A globally recognized degree
The advantages of studying at EARTH University are numerous: living in an inclusive and multicultural learning community, engaging daily with cutting-edge technology, and having the certainty that your degree in agricultural science is of the highest quality.
Our academic program is fully endorsed by SINAES, Costa Rica’s higher education accrediting body. That accreditation enables our students to work in public institutions across Costa Rica, as well as have their degree be validated by other nations.
EARTH has always been characterized by the quality of education and the educational model.
What is SINAES?
The only entity in Costa Rica authorized to officially accredit academic programs, SINAES is tasked with permanently improving the quality of Costa Rican higher education.
How is the accreditation process done?
University programs can voluntarily undergo a rigorous evaluation of curricula, faculty, and infrastructure, among other aspects. During that process, SINAES’s observations are shared and improvements proposed. To continue being accredited, the university must then sign a commitment to comply with and implement the recommended changes. According to Maricelle Chan, who coordinates this process for us, EARTH has worked hard to meet each requirement. For example, one of the improvements requested in the last cycle was to produce a report that shows the tangible impact of our academic model on communities. To meet this goal, a documentation portal was created, thus allowing different university units to input the necessary data.
The entire community works together to make the educational process exceptional.
The amount of time for which the degree is accredited differs in each cycle. SINAES’s latest accreditation of EARTH covers 2017 to 2021. At present, the University is hard at work, tackling its improvement goals and regularly self-evaluating efforts in preparation for the subsequent cycle.
Who is working to secure continued accreditation at EARTH?
At EARTH, the standing committee – currently consisting of coordinator Chan, Sandy Díaz from Student Registration, professors Steven Brenes and Argenis Mora, and student Heylin Calvo Vargas (’22, Costa Rica) – oversees the requirements of, follow-up on, and reporting out about each improvement recommendation.
“Our committee works with people from different areas but that makes the process even better,” says Chan. “We receive help from the academic adviser and the Information Technology Unit to systematize the data.” Chan emphasizes that the accreditation process is continuous and dependent on the efforts of the entire EARTH community.
