The Master's program in Forest Sciences is an academic master's degree that provides students with the tools to carry out research in all fields of forestry, with a great deal of influence in the area of tropical Mesoamerica.
A bachelor's or licentiate’s degree in careers related to forestry, the environment or agriculture is required for enrollment.
The program is organized in three important stages:
- Scientific training, with courses that all students must complete.
- Research specialization in one of five possible areas.
- Thesis planning and completion.
This program was conceived using a novel and flexible format for academic training of future researchers which recognizes the importance of student needs and interests.
Important Dates
- Enrollment application deadline: November 1, 2019.
- Publication of applicants admitted: November 15, 2019.
- Regular enrollment: January 2020.
- Extraordinary enrollment: January 2020.
- Beginning of the school year: January 2020.
Objetivos
The program is intended to provide high-level university education in Mesoamerica in the area of forest sciences which will provide actors in the region with a professional degree that will enable them to transform and raise the technological level of forestry and promote sustainable development in the region.
Perfil profesional
Those with a Master’s Degree in Forest Sciences will be able to:
- Plan and manage basic and specialized research.
- Conceptualize, identify and implement productivity and sustainability models.
- Formulate, implement, and evaluate development projects in the graduate’s area of expertise.
- Raise the level of forestry education in Costa Rica and Mesoamerica through the training of human resources.
- Use solid theoretical and practical knowledge and experience in forest sciences to understand, interpret, transform and transfer technological development using a systemic approach based on sustainability criteria.
- Create, apply and transfer improved technologies and methodologies that can be adapted to different conditions while optimizing the use of available resources.
- Develop knowledge or interest in any of the new areas of increasing international importance that involve work in the forestry sector, such as climate change, environmental and raw material services, advances in conservation and innovative uses of timber and non-timber forest resources and plantations.
Requisitos
- Have a university degree (bachelor's or licentiate’s), in agriculture, biology, forestry or other related areas.
- The degree must be issued by an institution of higher education that is duly recognized by higher educational authorities in the country of origin.
- Submit a formal application letter to enroll in the program, indicating your interest in participating.
- Provide information on the means of financing that you will use or plan to use.
- A minimum grade point average of 80% in the classes taken when obtaining previous degrees.
- Two letters of recommendation.
- If your native language is other than Spanish, you must indicate your level of competence in Spanish in an affidavit.
- You must have a scholarship, permit, or other means of proving that you can dedicate at least half of your time to study. The Admissions Committee will accept a letter from the sponsoring institution as proof that a student has a scholarship, stating that the student only needs to obtain official acceptance by the Tecnológico de Costa Rica to be awarded the scholarship.
Laboratorios
- Geographic Information Systems Laboratory
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory
- Forest Health Laboratory
- Forest Nursery
- Wood Anatomy Laboratory
- Laboratory of Chemical Properties of Wood
- Laboratory of Mechanical and Physical Properties of Wood
- Non-destructive Wood Testing Laboratory
- Wood Boards and Derivatives Laboratory
- Wood Drying Laboratory
Invesment
The costs for the year 2019 are based on a 4% cost increase from the year 2018. The same percentage increase is expected in 2020.
| Description | Cost 2018 | 4% increase | Cost 2019 | Rounded cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit | ₡53.640 | ₡2.146 | ₡55.788 | ₡55.790 |
| Enrollment | ₡23.300 | ₡932 | ₡24.232 | ₡24.230 |
In addition to credits and enrollment fees, the following costs must also be covered every year (2019 costs, which will increase between 4% and 5% the following year).
| Description | Amount |
|---|---|
| Student welfare | ₡1.730 |
| Student card | ₡6.350 |
| Health insurance policy | ₡4.900 |
Information for foreigners: information about the exchange rate of colones (₡) to dollars ($) can be found at https://www.bccr.fi.cr/SitePages/default.aspx
Differentiator elements
The Program for a Master's Degree in Forest Sciences is unique in the country because of the topics it addresses, its approach to research and the scientific training it provides.
It has a teaching staff with excellent academic credentials and research experience.
Its mission is to offer the country and the region human resources with the capacity to carry out research in forestry.
Criterios de selección
The persons selected should have:
- An advising Professor; if you do not have one, the Postgraduate Unit will assign you one.
- Grades obtained in the degree courses should be at least 80%.
- Professional experience.
- References from qualified professionals.
- Applicants whose native language is not Spanish must must indicate their level of competence in Spanish in an affidavit.
- You must have a scholarship, permit, or other means of proving that you can dedicate at least half of your time to study. The Admissions Committee will accept a letter from the sponsoring institution as proof that a student has a scholarship, stating that the student only needs to obtain official acceptance by the Tecnológico de Costa Rica to be awarded the scholarship.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
To obtain a Master's Degree in Forest Sciences in any of the areas of specialization, students must at least:
- Comply with the curriculum requirement of 47 credits in postgraduate courses and 16 credits in the research thesis.
- Have passed the English language test (ability to understand English equivalent to level B2 of the European framework is required).
- Have submitted an article in an indexed journal in the Science Citation Index (SCI) or in SCOPUS.
- Have submitted written documentation of an original investigation in the form of a thesis, and have defended it successfully.