CATIE: Costa Rica Partnership

In Spanish, CATIE stands for Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza. In English, it stands for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center. By either name, the Center’s partnership with the University of Idaho is giving doctoral students at both institutions a unique opportunity to study tropical agriculture and natural resources in two widely divergent ecosystems. During the first year of study, students complete course work at the University of Idaho followed by two or more additional years of research in tropical Costa Rica.

The partnership is particularly attractive to Idaho students because Costa Rica, despite its small size, boasts greater biodiversity than either Europe or North America.

At the University of Idaho, the program is referred to as the Doctoral Program in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Production in Tropical and Temperate Fragmented Landscapes. Among faculty and students the shorter name of Tropical Research Doctoral Program is often used.

Students are simultaneously admitted to both CATIE and the University of Idaho and are considered joint doctoral students. Graduates receive a single degree and diplomas are conferred jointly by the two institutions.

The joint doctoral program offers a degree in Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in disciplines offered through the University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources (CNR) and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) and CATIE’s Graduate School.

Students take course work and receive mentoring at both institutions and conduct field-based research in Latin America.

For more information, contact Joint Doctoral Coordinator, Sanford Eigenbrode.