Center for Service & Global Engagement

Location: San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica
Program Length: Spring Semester

Southern Nazarene University-Costa Rica The Quetzal Education Research Center (QERC) is SNU’s research facility in the heart of the tropical Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica. At QERC, semester long and shorter term learning experiences provide students with opportunities to study biology, ecology, environmental sustainability, Spanish, Central American history and culture, and creation care.  Students who attend the QERC spring program will enjoy time spent hiking on the over 20 miles of trails, exploring the nearly 1,000 acres of preserve, conducting research under the mentorship of a faculty mentor, participating in community life with local residents, as well as traveling throughout the country to Costa Rica’s national parks, world class ecological research centers, and typically one additional Central American country (Panama or Nicaragua depending on conditions).

QERC’s approach to developing culturally responsive leaders includes providing activities that integrate local farmers with research scientists, educators, and students from around the world in the effort to merge good conservation practice and economic viability in the local community. Through this relationship, students, scholars, and the citizens of San Gerardo de Dota gain opportunities to develop transformational discernment as they work through the practical implications of the broad ideal of ecological sustainability.

To facilitate learning at QERC, SNU offers an undergraduate, 16-credit hour Tropical Studies program at the QERC during the spring semester open any undergraduate student that has been accepted to any institution of higher learning that offers bachelor’s degrees. Facilities at the field station include a laboratory facility equipped to conduct various types of biological and ecological research and a separate facility providing housing, dining, recreational, and classroom spaces.

Download QERC Program Brochure

Visit Best Semester to view all available programs.

Studying off-campus transforms your coursework throughout college into material that matters to your life. Students who have been in off-campus programs cite personal and academic growth, as well as increased career opportunities after graduation.

Any major can study off-campus for a semester, but it is more difficult for some majors. If you are in a course of study that requires a specific, sequential requirements, like education or nursing, talk to your advisor as early as possible. See also Will studying off-campus for a semester delay my graduation?.

Probably not. If you plan with your advisor early, you should be able to graduate on time. However, majors that are more dependent on outside certifications, such as education and nursing, might require an extra semester. If you plan to study abroad, it is best to talk to your advisor early in the process in order to plan a schedule for future coursework that will accommodate the semester you plan to be off-campus. See also Do you have any summer programs?

We usually recommend studying abroad in your junior year or the first semester of your senior year.

Students who have studied abroad testify that the effectiveness and worth of off-campus study programs, particularly international programs, increase exponentially with the length of the program. Because of this, we encourage students to participate in programs that are at least one semester long. However, because some students cannot miss an entire semester due to their majors, we offer a few summer options and are working to make more short-term programs available to students. See Do you have any summer programs?

The only program that SNU actually operates is the Quetzal Education Research Center in Costa Rica. Other universities, groups of universities, or other entities run all other programs. Before any SNU student enrolls in a study program, it is evaluated to ensure that it is a beneficial, safe program for SNU students. The CGE works to ensure that all students who study off-campus have a worthwhile, rewarding experience.

Studying off-campus will probably cost slightly more than a normal semester at SNU. Each program sets the price of the program, but they are usually fairly close to the cost of SNU. The cost for each of the BestSemester.com programs is posted on the corresponding website. In addition to the price of the program, most programs require that you pay for transportation to and from the program.

All need-based financial aid (like governmental grants) and loans will apply to your study abroad charges.

SNU institutional funds cannot be used for off-campus study abroad experiences.
Please note: SNU faculty-led experiences (QERC) may apply SNU institutional funds.

It depends on where you are, how much extra travel you want to do, how many gifts want to buy, and how much local cuisine you want to sample! The CGE is happy to help you figure this out when you know what program you will be participating in.

See How will I pay for it?

The CGE offers a few summer opportunities for those students who are unable to leave campus for an entire semester. See Why are most of your programs one semester long? and Programs above.

It depends on your program. See Programs above.

It depends on your program. Some students live in dorms or apartments, others live with host families. Some students have a cook, while others eat local food prepared by locals. See Programs above.

See Programs above. If are interested in a different destination or a specific course of study, let us know. The CGE will work to find a program that you are passionate about. However, this takes time, so talk to us early!

Normally, it is best to apply the semester before you want to study abroad. Depending on the individual programs, application deadlines for fall semesters are usually February 1-April 1, while spring semester deadlines are generally May 1-October 1.

It depends. If you want to study at a Nazarene college or university in another country, then come talk to us. If you simply want to study for a semester at a Nazarene college in the States, talk to Academic Affairs, located in Bresee.

No. The CGE deals only with off-campus study for academic credit.

Most programs will simply send a transcript of your grades for the study-abroad semester directly to the SNU Registrar. Some coursework may apply directly to your major, some to general education requirements, and the remainder as elective credits. Since this is different with each major and with each study abroad program, these details will be worked out in consultation with your advisor and the director of the CGE.

Tell your advisor to contact Professor Eileen Ruger, Director of the CGE.

Yes. SNU and the CGE will not allow any student to attend a program in a country that we think is likely to be unsafe. All SNU-endorsed programs have orientations to inform students of practices that will increase their ability to avoid any problems. However, SNU and the CGE cannot guarantee your complete safety, just as we cannot guarantee your security here in the United States.

Also, sometimes perceptions in the United States inaccurately judge the safety of other countries in the world. As a part of their study abroad programs, SNU students have traveled to such places as Israel and Cuba, and report extremely high levels of personal security.

Set aside time to talk with your parents and find out specific concerns that they have. They are concerned because they love you, so listen to what they have to say with an open mind. After you know what the issues are, start researching the answers. If you need help or your parents want to talk to someone in charge, please contact the Center for Global Engagement. You may also refer them to the For Parents section of this website to see what parents of SNU students have said about study abroad.

Yes. Many students who have studied off-campus say that while they wanted to take part in TWIRP or be in on their friends’ inside jokes from the semester, their semester off-campus was one million times more awesome than staying in Oklahoma. See Is studying abroad easy?

Almost nothing about studying abroad is easy. The preparations take time, travel can be expensive, and doing intense study in another place is difficult. But ask any student who has studied abroad, and they will tell you that the difficulties do not compare to the tremendous rewards that study abroad offers.