Our Program

We have a comprehensive and holistic program focusing on multiple forms of mentorship and teaching that will ensure your success!

Sustainable development goals wheel
Program overview: program consists of research topics, courses & instruction, program curriculum, faculty team, outcomes & evaluation, community & social events

Global map of locations that students have researched, with each pin labeled with the location of focus, sustainable development goal, paper topic, and the scholar and where they are from

Our scholars have explored a diverse range of topics across the world from the effectiveness of US pay transparency laws in reducing gender pay gap to the regime influence on poverty reduction in China, all of which were researched in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Courses and instruction: SDG Topic Tutorials (6 hours - recorded), Academic Seminars (8 hours - live), Academic Tutorials (5 hours - recorded), Mentor Meetings (10 hours - live), Group Workshops (5 hours - live), Office Hours (4 hours - live)

Our curriculum is delivered through several forms of instruction. Tutorials, Workshops, Seminars and 1-on-1 meetings teach:

  • Introduction to Social Science Research

    • Finding Academic Sources and Databases

    • Following APA Format & Citations

    • Forming a Research Question & Thesis Statement

    • Paper Structure & Outline

    • Academic Writing Principles

  • Drafting:

    • Introduction & Background

    • Research Findings & Analysis

    • Abstract, Conclusion & Formatting

  • Oral Presentation & Defense


We use a project management tool called Notion to guide students through the program and track their progress.

Curriculum materials, events, seminars, workshops, mentor meetings, assignments and other resources are all organized into individual research trackers to help our scholars stay on track.

Notion Page Sceenshot

Our Notion Page

Social events: Kahoot Trivia and Game Night
Slack Channel Screenshot

Join our close-knit community of students via the Slack desktop/mobile app as well as virtually hosted socials!


Outcomes & Evaluation: composed of interim assignments (15%), presentation & defense (10%), final paper (75%); also outlines interim assignments and final paper structure
Final Presentation Zoom Screenshots
The program culminates in the finished final paper and the Alpha Scholars Convention where students present and defend their research that will be judged by members of the Harvard IRC and other topic experts! Students’ papers and presentations are judged on content, delivery, organization, completeness, mechanics, documentation, and interactions. 

Upon completion of the program, students receive official Alpha Scholars transcripts. Students that achieve a minimum B- grade receive a Certificate of Commendation from the Harvard International Relations Council. Students that achieve a B+ grade or higher receive medals from the Harvard International Review, and Gold and Silver medal winners get their final papers linked on the Harvard International Review website!

Gold Award Certificate
Harvard International Review page of medal winners screenshot

Check out publications on the HIR website from previous cohorts:

Reviews

Five Stars: "This program was a wonderful experience..."
Five Stars: "A Great Summer Spent with Alpha Scholar"
Five Stars: "A Fascinating Experience"
Five Stars: "Amazing Program for high-school students"