Ecuador Tropical Ecology Program

  Ecuador

• Quito: 
Quito

Term: Fall, Spring 
Dates: Late August to mid-December; and early January to mid-May

Description: The Ecuador Tropical Ecology Program offers students of Biology and Environmental Science an intensive, field-based scientific investigation of Ecuador's vast and diverse ecosystem, from the Galápagos Islands, to the Andean highlands, to the Amazon basin.

Highlights: Coursework
Ecology courses are taught in English by faculty from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and Boston University; however, many of the local naturalists and guides who work for the program speak only Spanish.

Students take the following classes for a total of 18 Boston University credits.

* Tropical Montane Ecology
* Tropical Coastal Ecology
* Tropical Rainforest Ecology
* Studies in Tropical Ecology
* Intermediate Spanish

Host Institution
Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), a modern private, nondenominational liberal arts university located in a lush valley 30 minutes from downtown Quito, is the home base for the program. It houses classrooms, laboratories, a library, offices, and recreational facilities.

Field Work Locations
Montane: Day and overnight trips from Quito into the central cordillera of the Andes.
Coastal: A guided, ship-based scientific expedition to the Galápagos Islands, followed by a two-week project at Los Piqueros, near Machalilla National Park on the Pacific Coast.
Tropical Rain Forest: A four-week stay at the BU/USFQ Tiputini Biodiversity Research Station in the Amazon rain forest.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Inquire for more info.

Experience Required: no

Boston University International Programs's Mission Statement: Boston University International Programs is the study abroad division of Boston University. With language, liberal arts, fine arts, science, business, engineering and internship programs in 30 cities in 20 countries on six continents, we offer an unmatched variety of study abroad opportunities for students from all majors and interests. Our job is to help students realize their dream to study and work abroad, and to do that we offer academic programs which successfully combine students' intellectual development with practical experience in life and work. Faculty and administration at Boston University are very serious about the important link between theory and practice. We work hard to create programs that respond to the needs of students, as they prepare themselves to make the transition from classroom to career in the new global community.