Information

General Information on UNED

Name:

Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED), (State Distance University) Meritorious Institution for Education and Culture of Costa Rica

Headquarters Country:

Costa Rica, Central America

Sector:

State university

Address:

Mercedes, Montes de Oca San José, Costa Rica
Apdo. postal 474-2050 San Pedro
Central telefónica: (506) 2527-2000

Organization:

Organization

Historical Overview

The Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) was created in 1977 by means of the Law of the Republic No. 6044 and it is an autonomous public institution.

Its mission consists in offering higher education to all the sectors of the population, especially to those who due to economic, social, geographic, cultural, age, disability or gender reasons need opportunities for a real and fair integration in society.    

It is specialized in distance teaching methodology, which makes use of various means of social communication. Its methods essentially modify the professor’s role while transferring a great deal of responsibility onto the student, who can work and meet their family and work duties, because the distance mode does not set rigid timetables such as the ones linked to lesson attendance.

The main teaching means is the Modular Didactics Unit; which is a combination of didactics resources elaborated and aimed at achieving students’ self-learning.  Also, different technological means are used to allow interactivity and independent learning.    
Furthermore, during its 30 years of existence, the UNED has been committed to academic excellence, the development of culture, science, art and human rights to build a fair society and a culture of peace.  

On November 22, 2007, as a result of its historical and cultural achievement, the UNED was honored by the Legislative Assembly’s Law No. 8623, when it was acknowledged as being a Meritorious Institution for Education and Culture in Costa Rica. 

Institucional Objectives

The following objectives are outlined in the UNED Organic Statute:

  • Strengthen the values at the basis of the Costa Rican State.
  • Provide higher education, mainly through the use of distance education techniques.
  • Particularly care for population sectors who due to geographic, work or other reasons cannot attend class in other institutions of higher education.
  • Contribute to scientific and technological research for the cultural, economic and social progress of the country.  
  • Provide the appropriate tools for the improvement and permanent formation of all the inhabitants. 
  • Serve as a means to spread culture. 
  • Contribute to the non university education of adults by establishing systems of cooperation and coordination with specialized national or international institutions. 
  • Promote the cultural, scientific, artistic and civic spirit of the Costa Rican people. 

Members of the University Board

Chairman of the Board and President of the UNED:
Mag. Luis Guillermo Carpio Malavassi
lcarpio@uned.ac.cr

 External members:

Lic. José Miguel Alfaro Rodríguez, Consejal externo
Esp. Ramiro Porras Quesada, Consejal externo
Dr. Orlando Morales Matamoros,  Consejal externo

 Internal members:

Mag. Joaquín Jiménez Rodríguez, Consejal interno 
Mag. Ilse Gutiérrez Schwanhauser , Consejal interno
Mag. Grethel Rivera Turcios, Consejal interno
Mag. Minor Herrera Chavarría, Consejal interno
MEd. Joaquín Jiménez Rodríguez

Student representative:

Julia Pinell Polanco

 

Vice-chancellors

Vice-chancellor’s Office

Name

Email

Academic Vice-chancellor’s Office

MSc. Olmán Díaz Sánchez

 odiaz@uned.ac.cr

Executive Vice-chancellor’s Office

MBA Víctor Aguilar Carvajal

 vaguilar@uned.ac.cr

Planning Vice-chancellor’s Office

MBA. Carlos Morgan Marín

 cmorgan@uned.ac.cr

Research Vice-chancellor’s Office

Licda. Katya Calderón

 kcalderon@uned.ac.cr

The UNED has 32 university centers and five branches spread all over Costa Rica, one of them for those who have been deprived of their freedom (La Reforma code 33).  In addition a Research, Transfer, Training and Education Center for Development in La Fortuna de San Carlos.

Mapa centros universitarios

Information about registration, graduations and scholarships

Number

Description

16

Pregraduate programs: 2 Technical, 2 teaching professions, 12 Diplomas.

53

Graduate programs: 30 Bachelors, 23 Licentiates in fields of Exact and Natural Sciences; Administration; Education and Social Sciences and Humanities

25

Postgraduate programs: 21 Masters, 4 Doctorates

28.234

Students registered ordinarily during the first 4-month term of 2010. It is the second university in terms of student population at the national level

4.201

Students holding a scholarship of different categories (socio economic, disability, indigenous, freedom deprived, cultural, sports, postgraduate, participation in student and honor federation)

37.557

Graduate students between UNED creation and the first class of 2010  

 

Research Guidelines

1

Contributions to the resolution of problems affecting groups of people in conditions of vulnerability in Costa Rica

2

Science helping to improve the quality of the environment, sustainable development, ecology and energy in the country

3

Scientific contribution to distance education during the learning process

4

Innovation of technology, information and communication oriented towards scientific and technologic development to improve education
  • The UNED has its own university publishing house, which is considered by IESALC and CSUCA studies to be the most productive university publishing house in Central America and the Caribbean.

  • It has a National Distance Education High School (“Colegio Nacional de Educación a Distancia” - CONED) oriented towards the country’s adult population, who has not yet completed their secondary school, and it has 13 subsidiary institutions. 

  • It has a Language Center where Italian, English, French and Mandarin are taught.  

  • It has 12 videoconference halls located in University Centers (and a Main Hall in the Central Headquarters) in addition to all the extra ones that may be required, according to agreements and academic activities.  The UNED is Central America’s headquarters for the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) of the World Bank.  

  • 255 on-line courses are currently provided (WebCt y Moodle).

  • The following has been elaborated until now: 59.127 data-based images, 159 institutional documentaries, 733 didactics documentaries and TV-class, 203 Conferences, 90 spots and 2000 radio productions (academic and external programs).