Tufts in Ghana

Introduction
The Tufts-in-Ghana program, which takes place in the fall semester, links Tufts to the University of Ghana (Legon), located just outside the booming metropolis of the capital, Accra.

The University of Ghana, founded in 1948, is a full-service research and teaching university comprising two main colleges (College of Health Sciences and College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences), six faculties (Arts, Law, Science, Social Studies, Engineering Science, and Business School), and numerous institutes, schools, and centers, some which offer courses only at the graduate level (for example, the School of Communication Studies, the School of Public Health, etc.). The University’s 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students are served by nine residence halls, two international student hostels, a chain of privately operated hostels, central and branch libraries, a university hospital, several banks, a post office, and several communication centers for email, telephone, and fax. The area of Legon is part of Greater Accra, a cosmopolitan urban center.

Ghana is among the most economically prosperous and politically stable countries in Africa. Its climate is tropical. Notwithstanding the challenges faced by all developing countries, Ghana has a rapidly modernizing infrastructure for sanitation, health care, telecommunications, transportation, food, and accommodation. There is a market economy, a free press, an independent judiciary, and an elected constitutional democracy. English is the language of instruction at the University of Ghana and is widely spoken throughout the nation.

Administration
Resident Director: Kweku Bilson, B.A. University of Ghana; M.A., Ph.D., Moscow State University.

The resident director supervises the program on site, monitoring the quality of instruction and living conditions of the Tufts students.

Prerequisites
The Tufts-in-Ghana program is open to undergraduate juniors and seniors who meet the requirements listed here. Students from all academic majors, including mathematics and the sciences, are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to students who can demonstrate that a semester in Ghana will benefit their overall undergraduate program and/or to students who have taken courses related to Africa.

Additional Application Procedures

• Meet with Director of Tufts Programs Abroad in Dowling Hall to pick up an application and discuss the program. Applications are due February 1 prior to the fall of study abroad.
• Two letters of recommendation must accompany the application: one academic reference from a Tufts faculty member and one "character reference," which can come from a work or volunteer supervisor or culture center director. (Friends and family are not considered acceptable character references. Please consult the Office of Program Abroad if you have questions regarding the character reference.)
• A personal interview on the Tufts Medford campus is required of all applicants.
• Three mandatory two-hour pre-departure meetings (six hours total) will be held during reading period of the semester preceding the program. Students who do not attend these meetings will not be allowed to take part in the program.

Comprehensive Program Fee Fall 2012
$28,996 for a semester includes:

• Cost and preparation of student visas;
• Round-trip airfare to Accra (flight originating in Boston or New York at the discretion of Programs Abroad);
• Ten-day orientation;
• Full room and board;
• Full tuition and fees at the University of Ghana;
• Excursions;
• Extracurricular activities such as sports, performances, and clubs.