Study Abroad in Costa Rica
Explore our international programs
International academic programs designed to experience Costa Rica through learning, culture, sustainability, health, technology, design, and social sciences.
At ULatina, Study Abroad programs connect international students with short-term academic experiences in Costa Rica. Each program combines theoretical and practical sessions, fieldwork, academic visits, and experiential learning, depending on the focus of each faculty.
These programs are designed for universities, agencies, and international students seeking an immersive academic experience with specialized content and direct contact with real-world contexts in Costa Rica.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS BY FACULTY
Get a quick overview of the academic experiences available by faculty. Our programs last approximately 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the area of study and the academic proposal.
Each experience combines classroom learning, practical activities, academic visits, and fieldwork in Costa Rica.
FACULTY 
FACULTY
DETAILS
SCIENCES
Health, Territory and Wellbeing in Tropical Regions
Duration: 2 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 25 hours
Fieldwork: 8 hours, 1 academic visit
Independent work: 12 hours
This program offers an interdisciplinary academic experience to understand the relationship between health, environment, food, visual health, and social conditions in tropical contexts.
It integrates contributions from nutrition, biological sciences, optometry, and social work to analyze the biological, social, cultural, and environmental determinants that influence population wellbeing.
Blue Zones Nursing
Duration: 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 30 hours
Fieldwork: 18 hours
This program is designed for nursing students and focuses on the analysis of factors associated with healthy longevity in populations recognized as Blue Zones.
Through academic sessions, community experiences, and field observation, students study the role of lifestyle, nutrition, social networks, and environment in health promotion and active aging.
The program includes academic and community-based activities in the Nicoya Peninsula, a region recognized as a Blue Zone.
Global Health and Zoonotic Diseases
Duration: 2 weeks
Time distribution:
Total course hours: 45
Theoretical-practical sessions: 24 hours
Fieldwork: 21 hours
This intensive course focuses on the study of the main zoonotic diseases of medical relevance in Costa Rica and Central America, including bacterial, viral, and parasitic zoonoses, as well as snakebite envenomation.
It combines theoretical classes, clinical case analysis, laboratory practices, simulation, and academic visits to national reference centers such as INCIENSA and the Clodomiro Picado Institute.
Global Oral Health Field Immersion in Costa Rica
Duration: 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical sessions: 24 hours
Field experience and community practice: 36 hours
This course introduces students to the principles and practices of Primary Oral Health Care within community-oriented health systems.
Through theoretical sessions and direct field experiences in Costa Rican communities, participants explore prevention strategies, health promotion, and early detection as key elements to improve oral health at the population level.
Psychosocial Wellbeing in Indigenous Contexts
Duration: 2 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 25 hours
Fieldwork: 8 hours, 1 academic visit
Independent work: 12 hours
This program offers an interdisciplinary academic experience to understand psychosocial wellbeing from a critical, intercultural, and territorial perspective in Indigenous contexts.
It integrates contributions from psychology and social work to analyze the subjective, community-based, and structural processes that shape mental health and wellbeing in Indigenous populations.
Global Health, Wellness and Lifestyle
Duration: Pending internal confirmation
Time distribution:
Lecture hours: 18 hours
Practical/lab hours: 17 hours
Academic field visits: 8 hours
Independent work: 2 hours
This course approaches health from a comprehensive and interdisciplinary perspective, analyzing the interaction between lifestyles, physical activity, mental health, social determinants, and healthcare systems.
The experience combines theoretical classes, hands-on workshops, academic field visits, and activities in natural environments to develop competencies related to wellness promotion and disease prevention in global and community contexts.
COLLECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Creativity, Sustainability and Experiential Learning in Costa Rica
Duration: 2 to 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 32 hours
Fieldwork: 16 hours
This course connects international students with Costa Rica’s creative industries, sustainability initiatives, and community-based creative projects.
Through experiential learning and intercultural immersion, students analyze how creativity can contribute to social and environmental transformation.
Nature Documentary Production in Tropical Ecosystems
Duration: 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 30 hours
Fieldwork: 18 hours
This course is designed for students in filmmaking, audiovisual production, digital animation, visual arts, and communication.
Using Costa Rica’s biodiversity as a living laboratory, students develop a short nature documentary integrating storytelling, cinematography, editing, and environmental ethics.
Tropical Architecture and Sustainable Design
Duration: 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 36 hours
Fieldwork: 12 hours
This course analyzes tropical architecture through Costa Rica’s climatic, ecological, and sociocultural conditions.
Students examine bioclimatic strategies, sustainable materials, and socially responsible design while participating in studio projects and visits to emblematic tropical architecture sites.
ENGINEERING AND ICTS
Industrial Engineering Immersive Experience in
Costa Rica
Duration: 2 to 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 36 hours
Fieldwork: 9 hours
This immersive international program is designed for students in Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Business.
It integrates academic learning, company visits, intercultural interaction, and cultural experiences within a Study Abroad format.
Smart Sustainability: Technology and Nature in
Costa Rica
Duration: 2 to 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 36 hours
Fieldwork: 9 hours
This program offers international students an experience that combines digital technologies such as 5G, IoT, and data systems with real-world applications in agriculture, water management, biodiversity protection, and smart cities.
Through classes, field experiences, and case studies, students understand how technology can support environmental protection and sustainable development.
Automated Structural Design for Seismic-Resistant Structures with a Sustainable Approach
Duration: 2 to 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 36 hours
Fieldwork: 9 hours
This course introduces international students to automated structural design using SAP2000, one of the most widely used structural engineering software tools worldwide.
The program integrates sustainability criteria focused on reducing carbon footprint.
The Medical Devices Manufacturing Process and Its Success in Costa Rica
Duration: 2 to 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 36 hours
Fieldwork: 9 hours
This program explores the medical device manufacturing process, one of the most dynamic and highly regulated manufacturing sectors in the world.
Students learn about stages such as design and development, raw material selection, precision manufacturing, quality control, sterilization, packaging, and regulatory compliance under international quality, safety, and traceability standards.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Human Rights and Intersectionality
Duration: 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-practical sessions: 36 hours
Fieldwork: 12 hours
This course analyzes human rights as a cross-cutting axis and approaches intersectionality as a perspective to understand how different social structures may affect historically vulnerable populations.
The program includes academic visits to institutions such as the United Nations headquarters in Costa Rica, the Legislative Assembly, the Judiciary, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, and the National Child Welfare Agency, among others.
Students may also learn about Universidad Latina’s Legal Clinics and House of Justice, as well as use courtroom facilities for mock trial simulations.
AND TOURISM
Food in Latin American History
Duration: 3 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-Practical Sessions: 36 hours
Fieldwork: 12 hours
The course explores the history of food in Latin America, with an emphasis on Costa Rica, through the Columbian Exchange and its impact on food systems, the environment, and cultural identity. It analyzes the transformation and spread of foods such as coffee, chocolate, corn, and rice, showing how they have influenced current culinary practices. Additionally, it addresses topics such as Indigenous nutrition, colonization, slavery, immigration, and the development of organic agriculture. It also examines the use of medicinal plants, food sovereignty, and community efforts to create sustainable food systems, including urban agriculture initiatives and their relationship to longevity in Blue Zones.
Green & Sustainable Thinking Experience in Costa Rica
Duration: 4 weeks
Time distribution:
Theoretical-Practical Sessions: 46 hours
Fieldwork: 14 hours
This course explores sustainability in Costa Rica as a leading global example of integrating environmental protection, social well-being, and economic development. Students examine how sustainability is applied across sectors such as tourism, hospitality, business, public policy, and community development. Through a combination of academic sessions and field-based learning, participants analyze real-world case studies and engage with local practices that demonstrate how sustainability is implemented in both urban and rural contexts. The course emphasizes the connection between theory and practice, encouraging students to understand sustainability as a practical framework for innovation, responsible management, and long-term development.
COSTA RICA AS A LIVING CLASSROOM
Studying in Costa Rica allows students to connect academic learning with territories, communities, biodiversity, institutions, and productive sectors that enrich the international experience.
At ULatina, each Study Abroad program is designed to bring students closer to real-world contexts, with academic guidance and an applied vision of knowledge.
