How it works
Lighting a fire.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” W.B. Yeats
A concentration is an interdisciplinary area of study that combines classes, projects, and Intersession programs. Each one ends in a capstone project, and completion is noted on the student’s transcript.
Students indicate interest in the spring of sophomore year as part of course requests, meet with the concentration advisor, and must meet the prerequisites.
Three concentrations
Choose your focus.
Each concentration has its own prerequisites, courses, and capstone.
Environmental Stewardship & Climate Justice
ESCJ
Science prerequisites, courses like AS Environmental Science and Civic Engagement, and an environmental capstone.
Global Citizenship
Global
Humanities and four levels of a world language, courses like African Studies, and study or service abroad.
Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
STEM
Science and math prerequisites, courses like Astronomy and Intro to Engineering, and a STEM research capstone.
What’s involved
Five parts of every concentration.
The details vary by concentration, but every one follows the same shape.
01
Prerequisites
Core courses completed first, such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Precalculus for ESCJ and STEM.
02
Two or more additional courses
Electives from the concentration’s list, each three mods long. Not every course is offered every year.
03
A club or leadership role
Join or start a related club, or help a faculty member run a student experience.
04
An Intersession or summer experience
One related Intersession, or an advisor-approved summer program, internship, or research project.
05
A capstone project
A research paper, a presentation to the community, or another in-depth project developed with an advisor.
Course options
Sample courses.
ESCJ options include AS Environmental Science, AS Statistics, Civic Engagement, and California Natural History. Global Citizenship options include African Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Comparative Religions. STEM options include Astronomy, Intro to Engineering, Intro to Coding and Computer Science, and any Advanced Studies STEM course.
Not every course is offered every year. Check the course catalog for current offerings.
Visit
See it for yourself.
The best way to understand an SA education is to sit in on a class. Join us for an Open House or Visit Day.