Costa Rica Institute of Technology

The Costa Rica Institute of Technology,, also known as "ITCR" or "TEC", is the top public university specializing in engineering and science in Cartago, Costa Rica.The ITCR is a national autonomous institution of higher education, dedicated to the teaching, research and extension in technology and associated sciences. It was created by Law No. 4777 on June 10, 1971. Its main campus is in Cartago, 24 km east of the capital San José.The ITCR offers undergraduate and graduate studies in fields including engineering, computer science and business management.HistoryEstablishmentRafael Ángel González Chaves a public school teacher from San Ramón was one of the first proponents of creating an institute of technology in the country. During the later part of the 1960s he was looking for supporters to introduce a bill that would create the institute. His efforts finally paid off when in June 10, 1961 president José Figueres Ferrer signed a law that mandated the creation of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Institute of Technology). The signing ceremony was held in the province of Cartago which was chosen as the location for the school’s main campus.At the time president Figueres indicated the need to emulate the successful models from other technology schools such as TEC de Monterrey, from whom he indicated he would request assistance in order to kickstart the project.HistoryVidal Quirós Berrocal, a civil engineer was its first rector. The institute began functioning from a small house in downtown Cartago, and its first educational programs started in March 1973. A few years later thanks to a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank, the institute moved to its current main campus in Cartago.