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A Pan-American exploration of identity, expression and our sustainable future.
12 CREDITS | 14 WEEKS
Craft your story about the impact that you want to make on the world while exploring the cultures, ecosystems, and diverse landscapes of Costa Rica and Baja California, Mexico. Develop your Spanish language skills, gain fundamental skills in ecological fieldwork, and explore sustainable development as you learn from professors at Colorado State University and the United Nations-chartered University for Peace. The world will also be your classroom as you embark on service-learning projects and fieldwork with local communities, nonprofits, and businesses. After the program, you can choose to continue to Colorado State with the opportunity to join CSU Honors Program, or you can take your transferable college credit with you on the next step of your academic journey.
Upcoming travel dates:
Aug. 17 – Nov. 22, 2025
Program components
Coursework
Jumpstart your journey with an immersive Spanish language course at our EF Language Campus in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. After being placed in the class that aligns with your skill levels, dive into coursework alongside learners from around the world and continue honing your language skills both in and out of the classroom.
This course will leverage the places you visit to introduce ecological fieldwork within the biological sciences through exposure to biodiversity, global culture, and field research. Skills and tools for conducting fieldwork and communicating findings are explored in the context of a social-ecological framework that helps students understand the relationship between society and the environment.
This course explores personal narratives as a tool to reflect upon the origin and ongoing development of your values, goals, and identities during your Education Abroad, and their impact on your academic and personal choices. We will investigate a variety of personal narratives from various cultures, creative nonfiction, and memoirs, as well as visual and oral narratives. You will explore how your story fits within potential programs of study at the university and beyond.
This course includes an introduction to the Circular Economy concept. It provides an array of case examples, a solid framework, and guiding principles for implementing it. Ultimately, the Circular Economy is about the optimization of entire processes and systems rather than single components. The transition towards a circular economy is one of the biggest challenges we face to create a more sustainable society. This transition requires an interdisciplinary approach, combining socio-technical, managerial, and environmental considerations.
Program Itinerary
Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to availability and local conditions at the time of departure.
COSTA RICA
9 Weeks
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Program orientation
Your semester starts in San Jose, Costa Rica where you’ll participate in orientation activities to help build your toolkit for understanding the other cultures you’ll be experiencing.
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Spanish language
Travel to the EF Campus on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica to immerse yourself in a 3-week intensive Spanish course. You’ll be placed in a language course appropriate to your skill level and will take classes with students from around the world. In your spare time, enjoy the stunning beaches of Tamarindo.
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Sustainable development & the circular economy
Travel to Costa Rica’s Central Valley to study at the UN-chartered University for Peace, an international institution training the leaders of tomorrow to build a sustainable, peaceful, and equitable future for all. Your course at the University for Peace will focus on Sustainable Development and the Circular Economy and will include co-curricular field visits to places like sustainable small businesses, and industrial recycling facilities to bring your experience to life.
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Wildlife & conservation in Costa Rica
Dive into your Introduction to International Fieldwork course as you travel throughout Costa Rica’s Central Valley and Osa Peninsula, immersing yourself in a wide range of wildlife and ecological conservation projects at each stop. Work on projects that support sea turtle conservation and mangrove reforestation as you learn the best practices of international fieldwork.
MEXICO
5 Weeks
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Our sustainable future
After traveling throughout Costa Rica, settle in for your final few weeks of the program at CSU’s Todos Santos center in Baja California, Mexico, where you’ll wrap up your coursework and reflect on all the experiences you’ve had along your journey. Along with your cohort, you’ll get to experience life in this beautiful small town, while getting to know some of the people and families who have been there for generations, making it what it is today. You’ll end the program with a greater sense of who you are, the opportunities to create a sustainable future, and the role you want to play in building it.
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Ready to get started?
Our Program Consultants are ready to answer any questions you and your family may have, then they’ll work with you to plan an experience that expands your horizons and meets your goals.
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