Costs, Travel & Logistics – NAPA-OT Field School

Program costs

The tuition fee for the 4-week NAPA-OT Field School 2023 session is $2,500. This includes program content, in-country day trips, visits with guest speakers, lectures and mentorship by field school faculty, and Project Group costs. Students will be responsible for the cost of some local travel in Antigua (such as local bus fare) to visit some program locations. The NAPA-OT Field School in Antigua, Guatemala is a project of the Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science Special Interest Group of the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA). NAPA is a section of the American Anthropological Association. Current membership is required for enrollment as a student in the field school.

Students are responsible for their own airfare to Guatemala City and airport shuttle to Antigua. Costs for homestays and Spanish lessons are not included in the field school tuition and will be paid directly to Tecun Uman, the field school’s affiliated language school in Antigua, Guatemala. The weekly cost of home stays ranges from $150-400 per week, depending on your preferences (see Tecun Uman’s website for details). The field school has a special partnership with Tecun Uman, including specially negotiated rates on Spanish instruction, which will cost approximately $150 per week for 9 hours of one-on-one training. See estimated Sample Costs below.

Academic Credits

Neither AAA nor the field school is an entity capable of granting university credits. Consequently, anthropology students who wish to gain university credits for their participation must make arrangements with their university program (often done as an independent study). By contrast, occupational therapy masters students who enroll in the field school receive professional supervision according to American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) curriculum standards that fulfills a portion of their required clinical and community internships. Students seeking academic credits should check with home institution regarding any tuition and/or fees that their institution may require.

Travel

Students will be responsible for arranging their own flights to the Guatemala City airport. The field school will assist student in arranging airport shuttles for direct transportation to their homestays through Tecun Uman Spanish School.

During the field school program, students will be involved in day trips to various NGOs and clinical settings around Antigua and the central highlands of Guatemala. Because of the intensity of our program and our foremost concern with student safety, student travel to locations outside of Antigua that is not a part of the program curriculum will be restricted. If you desire to visit other locations in Guatemala (such as the coasts and Tikal), we suggest that you do so before or after the field school program.

Logistics

Students are required to purchase medical travel insurance to cover the full length of their time while participating in the field school. Prior to final enrollment in the field school, students will be asked to submit medical forms and proof of travel medical insurance. Upon arrival in Guatemala, students will be supplied with a NAPA-OT cellular phone for use during the program, and they will be provided with faculty, student, and emergency numbers. This phone will be returned to the field school on the final day of the program, so students may want to consider bringing another phone for use after the program concludes. Students will also be provided with maps of all student homestays, classroom and fieldwork locations, and other important places in Antigua.

Students will be provided a USB key to allow for the distribution of readings and other course materials; some materials will also be shared by web folder. Students are also requested to bring a laptop, and it is suggested that this laptop be covered by travel or homeowner’s/renter’s insurance.

Estimated Sample Costs (Please note that individual costs may vary depending upon preferences)

Field School Tuition: $2,500
Language School: $150 p/week
Homestay: $150-400 p/week
Airfare: $600 – $800