The National University of Costa Rica (in Spanish, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, abbreviated UNA) is one of five

public universities A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national university ...

in the Republic of Costa Rica, in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. The main campus is located in the city of Heredia. According to recent international studies, The National University of Costa Rica ranks 85th in Latin America and 1576th in the world . More than 12,000 students study in its main campus. In addition to offering a broad

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

curriculum, it offers 16

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degrees. It is known for its strong programs in

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

and

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

. Former legislator of the Citizen Action Party (PAC), Alberto Salom Echeverria, will be the new rector of the National University of Costa Rica (UNA) for 2015–2020.

History

The National University of Costa Rica was created in 1973 in the province of Heredia. Uladislao Gámez Solano, The Minister of Public Education under the government of José Figueres Ferrer, approved the creation of the university on the 15th of February 1973, through law #5182. Benjamín Núñez Vargas (a Roman Catholic priest, academic and politician) was the founder and first rector of the university. The University opened its doors on 14 March 1973, following the legacy of the Normal School of Costa Rica and the Superior Normal School. During its developmental phase, it brought together some of the greatest minds in Latin America at the time. This phase is defined as the "Universidad Necesaria" and laid the foundation for an institution that serves the underprivileged in Costa Rica and offers access to a superior education for all. Today, the university has diverse academic offerings and a rigorous curriculum. UNA offers more than 65 graduate and postgraduate degree programs in various fields, such as natural sciences, earth and marine sciences, education, social sciences, health sciences, philosophy, literature and arts.

Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica

(OVSICORI) has an international team of

seismologists Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...

and

volcanologist A volcanologist, or volcano scientist, is a geologist who focuses on understanding the formation and eruptive activity of volcanoes. Volcanologists frequently visit volcanoes, sometimes active ones, to observe and monitor volcanic eruptions, col ...

s that is dedicated to research of volcanoes, earthquakes and other tectonic processes in Costa Rica, which is located in the

Central America Volcanic Arc The Central American Volcanic Arc (often abbreviated to CAVA) is a chain of volcanoes which extends parallel to the Pacific coastline of the Central American Isthmus, from Mexico to Panama. This volcanic arc, which has a length of 1,100 kilometer ...

. There are many

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

s who study the eruptive activity for the volcanos in the country and observe

volcanic eruption Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are oft ...

s, especially Poás Volcano, which is an active stratovolcano hat is located in central Costa Rica and has erupted 39 times since 1828.

http://thecostaricanews.com/despite-record-breaking-eruptions-at-poas-volcano-the-park-remains-open-for-visitors-to-enjoy] The event was captured from a webcam from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) captured the moment a dark cloud exploded about 1,000 feet in the air from a massive crater of the Poás Volcano. On February 25, 2014, A webcam from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) captured the moment a dark cloud exploded about 1,000 feet in the air from a massive crater of the Poás Volcano. In 1984, the OVSICORI-A initiates the operation of a seismographic network designed to monitor seismic and volcanic activity throughout the national territory. Currently the seismographic network has a registration system analog and one digital. The latter enables online analysis of seismic signals, allowing to expedite the analysis of signals and their study using modern computerized methods.

Campus

The central campus of UNA, the Omar Dengo Campus, is located in the city of

Heredia, Costa Rica Heredia () is a district in the Heredia canton of Heredia province, Costa Rica. As the seat of the municipality of Heredia canton, it is awarded the status of city, and by virtue of being the city of the first canton, it is the Province Capital ...

and contains the buildings for the administration and the majority of the colleges. The others are mostly located on the Benjamín Núnez Campus, named for the founder of the National University and its first president (1973–1977). The main campus was named to honor a famous Costa Rican educator, Omar Dengo Guerrero who spent his education career at the Normal School of Costa Rica, which eventually became the National University. In recent years there have been efforts to upgrade the infrastructure on campus through the UNA-BCIE agreement, which aimed to renovate some of the older buildings such as the College of the Arts and College of Social Sciences Buildings.

Schools and Faculties

*Faculty of Philosophy and Letters **School of Literature and Language Sciences **Ecumenical School of Religious Studies **School of Philosophy **School of Bibliotechnology, Documentation and Information *Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences **School of Biological Sciences **School of Chemistry **Department of Physics **School of Computing **School of Mathematics **School of Topography, Cadastre and Geodesy * Faculty of Health Sciences **School of Veterinary Medicine **School of Sports Science **Faculty of Philosophy and Arts **Ecumenical School of Religious Studies **School of Literature and Language Sciences **School of Philosophy **School of Library, Documentation and Information * Faculty of Social Sciences **School of History **School of Sociology **School of Planning and Social Promotion **School of Professional Secretariat **School of International Relations **School of Economics **School of Business Administration **School of Psychology * Faculty of Land and Sea **School of Agricultural Sciences **School of Environmental Sciences **School of Geographical Sciences

Institutes and Centers

* Centro de Estudios Generales * Centro de Investigación, Docencia y Extensión Artística (CIDEA) * Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Educación (CIDE) * Instituto de Estudios Sociales en Población (IDESPO) * Centro Internacional de Política Económica (CINPE) * Centro Información Documental de Ciencias Sociales * Instituto de Investigación y Servicios Forestales (INISEFOR) * Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre (ICOMVIS) * Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica (OVSICORI) * Centro de Investigaciones Apícolas Tropicales (CINAT) * Instituto Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Tóxicas (IRET) * Biblioteca Especializada * Instituto de Estudios Latinoamericanos * Instituto de Estudios de la Mujer * Centro de Estudios de Medio Oriente y África del Norte (CEMOAN) * Programa de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (PIET)

References

External links

* * * * * * * * * {{authority control Universities in Costa Rica Buildings and structures in Heredia Province