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The Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences (GAIAS) is a world-class academic and research institution offering hands-on academic programs for both international and Ecuadorian students on the Galapagos Islands. Students have the opportunity to choose between three tracks: Marine Ecology; Evolution, Ecology and
Conservation; and People, Politics and the Environment. Interested students may also be able to arrive a week early to participate in the GAIAS Diving Experience program, an intensive course in which they will get their PADI Diving License.
Location.........Quito, Ecuador and Galapagos Islands
Type of Program
Exchange and Study Abroad
Program Dates
Fall
Late August to Mid December
GAIAS has 3 themed programs in which students can participate as well as two elective course options which include Cultural and Social
Dynamics in Tropical Andean Environment and Digital Photography
(1 credit, extra fee).
Spring
Early January to Mid May
Participants spend one month in Quito at USFQ’s Cumbaya campus
(including a visit to the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, a cloud forest and the Antisana Volcano), followed by 3 months in the Galapagos.
Students examine and study the ways in which Ecuador´s diverse ecosystems shape evolutionary processes; the manner in which these processes lead to adaptive radiation, specification, endemism, biological diversity, and the role that distinct social, cultural and economic conditions have played in the protection or transformation of these unique environments. Courses include
Tropical Ecology, Native and Introduced Plants of the Galapagos,
Evolutionary Biology, Introduction to Marine Ecosystems, Human
Ecology and Maritime Communities.
Application Deadlines
Fall Semester/Academic Year ................. April 1
Spring Semester ..............................October 15
Eligibility
Students are eligible to apply for this program if they meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Degree-seeking student
• At least Sophomore standing at time of
participation
• Good judicial standing
• 2.8 GPA at time of application

O p e n
u p your
w o r ld
Participants spend one month in Quito at USFQ’s Cumbaya campus
(including conducting research at the Machalilla National Park on the
Ecuadorian coast, visiting a cloud forest and the Antisana Volcano), followed by 3 months in the Galapagos. The Marine Ecology program combines course and field work addressing the importance of marine conservation and the social aspects of marine management. Through studies on the Ecuadorian Pacific Coast and the Galapagos Islands, students will experience and study a variety of ecosystems, including the subtropical ecosystems of the Humboldt Current and tropical ecosystems of the northern Ecuadorian coast. Course related fieldtrips include oceanic mangroves, wetlands, cliffs, inter-tidal ecosystems, open sea, and rocky and coral reefs, and course offering includes Techniques of Marine Research,
Marine Life, Introduction to Marine Ecosystems, Marine Conservation
Biology and Human Ecology & Maritime Communities.
- G o A b r oa d !
Exchange and Study Abroad - With either
Participants spend one month in Quito at USFQ’s Cumbaya campus (including a visit to the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, a cloud forest and the Antisana
Volcano), followed by 3 months in the Galapagos. The People, Politics and
Environment Program explores the various economic, cultural and social issues that affect relationships between humans and their environment. This course combines classroom discussion, visits to indigenous and traditional
Andean communities, the Ecuadorian Amazon and the Archipelago
Galapagos Islands. Participants will study ways in which societies adapt to diverse ecosystems on local and global levels. They will examine the economic, political, and societal transformations resulting from the tourism, fisheries, and agriculture industries, as well as from conservation efforts.
Students evaluate the impacts societies have had on fragile ecosystems and research just and peaceful solutions to conflicts resulting from the delicate and, at times, volatile dynamics between people and their environments.
Courses include Wildlife Conservation Management, Health and the
Environment, Political Ecology, Human Ecology and Maritime Communities and Strategic Planning for Natural Resource Management.
Federal and state financial aid may be applied toward this program. Even if you are normally ineligible for financial aid, you should submit a financial aid application (FAFSA). You may find that you are eligible for additional funding.
UNCW students may also apply for a
UNCW Education Abroad Grant and additional study abroad scholarships.
Grant applications and additional information are available at www.uncw.
edu/international/abroad/aid.html
GAIAS Program: http://www.usfq.edu.ec/Galapagos/
GAIAS/SemesterPrograms/Paginas/
SemesterPrograms.aspx
UNCW Office of International Programs: www.uncw.edu/international
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UNCW is committed to and will provide equal educational and employment opportunity. Questions regarding program access may be
So u th
C o ll e ge Ro ad directed to the Compliance Officer, UNCW Chancellor’s Office, 910.962.3088, Fax 910.962.3483. xx,xxx copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $x,xxx.xx or $.xx per copy (G.S. 143-170.1).
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