Incoming Students | Global Scholars

Become a Global Scholar

From your first semester, the Global Scholars Program prepares you to find your place on campus and in the world and to serve the global community. The Global Scholars Program is a four-year pathway that brings international and diverse perspectives to whatever you plan to study. The Global Scholars pathway complements any major, especially if you are preparing for a career working work with diverse people or in diverse communities

Incoming first-year students have a unique opportunity to begin their journey with the Global Scholars First-year Seminar and companion short-term study abroad courses.  

NEW! Global Scholars First Year Seminar: Costa Rica

Fall 2024 First-Year Seminar + Winter 2025 Study Abroad in Costa Rica

The Global Scholars First-Year Seminar and January travel class offer you a trip of a lifetime to study abroad as a first year student. Immerse yourself in a culture known for its environmental consciousness, epic biodiversity and pura vida (“pure life”) way of living, as you adventure in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and coastal national parks. From day one at Pacific, you will be part of a community of global scholars, gaining international experience in one of the most fascinating countries in Latin America. Learn about the world and yourself as you study the intersection of culture and ecology in Costa Rica through the lens of sustainability during the fall first-year seminar. Then  prepare to get off the beaten path and challenge your perspectives traveling in Costa Rica in January:

• swing in a hammock strung between avocado trees
• meander through bustling markets
• swim under waterfalls
• hike across a jungle suspension bridge
• observe sea turtles, monkeys, and crocodiles in their natural habitat
• zip line through the rain forest amid sloths and toucans
• try local foods like gallo pinto (the national dish of Costa Rica)

Launch your Pacific University career as you experience life in one of the “happiest countries on earth” (National Geographic).

The Global Scholars Program makes international education safe and affordable. Travel with your first-year seminar faculty and classmates. Pacific pays most of the cost. You pay only airfare.

Only 20 spots are available, so apply soon.

Reserve Your Spot

Travel is Safe and Faculty-Supported

The Global Scholars program makes international education safe and easy. Faculty-led travel with your first-year classmates takes the stress out of international travel. Your professors manage the travel details, while you focus on the learning experience. Faculty are trained to support the safety and well-being of diverse students abroad. 

Study Abroad is Affordable

You pay only airfare. Pacific pays the rest!  Students may also apply for a limited number of short-term travel grants offered by Pacific Student Senate's ACE Board.

Global Scholars is for You

We invite all incoming first-year students to apply. You are especially encouraged to join us if you speak a second language, or come from diverse ethnic, economic, and social backgrounds. No prior international experience is required.  If you are unable to travel outside of the U.S., contact us to discuss alternatives.

Applications are now closed for the Global Scholars First Year Seminar and Global Explorations January travel course.

2024 Global Scholars First Year Seminar + Global Explorations Travel Course

Learning Outcomes

The Global Scholars FYS course shares the learning objectives held in common by all sections of first-year seminar, while it also prepares students to study abroad in January by providing academic, intercultural, and logistical preparation. Completion of the Global Scholars FYS and Global Explorations courses fulfills students’ FYS and International & Diverse Perspectives (IDP) core graduation requirements.

Global Explorations (HUM 101) Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

• critically reflect on their experience in the global destination and synthesize that experience with the readings and discussions from the prep course.
• develop self-culture and other-culture awareness through their interactions with people at the travel destination.
• apply disciplinary or interdisciplinary research methods to a project during course.

International & Diverse Perspectives (IDP) Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completing an IDP course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an interdisciplinary or disciplinary understanding of cultural diversity through the examination of languages, values, and practices from around the world.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how social categories (for example, race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, language, religion or belief, or other forms of social differentiation) and social and cultural context influence one’s understanding of the world or point of view.
• Explain how cultural self-awareness promotes effective cross-cultural interaction.