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Educating Future Leaders of Latin America & the Caribbean
The graduate program encompasses a two-year master's program and a three-year doctoral program. At the Ph.D. level, students have an opportunity to participate in a joint degree program with the University of Idaho in the United States or the University of Wales in Great Britain. They may also take courses through U.S. universities including Purdue, Yale, Cornell, Minnesota, Georgia, and at a number of well-known European universities.
More than half of CATIE students traditionally come from families with extremely limited financial resources. CATIE gives special consideration to qualified men and women from low-income rural families and indigenous groups. They are exceptional young men and women who have demonstrated their commitment, resourcefulness, and capability. These students continued beyond primary school and high school, while many of their classmates — especially in rural areas — dropped out. They went even further, obtaining college degrees against considerable odds.
Through CATIE educational programs, students form lasting relationships with fellow students from more than 20 countries, combining class work and field research that prepares them for solving real problems in a rapidly changing, global landscape. The students work alongside outstanding professors from prestigious universities in 17 countries.
A new joint Master's in International Agribusiness Management with INCAE Business School demonstrates CATIE's commitment to competitive rural businesses that support sustainable development and contribute to rural incomes. It brings the number of master's programs offered at CATIE to six, with three additional doctoral programs.
For most students, financial assistance [link to Giving Opportunities] is essential. At the master's level, CATIE has a scholarship loan program, offering some scholarships and helping potential students apply for outside funding. However, this funding is insufficient — in 2005, nearly 80 students who met all academic admission requirements could not enroll because of a lack of financial support.
"After I graduate, I want to help better conditions for indigenous women in Guatemala and their children. I have seen their needs–they are abandoned, neglected. The indigenous woman is very tied to the land, to agriculture. I think that is an area where I can help."
Delia Núñez of Guatemala, a master's student in Environmental Socioeconomics and a single parent responsible for supporting two children and her mother while studying full time.