Special admission programs

American Studies Program

This interdisciplinary program draws on courses in anthropology, art, history, sociology, political science, economics, and literature to explore the nature of life in the United States. Sophomores and juniors may apply for admission.

Brady Program in Ethics and Civic Life

The Brady Scholars Program is designed to bring ethics and moral philosophy back into academic education. This three-year program, available to 16 WCAS sophomores each year, begins with a series of seminars that together are called "The Good Life." By the end of their sophomore year, students will have selected a concrete societal problem on which they will focus for the next two years. Brady Scholars will be expected to spend at least one quarter abroad in their junior year learning how America is perceived by citizens of other nations and how problems, including their selected problem, are identified and solved in other cultures. As seniors, Brady Scholars will be expected to complete a service project on their chosen topic that will create a lasting mark on Evanston or Chicago.

English Major in Writing

This concentration offers promising juniors instruction in writing poetry and prose. Honors tutorials give students the opportunity to work with faculty mentors on a writing project. Each year the Writers-in-Residence Program brings two professional writers to campus for weeklong seminars. Among the writers who have participated in this program are Richard Ford, Scott Turow, Ann Beattie, and Tracy Kidder.

European Studies

This major allows students to explore the realities and legacies of Europe in an interdisciplinary program that gives attention to both humanities and social sciences, and can readily accommodate a focus on either history or current affairs.

Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME)

The Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) is designed for unusually gifted and highly motivated students who seek careers in medicine or medical science. HPME students participate in a flexible, individualized program that shortens the length of premedical study by one year. A select group of freshmen are admitted to the program each year and are simultaneously admitted to Northwestern University Medical School.

Integrated Science Program (ISP)

ISP students explore the relationships between scientific disciplines and their mathematical underpinnings. ISP leads to a bachelor's degree in three years or to a double-degree in four years. A year of high school calculus is a prerequisite for admission. A special application for ISP is required in addition to the undergraduate application. For ISP deadlines, see the table below.

Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program

The Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program is a special admission program available to 48 first-year students in either the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences or the School of Communication. This set of fall and winter seminars (which satisfies the WCAS freshman-seminar requirement) tackles the age-old question: What is the nature of the "good society?" Intended for students who are interested in the natural and social sciences as well as those who plan to major in the humanities, the program has been uniquely developed to give freshmen an opportunity to explore the humanities under the guidance of some of Northwestern's most prominent faculty members.

Mathematical Experience for Northwestern Undergraduates (MENU)

The MENU program is designed for qualified students who would normally major in mathematics but want a more rigorous and individualized approach to their studies. MENU students complete an honors project in their senior year under the direction of a faculty adviser.

Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS)

This selective program complements a major in the social sciences with rigorous, accelerated study of mathematical modeling, statistics, and computers. MMSS also introduces a broad range of theories and methods in the social sciences. A special application is required in addition to the undergraduate application.

Deadlines for the Integrated Science Program and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences

ISP and MMSS applications may be filed later than your application for admission. To ensure a timely decision, apply by the following deadlines:

ISP Deadlines Early Decision Regular Decision
Application for admission November 1 January 1
Program application January 1 March 1
Required tests* December test date January test date
*ACT with writing or SAT Reasoning Test. ISP applicants must also submit three SAT Subject Test results: Chemistry or Physics, Math Level 2, and a second science.
MMSS Deadlines Early Decision Regular Decision
Application for admission November 1 January 1
Program application January 1 March 1
Required tests* December test date January test date
*ACT with writing or SAT Reasoning Test.

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