UMN: MSID - Human Rights in Ecuador
Program Details
| Program Location |
Quito, Ecuador
|
| Sponsor |
University of Minnesota |
| Program Type |
Co-sponsored |
| Duration |
Semester
|
| Upcoming Program Dates |
| Fall 2025 |
08/24/25 to 12/06/25
|
| Fall 2025 |
08/03/25 to 12/06/25
|
Please Note: Programs may be altered or adapted with little notice
Overview
The Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) Program in Ecuador allows you to study international development in Ecuador—a country with a blend of indigenous and Spanish colonial influences—while improving your Spanish language skills.
Learning from experience is the core of this unique program model. The program puts you in direct contact with the social and economic realities of actual communities and people working within them to address complex problems. Through classes, field trips, and an extended internship or research placement, MSID strives to establish a continual dialogue linking experience with theory and critical analysis.
Few countries as small as Ecuador contain such remarkable geographic and biological diversity. Geographically, it ranges from coastal deserts to temperate mountain valleys to Amazon forests. Culturally and racially, its population includes a mix of indigenous, Spanish, and African elements. The program is based in Quito, an Andean city that houses a remarkable combination of colonial and modern, rich and poor. Internship sites are scattered within a three-hour radius of Quito.
For more program information, please visit the
program website.
This program is sponsored by:
University of Minnesota.
Eligibility
The program is open to Purdue students in good standing who have completed at least two semesters of university study by the start of the program. Successful candidates will demonstrate academic success, maturity, and a desire to experience another culture.
GPA Requirement:
2.5 on a 4.0 scale
Language Requirement: 4 Sem Spanish
Purdue Credit
Direct Credit
available from the following:
[
College of Liberal Arts]
Students interested in completing courses while abroad from Purdue colleges or departments that are not listed above should discuss this with their study abroad advisor before applying to the program.
Academic Program
Spend 7 weeks engaged in coursework in Quito, followed by 6 weeks working as an intern or conducting a research project with a local grassroots organization. You will enroll in 4 required courses, including an internship or research project.Coursework is taught in Spanish.
- Historical & Political Context of Ecuador
- Human Rights
- Spanish Language
- Internship or Research
Students may also choose to add-on to their program with the Intensive Spanish in Ecuador program, offered ahead of the semester in either January or August. This 3-week program allows you to get a jump start and offers intensive Spanish at the intermediate or advanced levels and is an additional cost. Please indicate in your academic plan portion of your application if you are interested in adding on this option.
See the full course list for additional course information.
Excursions
Although excursions change from semester to semester, you can expect to visit a variety of sites that may include local markets, local NGOs, and other areas of interest around Quito.
Some examples excursions are:
- Learn more about Quito through a guided city tour of colonial Quito
- Experience being on the equator at Mitad del Mundo
- Engage with indigenous communities in Otavalo and San Clemente
- Visit a nature refuge in the cloud forest at Pambilino
- Visit a human rights organization working in a smaller area outside of Quito focused on migrants and refugees, and victims and survivors of human trafficking and gender-based violence
Housing
You will live with a homestay family throughout your time in Ecuador. If you choose an internship or research placement outside of Quito, you will have a second homestay placement. You can choose an individual or shared homestay, depending on your preference.
Homestay families provide breakfast and dinner daily; you will be responsible for providing your own lunches.
Estimated Program Costs
Students pursuing program participation accept financial responsibility. Purdue will take measures to mitigate financial risks, although will not be liable for loss. Students should carefully note what costs need to be paid to Purdue University or to a co-sponsor or agency, and what costs need to be paid at the overseas study location. This will vary by program. The costs below include the standard semester program tuition, fees, orientation, and program activities. If adding on the 3-week pre-session for Spanish language, there are additional costs.
Please see the UMN website for full cost information.
Costs for this program are estimated and subject to change. The cost figures listed below are
for: Fall 2025
|
Costs per semester to be billed by Purdue
and Co-sponsor
|
| Program Fee |
$15,554.00
|
| Study Abroad Fee |
$914.10 |
| Housing |
$3,368.00 |
| Insurance |
$263.00 |
| Program Discount for Purdue Students |
- $1,000.00 |
|
Approximate additional costs per semester
|
| To be paid by the student.
|
| Round-trip Airfare |
$1,600.00 |
| Books and Supplies |
$100.00 |
| Meals |
$800.00 |
| Miscellaneous Personal Expenses |
$0.00 -
$900.00 |
| Travel Documents (passport, photos) |
$175.00 |
Financial Aid
Purdue University financial aid may be applied to the costs of studying abroad. Students interested in receiving financial aid should
NOTE: Recipients of certain tuition remission and scholarship programs should pay careful attention to the regulations for using those benefits for study abroad. Ask your financial aid advisor about any limitations.
Click here for a list of scholarships and grants available to assist with the costs of studying overseas.
Application Deadlines
For full consideration, students must submit all supporting documents (typically an essay, transcripts, 1-2 recommendations, and copy of passport) before or by the application deadline. Popular programs fill quickly, often before the deadline. To ensure a place in a program, apply early.
As soon as a student submits an online application, a My Study Abroad account is created. Applicants should consult this page often to check on the status of the application.
| Program Application Deadline
|
| Fall Semester Programs |
Mar 1 |
| Spring Semester Programs |
Sep 15 |
Returnees Information
Click below to search for Purdue students who have participated in this program and are willing to be contacted. If you get no results, you can use the search form to find people who studied in the country you are interested in.
Resources
The websites listed below contain information about this program. The accuracy of information at external sites cannot be guaranteed.
For more information on this program, please contact the Study Abroad Office by phone (765) 494-2383
or email
studyabroad@purdue.edu.
