Study Pathways are programs of study that do not necessarily lead to a credential (such as a degree or certificate), but that provide opportunities for transformative learning and personal growth. Study pathway programs often represent areas of deep student interest and demand for courses, mentorship and integrated extracurricular activities.
Bass Connections lets you tackle today’s most compelling challenges while working directly with a faculty-led research teams. We offer experiences across five themes: Global Health; Energy; Brain & Society; Education & Human Development; and Information, Culture & Society. Taking knowledge beyond the classroom, most project teams focus on their challenge over the course of a year. You will get sustained mentoring and gain experience working as a team to make a real-world impact.
Through DukeEngage, you can pursue an immersive service learning experience to address a community need locally, domestically or internationally. The goal of the program is to empower you to address critical human needs through service, advance the university's educational mission and provide meaningful assistance to communities in the U.S. and abroad.
DukeImmerse is a semester-long program in which all courses are small seminars, interdisciplinary and build on a single theme. Each DukeImmerse program comprises a cluster of courses in which everyone is enrolled, curriculum based on issues related to the professors’ research, high faculty and student interaction, classroom learning connected with the real world, and small enrollments — about a dozen students each.
We think it's important to provide an undergraduate education with a truly global perspective. Nearly half of all undergraduates have one or more study abroad experiences. You can choose from multi-week options to semester, summer or year long programs. In many cases, it is possible for you to take classes that count towards your major in addition to general education degree requirements.
At Duke, student interest and engagement in entrepreneurship encompasses for-profit and social ventures. Curriculum development, summer entrepreneurship programs, on-campus living groups, the undergraduate business incubator, entrepreneurship clubs and start up challenges are coordinated and supported by Duke's Initiative in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
The Hart Leadership Program challenges you to practice the art of leadership in public life. Courses give students analytical frameworks for grappling with the problems facing our global community. Immersion experiences outside the classroom help you see how policy works in the real world. Writing and discussion opportunities challenge you to reflect critically on your experiences and make sense of them. One-on-one mentoring helps you develop the skills, confidence and motivation to translate your learning into action.
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a college-based program for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Under ROTC, you may receive a competitive, merit-based scholarship, covering all or part of college tuition, in return for an obligation of active military service after graduation. ROTC students attend college like other students, but also receive basic military training and officer training for their chosen branch of service through the ROTC unit at or nearby the college. You will participate in regular drills during the school year, and extended training activities during the summer.
Service-learning courses build a strong academic foundation by collaborating with local community partners and translating theory into real-world experience. By exploring Durham’s rich diversity, service-learning courses give students an opportunity to effectively engage with communities on issues such as the environment, poverty, politics, health, education, and more. Service-learning courses develop a wide range of skills, from cross-cultural awareness to critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills--helping students to discover the specific ways they want to be agents of change in the world.
The Thompson Writing Programs helps you develop as a writer throughout your time at Duke. As a student, you will take Writing 101 as a freshman and learn about critical thinking and writing. In later years, you will take two writing-designated courses in your discipline to learn how to write effectively in your field of choice. In addition, the Writing Studio offers free, one-on-one-tutoring to students working on writing for any course at Duke.