Master's in Tropical Ecology & Conservation

This program is designed for professionals with degrees in Biology, Genetics, Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Ecology, and related disciplines. In case of degrees obtained outside of Ecuador, the title will have to be apostilled or certified via the country’s consular office in Ecuador. The USFQ will verify the validity of the degree, following the Ecuadorian legislation. Once accepted, the applicant will have to register the degree at SENESCYT (the National Secretariat for Superior Education, Science, and Technology) before the program's start date.

Our graduates will be prepared to do independent research and work as part of inter and multidisciplinary groups in educational, research or conservation institutions, governmental or non-governmental organizations dedicated to areas related to ecology and conservation, or continue their path towards an academic career.

The Master’s in Tropical Ecology and Conservation at USFQ conjugates a great diversity of advantages that allow our graduate students to:

• Obtain a solid theoretical and practical education based on research, offered and supervised by the best faculty in Tropical Ecology and Conservation in Ecuador.
• Have access to excellent research laboratories in Marine Ecology (Galapagos Islands), Aquatic Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Biotecnology, and Environmental Engineering, among others.
• Take advantage of research opportunities in our biological stations in the Galapagos Islands, Tiputini (Yasuní National Park), Tandayapa (Andean Choco Biosphere Reserve), and the network of nature reserves managed by our strategic partners.
• Be part of the team of the research institutes and centers of the USFQ: Instituto Biósfera, iBIOTROP, Instituto de Geografía, Instituto de Ecología Aplicada, Instituto de Microbiología, and Galapagos Science Center.
• Learn in a program taught in English, with international invited professors, and a modern perspective towards basic and applied research, which will offer opportunities to connect with researchers and research labs in Ecuador and countries around the world.

Basic requirements (requested by the USFQ Graduate School)

• To have an undergraduate degree in Biology, Genetics, Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Ecology, and related disciplines. The diploma must have Apostille or be certified via the consular office of the issuing country in Ecuador. Once accepted, the applicant will have to register the degree at SENESCYT (the National Secretariat for Superior Education, Science, and Technology) before the program's start date.
• Proof of English proficiency, equivalent to B1 level of the Common European Framework. Proficiency may be proved by taking the USFQ English exam or providing certification for taking the TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge exams within the last 2 years.
• Copy of identification document (passport or Ecuadorian cédula).
• Official transcripts.
• Degree registered at SENESCYT (once accepted).
• To approve the USFQ Graduate School exam. To take this exam (in Spanish), please go to /en/admissions/postgraduate

Specific Requirements of the Master’s Program

• To approve the Program-specific Knowledge Test (questions will have a "short essay" approach). The exam will be offered online using the USFQ D2L system. Applicants must demonstrate their capability in the integration of knowledge and analysis of case studies on basic tenants of Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, and Experimental Design. The exam will be developed in English to evaluate the student 's writing skills and synthesis ability in this language. For the exam, check the list of subjects here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9khsdkzij0j7d4k/Subject%20list-Exam-METC.pdf?dl=0

If you need access to books to prepare for the exam, please contact Irina Muñoz at imunozr@usfq.edu.ec

• Complete Application Form for the Master's Program. In this form, the applicants will select their preferred date to take the Program-specific Knowledge Test. Also, they will have to select the scholarship to which they would like to apply (maximum two). Finally, they will have to attach the following documents in PDF format:
• Curriculum Vitae.
• Letter of intent, in English, explaining the student’s interest in becoming part of the Master's Program.
• Two academic/professional references, including full names, email, and institutional affiliation. The program Director will request the referees to fill out the Reference Form (in English or Spanish) to complete the application process.
• If this were the case, upload additional requirements for each scholarship (see FUNDING section).
• Once the Application Form is validated, the aspirant will be contacted for an interview face-to-face at USFQ Cumbayá campus or online if the aspirant is not in Quito, with the Admissions Committee.

Application Form: https://form.jotformz.com/210195077019655

Scholarships are available only for Ecuadorian citizens and residents. Applicants must indicate the scholarship of interest (maximum two) in the Application Form (see the Requirements to Apply section) and, if applicable, upload the additional requirements requested for each scholarship.

Scholarships are not additive, and the decision on their allocation will be made by the Admissions Committee once the applicants have been accepted into the program.

The number of scholarhips and the amounts they cover change from cohort to cohort, depending on available funds from USFQ and specific research projects developed by our professors. Scholarships available for the 2023 cohort were:

4 scholarships of 50% of the tuition of the Master's Program.

• Two scholarships from the USFQ Dean of Research to applicants who demonstrate excellent academic training (assessed through their application) and research experience (demonstrated through publications).

• Two scholarships from the Master's Program to applicants who demonstrate excellent academic training (assessed through their application) and research experience (demonstrated through publications). To maintain this scholarship, the student must obtain a Grade Point Average (GPA) equal to or greater than 3.5/4.00 during their training process.

2 scholarships of $3000 discount of the tuition of the Master's Program

• One scholarship from the Galapagos Science Center (GSC USFQ-UNC) Chapell Hill to applicants who demonstrate excellent academic training (assessed through their application) and show interest in working on projects in the Galapagos, under the supervision of researchers associated with this center.
  
  To apply, it is preferable that one of the letters of recommendation submitted by the applicant be from a researcher from the GSC USFQ-UNC and that he/she shows interest in advising his/her final thesis project. In addition, in the Application Form (see Requirements section), the applicant must upload a summary of up to 250 words of the project to be developed.
  The list of USFQ researchers associated with the GSC is available at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s9okh0qno4ojwjw/GSC-SFQresearchers.pdf?dl=0More information about GSC: https://www.galapagosscience.org/

• One scholarship from the USFQ Geography Institute (USFQ-GI) to an applicant who demonstrates excellent academic training (assessed through his/her application) and shows interest in working on projects associated with USFQ Geography Institute.
  
  To apply, the applicant must write a paragraph of up to 250 words describing his/her interest in joining and contributing to a specific USFQ-GI project; or instead, presenting a project idea aligned with the interests of the institute.

2 scholarships of 100% of the tuition of the Master's Program plus a monthly stipend.

• One scholarship from the Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity to an applicant who demonstrates excellent academic training (assessed through his/her application), who demonstrate vast experience in ornithological research and interest in participating in the project "Ecology and biogeography of birds of the Polylepis forests". In addition, the Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity will award the winning applicant a monthly stipend of $500 from August 2023 to May 2025.

• Dr. Gonzalo Rivas from USFQ, in collaboration with Dr. Michael Esbach from Princeton University, have launched a new scholarship call for a student whose thesis will focus on "understanding how different land use (hunting, agriculture, conservation) affects the community of palms and their dispersers, in indigenous territories north of the Amazonian region".

  Within the objectives of the project, the master's degree student is expected to carry out the following activities:

  • Collection of vegetation data to understand changes in palm communities in the project intervention areas.
  • Collection of aerial images with drones to map palms in the sampling sites.
  • Management of databases from camera traps to analyze the communities of palm dispersers in these areas.
  • Develop a research topic together with the PIs of the project that uses the information collected and is part of the results of the project.
  • Others related to project management.

The applicant who wins the scholarship will also receive a monthly stipend of $400 from August 2023 to May 2025.

• The total cost of the program can be paid in four installments that correspond to the number of ordinary academic periods of the program. Each installment can be paid in cash, check, student loan or credit card.

  Credit or debit card: you can make your payment through our Online Payment System, accessing the link: https://btnpagos.usfq.edu.ec/pagos/

• We accept all national and international credit cards.
• You can defer your payments with cards issued by: Diners, Discover, Visa Titanium, Banco Guayaquil, Banco Pichincha, Banco Bolivariano, Produbanco, and Banco del Austro.
• Payments for years: up to 12 months without interest.
• Payments for the entire race: the same duration of the race without interest.
• Deferred payments of up to 36 months with interest are enabled for all options if a longer term is required.

Transfer, deposit: you can make your deposit or transfer with the following information and load the receipt in the Online Payment System at the link:

Online Payment

Owner:

Universidad San Francisco de Quito - USFQ RUC: 1791836154001
Banco Pichincha: Cuenta corriente No. 3407330004
Banco Bolivariano: Cuenta corriente No. 5075003350

For more information, you can write to:
Methods of payment: Oscar Castañeda, ocastaneda@usfq.edu.ec, (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1816
Direct financing plan: plandefinanciamiento@usfq.edu.ec