University Scholars Program

Program Director: W. Marshall Johnston, Ph.D.

Overview

The University Scholars Program (USP) offers traditional undergraduate students of outstanding academic ability and motivation an opportunity to nurture their gifts for leadership and service to God, their communities and the world at large. Scholars develop research and critical reasoning skills based on in-depth knowledge in the following areas: community engagement, human communication, global/cross-cultural studies, health/wellness and environment/economic ethics.

USP courses are not merely intensive general education or more strenuous major courses, but rather offer students an enriched and expanded educational experience in small classes. USP courses are honors courses, offered in several general education disciplines that fulfill general education requirements and in several academic majors as determined by program faculty. USP courses are designated with an H in the course number (e.g., HIST 120H .) University Scholar graduation status is awarded to students who successfully complete a minimum of 15 units of USP courses and graduate with a 3.5 FPU GPA.

Admissions Requirements

USP courses are open to all FPU undergraduate students. New and returning Paragon, President's, Transfer and Dean's Scholars or students with a GPA of 3.4 and above have immediate access to honors courses. Other current FPU students wishing to enroll in honors courses will be required to submit a letter of recommendation from an FPU professor or, if a transfer student, from a professor from their previous college/university. The letter should be submitted to the instructor of the USP course or the USP director.