The Global Scholars program recognizes undergraduates who have excelled in their studies both at home and abroad. As with the Renaissance and Discovery Scholars, the university recognizes all undergraduates who meet the program’s criteria. Among these students, up to ten will receive a $10,000 prize to be applied toward graduate study.

The Global Scholars program is administered by the Office of Undergraduate Programs.

Similar to Renaissance and Discovery Scholars, students must have an overall USC GPA of 3.5 to be considered for this distinction. Applicants must have participated in an international program administered by USC or an outside institution. However, in the case of purely student-run international programs, the quality of the program would need to be verified by the student’s school.

Applicants must have spent a minimum of ten weeks abroad as part of their undergraduate experience.  These ten weeks can be a combination of one or more programs, whether academic, work experience, or service learning.  For our international students, their foreign stay would need to be outside their home country, preferably in a different region altogether.

Global Scholars will be expected to complete a capstone paper, project, or research paper and a reflective essay in which they reflect on their international experience. This capstone project will validate the depth and quality of the student’s experience.  However, since programs vary greatly, each school will define what the capstone project criteria will be for its students, thus allowing our students some flexibility and room for creativity. For example, a student at our Thornton School of Music might produce a musical composition that is influenced by the sounds of indigenous instruments, while a student at our College of Letters, Arts and Sciences might prepare a research report that documents the implementation of an irrigation system in a rural village.

Students who wish to be considered for this award should submit their applications to the Office of Undergraduate Programs using the online application form. The Office of Undergraduate Programs will then distribute the application materials to their respective schools for an initial review of merit and substance. Each school will select its finalists for consideration by a USC-wide faculty committee. A USC wide Finalist Selection Committee will then review the finalists nominated by each school. This committee, in conjunction with the Provost, will then determine the Global Scholar prize winners. The university will recognize the prize winners at Commencement, along with those students earning the designation of Global Scholar.

Many of our top students may qualify for more than one scholar award. However, while the university might designate a student as a Renaissance, Discovery and Global Scholar, a student can receive only one $10,000 prize.

You can find more background about the Global Scholars program in Provost Nikias’ announcement from which this is excerpted.