4076
(660) 785-7473 (Fax)
rvmendez@truman.edu

How do I apply?

Start the CCIS Study Abroad application process by downloading and printing the following forms. These PDF documents are viewed using Adobe's Acrobat Reader plug-in, which is available free. If you don't have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, click here.

CCIS APPLICATION PACKAGE AND INSTRUCTIONS