University of Costa Rica
The University of Costa Rica (in Spanish, Universidad de Costa Rica, abbreviated UCR) is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus is located in San Pedro, in the province of San José. It is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious institution of higher learning in Costa Rica. Aproximetely 40,000 students attend UCR throughout the year.
History
The first university in Costa Rica was the University of St. Thomas (Universidad de Santo Tomás), established in 1843. That institution maintained close ties with the Roman Catholic Church and was closed in 1888 by the progressive and mildly anti-clerical government of President Bernardo Soto Alfaro as part of a campaign to modernize public education. The schools of law, agronomy, fine arts, and pharmacy continued to operate independently, but Costa Rica had no university proper until 1940, when the modern UCR was established during the reformist left-leaning administration of President Dr. Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia. Its current president for the term 2004-2008 is Yamileth Gonzalez Garcia (Ph.D. Catholic University of Leuven (Louvain), Belgium.
Organization
The UCR is divided into six major academic areas: Arts and Letters, Basic Sciences, Social Sciences, Engineering, Agricultural Sciences, Architecture, and Health. These areas are divided into Colleges, Schools and Departments, Research Centers and Institutes. The Graduate Studies System offers masters’ and doctorate degrees in a variety of academic fields. Careers are as follows:
- Engineering [1]
- Architecture [9]
- Arts and Letters
- Basic Sciences [12]
- Health [17]
- Microbiology [22]
- Dentistry
- Pharmacology [23]
- Social Sciences [24]
Research institutes
The University manages 26 research institutes:
Central American Population Studies Center (CCP), Electro-Chemical Energy Research Center (CELEQ), Agronomical Research Center (CIA), Molecular and Cellular Biology Research Center (CIBCM), Environmental Pollution Research Center (CICA), Research Center on Nuclear and Molecular Sciences( CICANUM), Center for Research and Training on Public Management (CICAP), Center for Research on Materials Science & Engineering (CICIMA), Center for Research on Agribusiness (CIEDA), Center for Research on Sustainable Development (CIEDES), Center on Women Studies (CIEM), Research Center on Microscopic Structures (CIEMIC), Research Center on Tropical Diseases (CIET), Research Center on Geophysics (CIGEFI), Research Center on Seed Science (CIGRAS), Center for Central Americal Historical Studies (CIHAC), Research Center on Abnormal Hemoglobins and Related Ailments (CIHATA), Center of Studies on Latin American Identity and Culture (CIICLA), Research Center on Sea Sciences (CIMAR), Research Center on Mathematics and Metha-mathematics (CIMM), Research Center on Pure and Applied Mathematics (CIMPA), Research Center on Animal Nutrition (CINA), Center on Space Research (CINESPA), Research Center on Plant Protection (CIPROC), Research Center on Natural Products (CIPRONA), National Research Center on Food Science (CITA).
Other projects managed include one rainforest research station (Alberto Manuel Brenes Station), two agricultural research stations (Alfredo Volio and Fabio Baudrit stations [36]), one botanical garden focused on orchid conservation (Lankester Botanical Garden [37]), a planetarium [38], two radio stations, one weekly newspaper and one television station.
Campuses and local branches
Since the UCR has a social duty regional campuses and small local branches function throughout the country to reach out all Costa Ricans, both city dwellers and rural ones. Besides its main campus in San Pedro, San Jose (Rodrigo Facio campus, pictured below) existing regional options are:
-Western campus (San Ramon City, Alajuela Province): includes a local branch in Tacares township, Grecia county.
-Atlantic campus (Turrialba City, Cartago Province): includes a local branch in Paraiso township, Cartago province and another one in Guapiles township, Limon province.
-Guanacaste campus (Liberia City, Guanacaste Province): includes a local branch in Santa Cruz township.
-Limon City campus (Port Limon City).
-Pacific campus (Puntarenas Port): includes a local in Golfito county, an area close to the Panamanian border.
Local campuses and branches offer different study options, Limon and Puntarenas for instance being tourist areas offer a career in Tourism management.
File:University of Costa Rica-Main entrance.jpg
Social relevance
The University while neutral on most aspects of Costa Rican life defines itself as a humanistic institution, therefore it considers that technocratic forms of government where citizens are not taken into consideration run against democracy. Social work and research extension activities are thus encouraged. The university is the most mentioned government institution in Costa Rican media where its opinion is sought after in scientific, ethic and economic matters. Costa Rica's president Oscar Arias as well as the newly appointed minister of Science and Technology, the head of the government monopoly on power and telecommunications and the head of the Social Security Fund are all UCR's graduates.
The UCR is also part of the National Council of University Chairpersons, a watchdog body that overviews higher education quality.
International Cooperation
The University has international cooperation alliances with the DAAD (the German Academic Trust), the governments of Japan, France, Mexico, Spain,Taiwan (R.O.C), the EU, the OAS and US research institutions such as the Oraganization for Tropical Studies, whose headquarters in Costa Rica are located within UCR's central campus (Rodrigo Facio campus).
Academic cooperation agreements have been signed with the governments of the following countries (in no particular order): Germany, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Cuba, Denmark, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, Russian Federation, Finnland, United States, France, the Netherlands, Honduras, Israel, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Taiwan (R.O.C), Dominican Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Events
The school calendar, as in the rest of Costa Rica, runs from February to December. The school year is divided into two semesters, plus one additional summer term that may be mandatory depending on career.
Semana U is an event held in the middle of the first semester and involves the participation of the different student organizations. There are many concerts, talks, expositions, and other activities.
Applying
Costa Rican applicants to the UCR must take an admission test. This test is similar to the SAT in the US. The score of this test is used along with the grades from the student's last years in high school to determine the student's admission score, which is later used to determine admission to a specific major and financial aid. 800 is the highest possible score on the admission test and 400 is the minimum score required for admission. Students who score 800 usually make it in the frontpages of Costa Rican newpapers.
Undergraduate admission is highly selective, having an acceptance rate of approximately 30%. However, being admitted to the university doesn't assure admission to the chosen major. Usually, the best 80-150 applicants are admitted, depending on the school.
International applicants must revalidate their high school certificate and grades from their country of origin at the Ministry of Education in order to apply and take the admission test. Graduate school applicants must revalidate their undergraduate certificate also.
Transportation
An internal free shuttle moves students around its main campus and satellite areas (fincas) including the research city, a cluster of laboratories and research centers detached from the main campus by a river and several neighborhoods. Transportation to San Jose downtown and neighbouring counties (cantones) is readily available either as part of subsidized transportation routes or thanks to San Jose's inexpensive bus and railway lines.