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UW Team Building in Costa Rica

Students are whitewater rafting. They are not looking at the camera and have excited expressions.
A student is ziplining over the lush rainforest in Costa Rica. They are facing away from the camera.
Drone shot of an oasis in the middle of a crater. Fog is surrounding the crater in the background.
A student is walking on a suspended bridge over the rainforest. They are facing away from the camera.

Suspended Summer 2026. 

Costa Rica, Multiple

Experience the contours of Costa Rica and hone your group development skills while participating in exciting activities such as white-water rafting, ziplining and hiking! This program brings the Wisconsin Idea to Costa Rica by connecting you, your fellow program participants and the people of Costa Rica--all who share the common goal of creating community, building relationships, and developing social skills.

Join UW-Madison Program Leaders, Luis Columna and Cindy Kuhrasch, as you delve into Costa Rica's rich culture, history, nature and arts. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds all while becoming a part of a team and helping others to develop into a team.

Learning Objectives

We have overall Goals and Expectations for Study Abroad Participants, covering the personal, academic and professional aspects of study abroad. Additionally on this program, you can:

  • Apply knowledge related to movement and physical activity techniques and approaches in clinical and applied settings to enhance human health and quality of life.
  • Develop appropriate styles of written and oral communication to use both within and outside of the scientific community.
  • Identify, develop, and deliver messages using a variety of communication strategies, methods, and techniques.
  • Understand own cultural background and be able to discuss biases/prejudices and barriers to diversity.
  • Understand own role in a culturally diverse world and be able to understand the perspective of a person from a different cultural background.
  • Familiarize with concept of culturally responsive teaching and demonstrate practical skills of working toward becoming a culturally responsive facilitator.
  • Know how to address health characteristics of individuals from a different cultural background.
  • Analyze relationships among behavioral, environmental, and other factors that influence health and identify and analyze factors that influence health behaviors.
  • Assess social, environmental, political, and other factors that may impact health education/promotion.
  • Analyze an organization’s culture to determine the extent to which it supports health education/promotion and apply principles of cultural competence in selecting and/or designing strategies/interventions.
  • Demonstrate leadership.
  • Employ conflict resolution techniques.
  • Facilitate team development.

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to providing quality study abroad and domestic study away programs for every UW-Madison student. We work strategically to identify, address, and remove barriers that may prevent participation and to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for students. Our staff actively engages with students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds and prioritizes the continuous development of our knowledge and cultural competence. We also recognize the importance of increasing access to study abroad for historically underrepresented student populations. We are committed to diversity and inclusion so that every student can engage with and understand their identity through a new lens and continue to develop and make progress on their personal, professional, and academic goals.

Sustainability

We recognize that the future of study abroad, domestic study away, and international internship programming requires a Commitment to Sustainability. We are devoted to examining, developing, and improving sustainability in all our endeavors, aligning with campus priorities and following through with UW-Madison's climate action and Resilience Commitment. Join our efforts and learn more about how to study abroad sustainably.

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Eligibility

  • Preference is given to students in the School of Education (all majors).  Further preference is given to students with a declared Kinesiology or Physical Education major.  Preference may be given to students with a declared Kinesiology certificate.
     
  • First-Year students must have 2 semesters completed by the time of participation (the preceding Fall and Spring semesters).
  • 2.0 cumulative GPA
  • Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior
  • Open to UW-Madison degree-seeking students only
  • Good academic and disciplinary standing
  • At the time of application and the semester prior to participation, UW-Madison students must be currently enrolled. Transfer Students to UW-Madison need to be currently enrolled at their home institution

Advising Location

Program Structure

UW Signature

Subjects

Kinesiology

Classroom Language

English

Housing

Hotels

Program Duration

Summer: Mid to late May

Application Deadline(s)

Summer 2026 - [Suspended] 2/6/2026 Cost Details

Future durations will be posted at a later date.

APPLY NOW

 

You will receive 3 credits upon completion of the program. You can choose from Kinesiology 325, or Sociology 464, or Management and Human Resources 365. 


This course will be unlike any you’ve taken at UW-Madison. You will be challenged in terms of your academic prowess, as you learn the theories of group dynamics and team cohesion. Becoming part of a team and helping others to develop into a team are the main focus areas of this course, and you'll have the opportunity to practice several skills that will help you develop your team membership and team building skills.

The first week of your program will be held online, with the following two weeks held in Costa Rica. In addition to daily lectures by UW-Madison Associate Professor, Luis Columna, and Teaching Faculty, Cindy Kuhrasch, both from the Department of Kinesiology, this program will allow you to explore the country by visiting ancient ruins, hiking the Irazú Volcano, whitewater rafting, exploring the rainforest tree-tops on a canopy tour, waterfall rappelling, visiting the city of San José and putting your best foot forward at surfing at the Manuel Antonio National Park. 

 

Course Equivalents

Use the links below to see a list of courses that past students have taken on this program and the UW equivalents. Note: This list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses, departments or equivalents. Courses may not be available the semester you are abroad. You will receive instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance. View Course Equivalents