Health sciences degrees in Guayaquil: what each one covers and how to choose

This table summarizes the faculty's five degrees.

ECOTEC also offers Psychology, in the Faculty of Communication, Humanities and Creativity, and Veterinary Medicine, in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Natural Sciences; below we explain how they differ. It does not offer Dentistry or Midwifery.

A general practitioner sees patients in clinics and emergency rooms, diagnoses and treats disease, and works on prevention with families and communities. At ECOTEC the degree gives you a scientific foundation, critical thinking and ethics, with a humanistic outlook and a commitment to service.

Where you work: clinical care in outpatient and inpatient settings, emergencies, primary and community care, epidemiology and research, occupational health in companies, and health services management. The degree trains you as a general practitioner and gives you the foundation to choose a specialty later, which you study as a postgraduate program.

The rotating internship is the pre-professional practice year in which you rotate, under supervision, through hospital services such as internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics and gynecology. After graduating, doctors in Ecuador complete a year of rural health service in Ministry of Public Health facilities.

• Length: 5 years + 1-year internship
• Format: On campus
• Campus: Samborondón
• Degree awarded: Médico / Médica (Physician)
• Approval: CES resolution RPC-SO-06-No.086-2025

See the Medicine degree

A nurse is responsible for the direct care of people: assessing the patient, making the nursing diagnosis, and planning and carrying out the care plan. At ECOTEC the degree prepares you to respond to the population's health problems in hospitals and communities.

Where you work: hospital care in clinical, surgical and emergency units, community health with vaccination and prenatal care programs, nursing services management, health education, nursing research, and home and elderly care.

• Length: 4 years
• Format: On campus
• Campus: Samborondón and Guayaquil (same curriculum)
• Degree awarded: Licenciado/a en Enfermería (Bachelor of Nursing)
• Approval: CES resolution RPC-SO-24-No.359-2025

See the Nursing degree

A physical therapist assesses how the body moves, identifies the cause of a dysfunction and designs a rehabilitation plan to restore function. At ECOTEC the degree combines technical skill, critical thinking, technology and research. In Ecuador, physiotherapy and physical therapy are two names for the same discipline.

Where you work: rehabilitation in hospitals and specialized centers, sports physical therapy, neurorehabilitation, occupational health and ergonomics, disability inclusion, private practice and research.

• Length: 4 years
• Format: On campus
• Campus: Guayaquil
• Degree awarded: Licenciado/a en Fisioterapia (Bachelor of Physical Therapy)
• Approval: CES resolution RPC-SO-09-No.137-2025

See the Physical Therapy degree

A dietitian-nutritionist assesses people's nutritional status and designs meal plans to prevent and treat disease. At ECOTEC you learn to design nutrition programs and strategies that promote healthy habits, grounded in science and ethics.

Where you work: clinical nutrition in hospitals, nutrition consulting, sports nutrition, public and community health, food services in hospitals, companies and schools, and food industry and innovation.

• Length: 4 years
• Format: On campus
• Campus: Samborondón
• Degree awarded: Licenciado/a en Nutrición y Dietética (Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Approval: CES resolution RPC-SO-13-No.184-2025

See the Nutrition and Dietetics degree

A clinical psychologist assesses, diagnoses and treats mental health problems, from anxiety and depression to crises and risk behaviors. At ECOTEC the degree covers mental health promotion, prevention, assessment, diagnosis, intervention and rehabilitation, with a humanistic outlook.

Where you work: assessment and diagnosis with standardized tests, psychotherapy with children, teenagers, adults and families, mental health in hospitals and health centers, crisis intervention, prevention programs and clinical research.

Clinical psychologists do not prescribe medication: psychiatrists, who are medical specialists, do. They often treat the same patient together.

• Length: 4 years
• Format: On campus
• Campus: Samborondón and Guayaquil (same curriculum)
• Degree awarded: Licenciado/a en Psicología Clínica (Bachelor of Clinical Psychology)
• Approval: CES resolution RPC-SO-08-No.118-2025

See the Clinical Psychology degree

If you want to study psychology in Guayaquil, ECOTEC offers two degrees. Clinical Psychology, in this faculty, focuses on mental health: assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy and rehabilitation. Psychology, in the Faculty of Communication, Humanities and Creativity, is broader and prepares you to work in educational, family, organizational and community settings, with an emphasis on prevention and human development.

Where you work with Psychology: educational psychology in schools, organizational psychology in human resources departments, community psychology, work with families, psychological assessment and research.

• Length: 4 years
• Format: On campus
• Campus: Samborondón and La Costa
• Degree awarded: Licenciado/a en Psicología (Bachelor of Psychology)
• Approval: CES resolution RPC-SO-06-No.084-2025

See the Psychology degree

ECOTEC does not offer Dentistry or Midwifery, and it has no equivalent to either. If clinical patient care is what draws you, compare Medicine and Nursing; if maternal health interests you, Nursing works in prenatal care programs. They are different degrees with a different scope of work, so check their curricula before deciding.

If animal health is your thing, ECOTEC offers Veterinary Medicine in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Natural Sciences. It takes four and a half years, is taught on campus at La Costa and awards the title of Médico Veterinario (Veterinarian).

See the Veterinary Medicine degree

No health degree is better than another; one simply fits you better. Take your time with these questions:

1. How would you like to help? By diagnosing and treating disease (Medicine), caring for patients day to day (Nursing), restoring movement (Physical Therapy), changing eating habits (Nutrition and Dietetics) or supporting mental health (Clinical Psychology).
2. How long do you want to study? Medicine takes 5 years plus a 1-year internship; the others take 4 years.
3. What do you enjoy studying? Biology and chemistry are the foundation of Medicine and Nutrition and Dietetics, and they help a lot in Nursing; Physical Therapy calls for an interest in anatomy and how the body works; Clinical Psychology relies on listening, observation and reasoning.
4. Which campus suits you? Samborondón (Vía Samborondón, Km 13.5) offers Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition and Dietetics and Clinical Psychology; Guayaquil (Av. Juan Tanca Marengo, Km 2.5) offers Nursing, Physical Therapy and Clinical Psychology.

Still unsure? Take the career test ¿Qué carrera estudiar? (in Spanish) and talk to an advisor in Admissions.

Admission to ECOTEC takes four steps: share your details with the degree and campus you are interested in, get advice, submit your documents and complete your enrollment. You need an ID document, your high school transcript and a recent photo; your advisor will confirm whether your degree requires anything else.

If you plan to study Medicine: the degree has its own requirements: a certified high school diploma, a voting certificate and passing the University's Leveling Course. That course lasts one month and reinforces key knowledge before the degree begins. In Nursing, Physical Therapy, Nutrition and Dietetics and Clinical Psychology, there is instead a mandatory one-week induction course before classes start.

On-campus undergraduate programs have several start dates a year, and if you come from another university or a technical institute you can transfer credit for courses you have already passed. Find out more in Admissions or on the Faculty of Health Sciences and Human Development page.