To assist scholars in navigating the transition between high school and college, all students enroll in a 1-credit hour course in their first semester of YSA called UNV 101: Orientation to College and Beyond. The course is taught by a member of the YSA team and scholars will be surrounded by a community of their peers who are also new to the program.
Through this course, scholars will learn how to be successful in college, explore various academic disciplines and career fields, engage in thoughtful reflection around their goals, and more.
Scholars interested in earning a college credential during their time in Young Scholars Academy can select the Associate's Degree Pathway.
On this pathway, scholars follow requirements for the Associate of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies while completing general education requirements and taking coursework in their area(s) of interest. Many scholars begin completing courses toward their intended major through this pathway - with the added benefit of earning two degrees instead of one.
Academic plans are customized to the individual scholar based on their
remaining high school graduation requirements and overall goals.
Scholars who want to maximize progress toward their Bachelor's degree of choice and do not want to earn a college credential during YSA opt for the Degree Preparation Pathway.
On this pathway, scholars follow requirements for their intended major based on the NKU catalog in the year in which they begin YSA while also completing many, if not all, general education requirements.
Academic plans are customized to the individual scholar based on their remaining high school graduation requirements and overall goals.
Young Scholars Academy follows the minimum high school graduation requirements established by the state of Kentucky, in addition to guidelines set by our partner high schools.
For the average scholar, this includes:
Beyond the courses above that fulfill general education requirements, many scholars choose to complete Kentucky's full general education certification by taking additional Foundation of Knowledge coursework.
For our scholars on the Associate's Degree Pathway, they will complete 31 general education credit hours and be considered Gen Ed Certified at the time they finish YSA.
Scholars on the Bachelor's Degree Preparation pathway will need to complete 37 general education credit hours in order to be considered Gen Ed Certified by NKU.
Being enrolled at NKU full-time over four semesters allows scholars to take about 5 classes each fall and spring term. This benefits students by providing them with the opportunity to take courses in several different academic areas or dive deep into a specific area of interest.
Scholars choose from exploring courses in one or more of the following tracks while working toward an Associate’s and/or Bachelor’s degree: Business, Computing and Analytics, Education, Fine Arts, Health and Human Services, Humanities and Social Sciences, Media and Communication, and STEM: Pre-Professional.
In partnership with NKU's academic departments and schools, YSA has carefully crafted course recommendations to guide students through their track(s) of interest. Browse through our tracks below to learn more about the various programs of study offered at NKU.
Scholars with an interest in business have the opportunity to take coursework from programs in NKU's Haile College of Business or College of Informatics, including:
Scholars with an interest in education have the opportunity to take coursework from programs in NKU's College of Education, including:
Scholars with an interest in healthcare professions have the opportunity to take coursework from programs in NKU's College of Health and Human Services or College of Informatics, including:
Scholars with an interest in media and communication have the opportunity to take coursework from programs in NKU's College of Informatics, including:
Scholars with an interest in computing and analytics have the opportunity to take coursework from programs in NKU's College of Informatics, including:
Scholars with an interest in fine arts have the opportunity to take coursework from programs in NKU's College of Arts and Sciences, including:
Scholars with an interest in humanities and social sciences have the opportunity to take coursework from programs in NKU's College of Arts and Sciences, including:
Scholars with an interest in STEM and Pre-Professional fields have the opportunity to take coursework from programs in NKU's College of Arts and Sciences, including:
In addition, NKU offers many pre-professional programs which can be paired with an available major such as:
