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ACADEMIC PROGRAM

The Oregon University System (OUS) exchange program at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito-GAIAS Institute (USFQ-GAIAS) offers semester programs in the Galapagos Islands focusing on the natural sciences and social sciences. All courses are taught in English.

Courses are taught in three week modules and follow three different tracks:

• Evolution, Ecology and Conservation in the Galapagos
• People, Politics and the Environment in the Galapagos
• Marine Ecology

A full listing of the courses and special activities of the programs are available on the GAIAS website below.

Host University Description:

The Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences is a branch of the USFQ in Quito. The Institute sits on the island of San Cristóbal in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, population 5,400. From the front door of the institute, it is a one minute walk to the beach, but you’ll have to step around grumpy sea lions to get there. It’s a ten-minute walk into town and another ten minutes in the opposite direction to the Galapagos National Park Interpretive Center.

The GAIAS Institute houses classrooms, some dormitory rooms (shared), a computer lab, a small library, and dining hall. Visiting faculty also reside at the Institute.

Host University Website:

For general information on USFQ, its academic units and services, please consult here.

For general information on GAIAS, its academic units and services, please consult here.

Registration and Credits:

Students participating in this program will be registered at their home university in Oregon and will receive home campus credits for courses taken at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)-GAIAS Institute. Students’ course work will be reviewed and evaluated by appropriate academic departments at their home institutions. Students must keep detailed records of course outlines, reading lists, exam results, and other work completed to facilitate accurate evaluation by their home university academic departments.

Students are advised to consult with their academic advisor about their plans to study in the Ecuador program. Students wishing to earn major or minor credits for courses taken at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)-GAIAS Institute are strongly advised to be in frequent communication with their advisor to determine what’s possible.

Because of the nature of this program, courses and credits are applied after completion of the program.

Academic Calendar:

Approximate dates are as follows (dates vary slightly each year, please check with OUS program staff for exact dates):

• Fall semester: Mid AUGUST through third week in DECEMBER
• Spring semester: Early JANUARY through mid MAY

Students participating in the spring semester program are registered for winter and spring terms in Oregon.