Internships in Costa Rica

Have you ever wondered how to break into the global market in your field? How to compete on the global stage rather than in one county or state? 
 
Connect with Texas Tech's full-service campus in Costa Rica for an opportunity to develop your professional skills in Latin America. (Spanish is not required.) You'll be noticed in the job market for embracing a unique opportunity. 
 
Beyond a reputation for tourism and biodiversity, this small country just north of Panama is a Central American hub of business and industry. With a population of just over 5 million people, Costa Rica is home to more than 300 multinational companies, many of them headquartered in the United States. 
 
Costa Rica is attractive to a range of foreign investors because of its business climate, infrastructure, strategic location, and stability. It is a great place to tackle an internship! 

How to Secure an Internship 

• Contact one of the following, depending on your major: 
  • College of Human Sciences: Dr. Deborah Fowler, Professor and Associate Chair, Retail Management Program  
  • Rawls College of Business: Ashly Moncrief, Director of the Rawls Center for Global Engagement 
  • Whitacre College of Engineering: Dr. Katie Magaña, International Engineering Program Manager
  • All other majors: Bethany Kuwitzky, Assistant Director. Learn how to schedule an appointment with a Study Abroad Counselor.
• Schedule a preliminary information session with Texas Tech-CR internship manager Jessica Fonseca.
• Complete a TTU Study Abroad application. Provide information about your major, interests, experience and profile.
• Following acceptance to the program, pay the non-refundable deposit (USD $599).
• Complete interviews as scheduled by the TTU-CR internship manager (one at a time).
• Land an internship and work with TTU-CR internship manager to negotiate a personalized agreement for the placement.

Start Application for Internship

Summer Internships in Costa Rica 

Program Dates 

10 weeks

• Summer 2024: Sunday, May 26, 2024 to Saturday, August 3, 2024 

Program Open To 

All Texas Tech University students

Program Requirements 

Pre-departure orientation session 

Budget Sheet

Summer

Internships: 10 Weeks in Costa Rica 

1. Interns are grouped when possible with students in the summer I and II study abroad program (for accommodation, weekend excursions, etc.). 
2. Texas Tech-Costa Rica facilitates and oversees the internship. 
3. Most internships are unpaid. Some companies provide some type of support.
4. In some cases, students may earn credit from their internship. Students should contact Study Abroad Counselor/Engineering Program Manager to discuss academic credit for internships. 
5. Internships may be full-time (40 hours/week), half-time, or with other specific hours. 
6. Students with a part-time internship may also take a course if they wish. 

Overview of a Summer Internship 

After working with the TTU-CR internship manager Jessica Fonseca to secure an internship, you will arrange flights to and from Costa Rica. (Note that you must show a return or onward air ticket to be admitted to the country. 

In CR, the program begins with orientation and presentations by the Texas Tech-CR staff regarding housing, communication, safety, transportation, cultural considerations, etc. 

Group excursions take place throughout the program, with occasional free weekends. 

Student interns, when possible, are placed with other Texas Tech students in a house or apartment. For the commute, students can take an Uber or a public bus.  

Texas Tech University's campus is part of Avenida Escazú, a lifestyle destination for shopping, eating out, and enjoying the area's natural beauty. Student interns have access to all the campus facilities. Bus stations to all parts of Costa Rica are also nearby.

Costa Rica, Land of Pura Vida 

Costa Rica is part of Central America and lies just north of the Isthmus of Panama & south of Nicaragua. A stable democracy for most of its 200-year history, it is best known for abundant biodiversity, preservation of the natural environment, and initiatives to promote peace in the region. It is a small country with a rich variety of scenes, plants, wild animals, and peoples. 

Texas Tech University-Costa Rica is located in a high-end shopping district of San José's Greater Metropolitan Area, in the mountainous center of the country. Our campus is about an hour and a half from the Pacific Ocean to the east and about four hours from the Caribbean to the east. In between are mountains, cloud forests, volcanoes, and wildlife beyond what many have ever seen.