Fall Semester: August 20th to December 21st, 2008
Spring Semester: January 2nd to May 16th, 2009

Download a program one-sheet

The Ecuador Tropical Ecology Program offers biology and environmental science majors the opportunity to spend a semester studying the vast and diverse ecosystems of tropical Ecuador through intensive hands-on experiences. The program consists of four ecology courses based on field research in the montane, tropical rainforest, and coastal regions, as well as an intensive Spanish language course. Ecology courses are taught in English by faculty from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and BU’s Department of Biology. Upon successful completion of a semester, students earn 18 Boston University credits.

During the first nine weeks of the program students complete three upper-level ecology courses on the various ecosystems of Ecuador, which combine lectures at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito with studies lasting from several days to four weeks in different environments in Ecuador. Students also enroll in a required, two-credit, intensive Spanish course during the first three weeks of the program. The highlights of the field experience include a 8-day guided scientific excursion to the Galapagos Islands, a two-week coastal project at Los Piqueros (near Machalilla National Park on the Pacific coast), and a four-week stay in the Amazon rainforest at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station.

Students complete the semester with a capstone course that requires them to analyze field data, prepare reports, and give oral presentations based on individual and group projects conducted in the field.

Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)
USFQ is a private, secular, liberal arts college in Quito. It was founded in 1988 and maintains an annual enrollment of 3,500 undergraduate students. There are more than 100 full-time and 50 part-time professors, most of whom hold advanced degrees from major US and European universities. The faculty to student ratio at USFQ is approximately one to seven. The campus, located in a valley 30 minutes from the center of Quito, houses classrooms, offices, a library, laboratories, and a number of recreational facilities.