"Elite" Courses and Programs/Majors

College Search & Lists
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<p>Apart from the various honors programs, some universities offer “elite” courses or programs/majors. By this I mean that admission to them is by invitation or special application, they are highly selective and limit admission to relatively few students, and/or they have a reputation as being much more intense/difficult than the typical course or program. Here are some examples:</p>

<p>U Chicago: Fundamentals: Issues & Texts [Apply[/url</a>]
Cornell: China & Asia-Pacific Studies [url=<a href=“http://as.cornell.edu/academics/major-minor/majors-detail.cfm?customel_dataPageID_2518=12677]China”>http://as.cornell.edu/academics/major-minor/majors-detail.cfm?customel_dataPageID_2518=12677]China</a> and Asia-Pacific Studies](<a href=“Fundamentals: Issues and Texts”>Fundamentals: Issues and Texts)
Cornell: FALCON [-</a> Home](<a href=“http://www.lrc.cornell.edu/falcon/Home]-”>http://www.lrc.cornell.edu/falcon/Home)
Ohio State: Chinese Flagship Program [The</a> Chinese Flagship Undergraduate Program | The Ohio State University Chinese Flagship Program](<a href=“http://chineseflagship.osu.edu/undergraduate/]The”>http://chineseflagship.osu.edu/undergraduate/)
Yale: Directed Studies [Directed</a> Studies at Yale University](<a href=“Welcome | Directed Studies”>Welcome | Directed Studies)
Yale: Brady-Johnson Grand Strategy Program [The</a> Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and Studies in Grand Strategy Graduate Seminar | International Security Studies](<a href=“International Security Studies - Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs”>International Security Studies - Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs)
Yale: Journalism Initiative [Yale</a> Journalism Initiative | writing.yalecollege.yale.edu](<a href=“http://writing.yalecollege.yale.edu/yale-journalism-initiative]Yale”>http://writing.yalecollege.yale.edu/yale-journalism-initiative)
Penn: Vagelos Scholar Program in Molecular Life sciences [Vagelos</a> Scholars Program in Molecular Life Sciences](<a href=“Biochemistry | Penn Arts & Sciences”>Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences Program | Penn Arts & Sciences)
Penn: Huntsman Program in International Studies & Business [The</a> Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business](<a href=“http://huntsman.upenn.edu/index.html]The”>The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business - The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business)
Northwestern: Integrated Science Program [Integrated</a> Science Department](<a href=“http://www.isp.northwestern.edu/]Integrated”>http://www.isp.northwestern.edu/)
Northwestern: Murphy Institute [Northwestern</a> University - the Murphy Institute](<a href=“http://murphyinstitute.mccormick.northwestern.edu/]Northwestern”>http://murphyinstitute.mccormick.northwestern.edu/)
Northwestern: Kaplan Humanities Scholars [Kaplan</a> Humanities Scholars Program](<a href=“http://www.kaplanscholars.northwestern.edu/]Kaplan”>http://www.kaplanscholars.northwestern.edu/)
Harvard: Math 55 [Burden</a> of Proof | FM | The Harvard Crimson](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/12/6/burden-of-proof-at-1002-am/]Burden”>The Harvard Crimson)
Texas: Plan II Honors [Plan</a> II Honors Program](<a href=“Curriculum | Plan II Honors Program | Liberal Arts | UT - Austin”>Curriculum | Plan II Honors Program | Liberal Arts | UT - Austin)
Princeton: The Woodrow Wilson School [Wilson</a> School takes 90 of 180 applicants - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2011/03/04/27848/]Wilson”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2011/03/04/27848/)</p>

<p>Do you know of any others?</p>

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<p>Well, if you’re going to list the Penn Huntsman Program (which is Wharton + SAS) I would think that the Jerome Fisher Program (Wharton + SEAS) would also be relevant.</p>

<p>[THE</a> JEROME FISHER PROGRAM IN MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY](<a href=“Home - Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology”>Home - Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology)</p>

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<p>Berkeley’s Haas School of Business</p>

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<p>While we’re on the subject of Penn programs, we might as well include these two:</p>

<p>[Vagelos</a> Program in Life Sciences and Management<a href=“the%20%5Bi%5Dother%5B/i%5D%20Vagelos%20Program”>/url</a></p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/students/DualDegrees/NHCM/Pages/default.aspx]The”&gt;http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/students/DualDegrees/NHCM/Pages/default.aspx]The</a> Nursing and Health Care Management Program](<a href=“Home | Penn Life Sciences & Management Program”>Home | Penn Life Sciences & Management Program)</p>

5

<p>How intensive is the Chinese Falcon Summer Course??</p>

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<p>Lehigh University’s Integrated Business & Engineering Honors Program</p>

<p>[Lehigh</a> University :: RCEAS: Integrated Business & Engineering Program](<a href=“http://www3.lehigh.edu/engineering/academics/ibe2.asp]Lehigh”>http://www3.lehigh.edu/engineering/academics/ibe2.asp)</p>

<p>[IBE</a> home](<a href=“http://www.lehigh.edu/~inibep/]IBE”>http://www.lehigh.edu/~inibep/)</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>But then would any major at Berkeley that one would have to apply to declare be “elite” in that sense? Such majors currently include Art Practice, Public Health, Operations Research and Management Science, Economics, Environmental Economics, Psychology, Social Welfare, and Media Studies under the [College</a> of Letters and Science](<a href=“http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/major/majorlist.html]College”>http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/major/majorlist.html), and all majors available only under the Colleges of Engineering, Chemistry, or Natural Resources (although note that Computer Science and Chemistry are available under the College of Letters and Science).</p>

<p>On the other hand, several of these majors are not considered “elite” in terms of difficulty of course work. To many students in some other majors, Haas (undergraduate) Business Administration may not seem particularly difficult in terms of course work either.</p>

<p>In terms of more difficult course work, note that Berkeley’s Math department offers honors versions of several lower and upper division Math courses, though there one does not have to apply to a special program to register for those courses.</p>