The following policies apply to SAIC Scholars admitted after fall 2022.  Students who began the Scholars Program prior to Fall 2022 should disregard this section.  Any student with questions about their Scholars requirements and program completion should contact their academic advisor and/or the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

Required Courses and Sequencing

What Courses are Required?  When Do I Have to Take Them?

Scholars-Required courses focuses on students taking academic courses together as a learning community, during the first and second years of their undergraduate studies.  The program intends for students to move as a cohort, and offers specific courses in specific semesters to meet the needs of the cohort.  SAIC Scholars students typically take 6 classes to complete the program.  SAIC Scholars courses can be found here.

Course Selection

A Scholars-required Course Conflicts with Another Course I Want to Take...Can I Take a Different Section of a Course than the Scholars Sections and Still Receive Scholars Credit?

No, only Scholars-designated courses can be taken to satisfy Scholars course requirements.  The Scholars program is voluntary, but it does come with specific expectations in terms of course enrollment (and academic integrity).  Scholars prioritizing their participation in this program should prioritize taking Scholars-required courses when building their schedule.  We offer as many different sections of our courses as possible, spread out as much as possible, to help students build schedules of desired Scholars and non-Scholars courses (see next question).

This program has been carefully planned to overlap with your already-existing degree requirements as much as possible:

The SAIC Scholars requirements comprise 21 total credits.  The majority of these credits come from courses that all SAIC students are already required to take - First Year Seminar I and II, Art History 1001 and 1002, and Sophomore Seminar 2900.  In return for taking these courses, students benefit from carefully-planned course experiences, a stronger connection to a sub-community within SAIC's larger one, receive full priority registration privileges  for their Junior and Senior years, and are able to graduate "with Distinction" from SAIC.  

What Does SAIC Do to Plan Scholars Courses That Fit My Schedule?

SAIC makes every effort to create as accommodating a schedule as possible for Scholars to work with given their other competing interests and priorities.  When scheduling Scholars courses, we will:

• Offer as many sections as possible (typically 3-4 depending on the size of the group) of the course

• Schedule these sections on a variety of days and times

• Schedule a diverse selection of topics in topically-driven courses (e.g. First Year Seminar I and II) and rotate topics offered every few years

• Rotate participating faculty to bring a diversity of people and expertise through the Program over time

• Studio courses will all be planned as true "interdisciplinary" experiences where students of all backgrounds/experience levels are welcome

Even with all these  efforts, 3-4 sections will likely not be enough to seamlessly fit with every student's individual schedule preferences and interests.  You may find moments of conflict between a required Scholars section that works for your schedule and a desired elective option scheduled at the same time.  It's important to remember that many if not all the elective courses taken by first-year and sophomore students are offered every semester, with multiple sections running.  There is almost no scenario where taking required Scholars course will force a student to "give up" on taking a desired elective, though you may encounter a scenario where you'll have to prioritize your Scholars courses and be flexible in building a schedule around those.

How Important is the 'Topic' When Choosing a Section of a Course?

While we understand that students place great emphasis on topical content when choosing courses,  it is important to remember that all the courses with topics connected to the Scholars Program are essentially the same course, with minor differences based on the topic.  All sections are built on the same set of learning outcomes and will be similar experiences.  Because of this, we strongly encourage students to select  from the required Scholars options when building their schedule.  Both the immediate benefits (dedicated faculty, flexible curricular approach, connecting/community with other Scholars peers) and the long-term benefits (future priority course registration privileges; graduation "with Distinction") of taking these courses should far outweigh the benefit of taking one topical section of a course versus another.

Troubleshooting

What Happens When I Do Not Complete Scholars-specific Course Requirements? 

It depends on the situation, and we'll go into more details in subsequent questions.  

It's important to note that Scholars Program participation/completion is not required for degree completion.  It is a voluntary program meant to enhance the quality of a student’s academic and community experiences at SAIC.  But there are potential consequences to not earning Credit in Scholars courses, or not taking the courses at all. 

 Bottom line: Only those students who complete the outlined Scholars-required course sequence (including any approved substitutions) may eventually receive priority registration and go on to graduate with Distinction.

The next two questions go into more specifics on the different impacts of 1) missing/skipping a Scholars course entirely, or 2) attempting a course but not successfully completing it (No Credit or Withdrawal grade).

What are My Options to Make Up for a Scholars-Required Course I Did Not Attempt (or Dropped)?

We understand Scholars may for any number of reasons be unable to take all Scholars courses in the sequence laid out.  Making intentional academic plans is an important skill for all students to exercise.  However, these courses are nonetheless required for Scholars and completing them is a requisite for program completion (and benefits connected to that).  

Courses missed or dropped will need to be taken in a future semester, which in many cases will be in the next academic year, as these courses are only offered in Fall or Spring each year.  There is not enough demand or need to run "off-cycle" sections for students who do not take the courses in the sequence laid out.  

We encourage students to consult with their academic advisor prior to making a decision to "skip" a Scholars class either by dropping it or never enrolling in it in the first place, as there may be significant implications for your Scholars progress and degree plan, and your advisor can help you explore the benefits and costs of this decision.

What are My Options to Make Up for a Scholars-Required Course I Attempted but Did Not Complete Successfully?

When a Scholar attempts but does not successfully complete a Scholars-required courses as per the outlined sequence, they will be allowed to substitute for a different course.  This option may be used for up to two courses, either two in the same semester or one each in different semesters.  Each Scholars course counts as one course for the purposes of this policy.

Approved substitutions will be determined via a discussion with the student’s Academic Advisor. The advisor will convey the approved substitution to the Registrar’s Office.  Note that student requests for a substitution that  would conflict with the student’s ability to enroll in any Scholars-required courses they can take in the same term will not be approved.

Also note that all existing rules of Academic Standing for undergraduates apply to Scholars.  This includes the ‘Two-Thirds’ Undergraduate Academic Standing Policy and the First Year Requirements Standing Policy.  Full details on these policies can be found in the SAIC Bulletin, which is always published via the Registration and Records webpage. 

What If I Need to Take a Leave of Absence from SAIC?

When meeting with an Academic Advisor to discuss Leave of Absence, Scholars can discuss their options for resuming the program upon their return. Necessary adjustments, substitutions, and a future course selection plan to complete Scholars requirements will be finalized when the student is formally reinstated to SAIC after their Leave of Absence ends.

What if I Cannot Participate in the Scholars Study Trip?

The Scholars Trip has historically been a Research Studio II course, held in the winter interim of students’ first year.  We understand that some individual students may not be in a position to participate in such a trip.  The Scholars Trip is therefore not a “required” course within the program.  Students who cannot participate in the planned Scholars Trip can take a different RS II in their First Spring, and continue along with their cohort in ENG 1005 and ARTHI 1002.

As this course is not required for program completion, students not taking the Scholars Trip will still have the option to substitute for two other Scholars courses under this policy.