Graduate Degrees in Regenerative
Living & Environmental Stewardship
An immersive apprenticeship in Costa Rica where learners cultivate practical sustainability skills, ecological awareness, and the leadership tools needed to guide regenerative projects.
Graduate Degrees in Regenerative Living & Environmental Stewardship is an immersive, community-based experience that prepares learners to lead environmental and sustainability projects.
This program empowers individuals through experiential and holistic learning, including through permaculture design principles and practical strategies for regenerative living.
The experience includes the cultivation of personal growth, collaboration, and conscious communication, as well as learning to care for plants, harvesting food, cooking farm-to-table meals, and contributing to the organization of an environmental learning center.
The program also includes learning basic or intermediate Spanish language and understanding rural Costa Rican food and culture.
We recommend that your program begins with Ubiquity’s Creative journey to Dissertation course Our one-week intensive will give you the confidence and tools to shape, and eventually write, your thesis or dissertation. You will then take the core program with Finca Sol Y Valle.
About the Program
The core 6-month apprenticeship program at Sol y Valle is designed for enthusiastic individuals who wish to gain a solid understanding of regenerative living principles through experiential, relational learning in community.
Apprentices finish the program with a permaculture design certificate (PDC) and an understanding of all important areas of sustainable living, including the following:
1
Plant propagation techniques
2
Organic fertilizer production
3
Bio-controllers in organic agriculture and around the house
4
Organic agriculture principles and practices
5
Rainwater management systems
6
Food preparation and preservation
7
Recycling and nearing zero wase
8
Sustainable Technologies
9
Permaculture design principals
10
Bamboo harvesting, curing, and building
11
Bio-construction with wood, rock, clay, and vetiver grass
12
Medicinal plants and their applications
13
Reforestation and trail creation/maintenance
14
Social sustainability (community living, non-violent communication, non-hierarchical decision-making)
15
Food forestry systems (syntropic forests, biodynamic gardening)
Within the first 3 months of arriving, the apprentice will choose a project for the last 3 months. Some options include designing and building structures, completing biodiversity studies, creating an educational program, designing for permaculture or syntropic forestry, community service, community living, etc. As an apprentice, you will ultimately choose the project you think is most interesting and fits within Finca Sol Y Valle’s mission, vision, and values.
Learning Outcomes
1
Prepare learners to lead environmental and sustainability projects.
2
Empower individuals through experiential and holistic learning.
3
Teach permaculture design principles and practical strategies for regenerative living.
4
Cultivate personal growth, collaboration, and conscious communication.
5
Learn to care for plants, harvest food, and cook farm-to-table meals.
6
Contribute to the organization of an environmental learning center.
7
Learn Basic or Intermediate Spanish Language.
8
Understand rural Costa Rican Food & Culture.
9
Extract vital insights from your studies to contribute to a well-researched thesis or dissertation.
Who Is the Program For?
This program is ideal for people looking to improve their theoretical and practical knowledge for regenerative living, and who wish to experience the transformative effects of living and studying in a values-guided community.
Meet our Faculty
Jim Garrison
Jim Garrison, PhD, has had a lifetime of social and political activism beginning in the 1960s with the anti-war, anti-nuclear, citizen diplomacy and environmental movements.
Gyorgyi Szabo
Gyorgyi Szabo PhD is Dean of Graduate Studies at Ubiquity University. She was a Co-Founder and Academic Dean of the ‘Ervin Laszlo Center for Advanced Study’ (ELCAS).
Jeffrey Davis
Jeff has dedicated nearly a decade to practicing permaculture, blending his passion for nature with sustainable living. His journey began with the Sol y Valle project five years ago, sparking a deep, ongoing connection with the environment and a commitment to co-creating a sustainable lifestyle within an intentional community. As a renewable energy engineer, Jeff leads bioconstruction initiatives by exploring innovative techniques and utilizing natural materials such as bamboo, rock, clay, and wood.
Daniela Jiménez
Daniela Jiménez Escudé is an environmental engineer with a master’s degree in circular economy. Passionate about the interconnected cycles of nature, humanity, and women, she specializes in syntropic agroforestry systems and medicinal plants. With a deep commitment to regenerative practices, Daniela integrates ecological principles with holistic well-being, fostering sustainable solutions that honor the rhythms of the land and life.
Anamor Parra
Anamor is a passionate advocate for body movement and lifelong learning. She coordinates the gardens and volunteering program with remarkable energy and care. For over four years, she has been immersed in permaculture practices at Finca Sol y Valle, where her innovative approach inspires sustainable living. Her vibrant energy and proactive mindset make her a catalyst for community growth and environmental stewardship.
About Finca Sol Y Valle
Finca Sol y Valle is a community-managed learning center focused on permaculture principles and practices. Learn permaculture design, Spanish language, natural building, food forest, and enjoy retreats and more in the beautiful mountains of Costa Rica.
Their vision is to be a community-managed learning center focused on permaculture principles and practices.
Their mission is to promote environmental and human consciousness to help humanity achieve sustainable living with the earth, living beings, and ourselves.
The Ubiquity Degree: Explore the Possibilities
Playlist
1:23:41
57:21
58:04
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Founders of the New England Goddess Temple and UU graduates talk about the degree they now offer with Ubiquity
Veda Austin, the World’s Foremost Researcher into the sacred properties of water, talks about her work
Meet Cynthia Bledsoe, visionary leader and futurist committed to driving social impact through harmony and human potential
John Prorock, the world’s first PhD in Extraterrestrial Studies, talks about his research
Thomas Hübl, renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator, shares his testimonial for Ubiquity University, as a PhD graduate class of 2022.
Graduates from our Design for Sustainability Program with Gaia Education talk about their experiences
What You Gain
A Recognized postgraduate degree
A major research project in your field
Academic supervision
A global network of peers & faculty
A bridge between practice and scholarship
Why Ubiquity?
For almost 20 years, Ubiquity has nurtured learners to lead with wisdom and heart. Our programs foster the skills, mindsets, and inner capacities needed to meet today’s urgent global challenges with clarity, compassion and impact.
At Ubiquity, education is more than knowledge—it is a path of self-discovery, deep inquiry, and meaningful action. We weave the timeless insights of ancient traditions with the latest discoveries in science, consciousness, and human transformation.
Together, through collaborative learning and global community, Ubiquity is building a thriving, regenerative future.
Studying at Ubiquity
For more information on student life at Ubiquity, please visit our Students Resources Page. In addition to your major advisor, you’ll also have the option to be paired with another student at Ubiquity who has been studying for longer.
Application & Admissions
Program Requirements
MA
GEDS Coursework
Creative Journey to Dissertation
PhD
GEDS Coursework
Creative Journey to Dissertation
Chartres Academy
Great Books
MA/PhD
GEDS Coursework
Creative Journey to Dissertation
Chartres Academy
Great Books
Student Academic Journey
The duration of your student journey will vary depending on your degree pathway.
Ubiquity offers instalment plans for all degree students over an 18 month period.
Payment Options
For each of the degree options available, students have the options of breaking their payments into parts. Please see the table below for this breakdown.
*Courses taken outside of Ubiquity’s course library will incur a credit transfer fee.
The Ubiquity Graduate Degree
The Ubiquity Graduate Program combines the US and European designs of graduate programs with a blend of taught learning with research and writing. The thesis or dissertation must demonstrate excellence at every level. It must show awareness of the history of the literature in your particular area; demonstrate careful analysis and understanding of the field in question; and, most importantly, show how your insight can be applied to the real world. The dissertation must be scholarly and utilize extensive bibliographical data and footnotes. It should, in other words, be an impeccable work of research.
About Our Required Courses
The Creative Journey To Dissertation
This 1-week intensive designed by our Dean of Graduate Studies Dr. Gyorgyi Szabo. The course is a critical part of the dissertation writing process and is a requirement for all MA/PhD candidates.
Faculty: Gyorgyi Szabo
Great Books
Faculty: Gyorgyi Szabo PhD, Jim Garrison PhD
The Great Books course at Ubiquity University delves into literature that has shaped human thought. Students discuss, analyze, and connect historical themes to contemporary global challenges, deepening their understanding of enduring literary works.
Chartes Academy
Our Chartres Academy is intended as a gathering point for a contemporary wisdom community to come together through the very same learning system that Fulbert and Plato used — the seven Liberal Arts.
Support during your Graduate Program
During your graduate dissertation writing you will be supported by a Major Advisor of your own choosing, as well as optional writing courses and writing mentorship.