The Community of Scholars program is a rigorous college-credit summer program designed for students entering their junior and senior years of high school. The program offers academically outstanding students the chance to broaden their understanding of international relations by enrolling in a 3-credit college class designed just for them. Students will sample the undergraduate experience and take advantage of what the School of International Service (SIS) has to offer.
Community of Scholars will introduce students to the advancing field of global affairs through college-level coursework. Whether online or in class at AU, instructors will provide dynamic lectures and engage students in discussions as well as simulations, such as a mock National Security Council debate. By the end of the program, students might develop a national security strategy or conduct a conflict assessment of an ongoing insurgency. Students will visit government agencies and non-profit organizations to see how leading policy-makers put ideas into action. They will also experience the excitement of Washington at work and see first-hand what others only read about.
The Community of Scholars program is offered in a residential hybrid format. Students participate in a two-week experience on AU's campus in Washington, D.C., followed by an additional week of online asynchronous instruction. The academic experience is supplemented by afternoon and weekend activities.
Course Offerings
- 21st Century Challenges: Environmental Sustainability and Global Health
- Worlds Apart, Worlds Together: Conflict, Culture, and Cooperation
- Diplomacy and Dictators: U.S. Foreign Policy in an Uncertain World
Summer 2023 Tuition and Fees: Tuition for Community of Scholars for 2023 is $3,465. Room and board for the residential program is an additional $1,980.
The tuition includes 3 college credits, afternoon workshops and guest speakers, transportation to off-campus visits to government agencies, classroom materials, and access to AU's Bender library and other campus amenities.
Summer 2023 Session Dates: July 9th-July 28th, 2023