The program is competitive. Between these extremes are a breathtaking variety of forest types and the biodiversity they contain. Monteverde enjoys a cool, invigorating climate throughout the year. The community is friendly, bilingual, and supportive of biological studies. The courses in Tropical Diversity, Tropical Community Ecology and the Independent Study in Tropical Biology are taught by biologists from U.S., European and Costa Rican universities who have degrees in ecology and extensive experience in the Neoptropics.
Students stay in four-person rooms with private baths and hot showers.
Meals are taken at the biological station and served family style. Vegetarians can be accommodated. The current resident director for the academic year is Dr. Alan Masters, Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Florida. A local professor serves as resident director for the summer program. Both the semester and summer programs include field trips to various locations of biological interest in Costa Rica.