Deepen your knowledge and understanding of contemporary Andean culture and society and its historical roots as well as current issues facing Ecuador's biodiversity and sustainable development.
Live with an Ecuadoran family and speak only Spanish! Attend classes taught by Georgia Tech faculty at the Universidad de Cuenca, where you will find your Cuencano peers eager to get to know you!
Spend six days in the famous GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, where Charles Darwin conducted his research for his Origin of the Species. July in the Galapagos is breeding and nesting season for blue footed boobies, sea lions, penguins and flamingos and migration season for humpback whales.
Visit local businesses and chat with tradespeople, such as the "Panama hat" factory and flower-growers cooperative (two of Ecuador's major exports) as well as NGOs focusing on Ecuador's entrepreneurship, international collaboration and sustainable development.
Experience a varied cultural and professional program including excursions to the major biodiversity center, El Cajas National Park, and the Inca ruins of Ingapirca. Or take a weekend on your own to visit the Amazon jungle or climb the volcano Cotopaxi, Ecuador's second highest summit.
Prerequisites
SPAN 2002 or equivalent and good academic standing (this program is conducted in Spanish).
Courses
SPAN 3690, 3592. All courses are taught by faculty of the School of Modern Languages, at the Universidad de la Comunicacion
Ecuador Program Costs
6-credit program: $4099 plus non-refundable $300 application fee.
Program Fee Covers:
- ground transportation for cultural excursions and company visits
- housing and three meals/day with an Ecuadoran family in Cuenca
- round-trip bus transport Cuenca-Guayaquil
- round-trip airfare Guayaquil - Galapagos
- travel, lodging, meals and local transport in Galapagos
- tours of city and cultural sites, professional visits
- health, evacuation and repatriation insurance… and MORE!
Program fee does not cover tuition, Georgia Tech fees, round-trip international airfare to Cuenca, $100 cash payment of park entrance fee to the Galapagos Islands.
Payment Schedule and Deadlines
- Application deadline: January 15, 2023 (may be extended if program not full)
- Application deadline for early acceptance: November 15, 2022 (you will know before the end of the semester if you are accepted into the program)
- Program application fee of $300 payable on application. Please note: The Program Director does not receive your application until all items of the application package have been submitted and reviewed by OIE, including transcript and application fee.
- First program fee payment. February 10, 2023: $2000
- Second program fee payment. March 15, 2023: $2099
Fee Payment Information: Please adhere to the deadlines stated for the program. Please observe the information in Payment Options to ensure that your payments are processed at the Bursar’s Office on time. Fees will be charged to your Oscar account on the due dates. Make sure you make all necessary payments on time in order to avoid a hold on your account. Students expecting financial aid must submit a letter from the Financial Aid Office stating the allocation and date of payments expected. Tuition and student fees are due according to the Registrar’s schedule for summer tuition.
Students who (with the Program Director’s approval) apply and register for LBAT programs after the deadlines are responsible for Program Fee payments according to the original deadlines at the time of application or at the time of the applicant's acceptance.
If you are relying on financial aid for payment of program fees please contact the program director and present evidence of financial aid for payment deferral requests.
Cancellation Policy
Program descriptions and fees are subject to final approval by educational units and the Office of International Education. Georgia Tech reserves the right to alter or cancel this program due to low enrollment, unavailability of a professor to teach a planned course, or other unforeseen circumstances. Once Georgia Tech has made payments to service providers, or if Georgia Tech cancels the program before departure or while the program is in progress for reasons beyond its control, such as political unrest or danger to participants' safety, only those fees that Georgia Tech is able to have refunded by service providers will be returned to participants. If a student withdraws from the program, the student will be responsible for the payment of all fees