Academic Connections

It’s our hope that many students will connect their DukeEngage experience to academic interests by choosing a program that allows them to put academic knowledge into practice, learn more about a particular population or region of the world, or further their study of a foreign language.

“A combination of FOCUS, DukeEngage and Bass Connections had catalyzed the development of critical thinking and analysis skills, introduced me to research and deepened my enthusiasm for civic engagement.” — Sarah Rapaport (’18)

All DukeEngage programs benefit from the leadership of Duke faculty members, who are well-positioned to recommend follow-up courses and supervise independent studies or honors theses.

Sanjeev Dasgupta discovered a passion for refugee and displacement issues during DukeEngage-Serbia. He built on that new-found interest through participation in DukeImmerse: Deconstructing/Reconstructing the Refugee Experience and dug even deeper conducting research with the Kenan Refugee Project. — Sanjeev Dasgupta (’18)

DukeEngage and Curricular Requirements

In recent years, more and more students have begun utilizing DukeEngage to fulfill an experiential curricular requirement. Below are the majors, minors, and certificates where we believe DukeEngage is most commonly used to fulfill a requirement.

Students: If you have connected your DukeEngage experience to an academic program not listed here, we would love to hear about it!

Public Policy Major

Duke students majoring in Public Policy must apply their skills in a real-world context by completing an internship. As of 2021, ALL DukeEngage experiences fulfill this internship requirement. Students seeking explicit policy/analysis content are encouraged to discuss possible work placements with the DukeEngage program director and with Sanford Career Services staff.

Global Health Co-Major

Students majoring in Global Health must complete an eight-week, full time experiential learning activity that addresses a global health question, context or challenge. The PDF below outlines which DukeEngage programs are pre-approved, and which require a petition. Students interested in meeting the Global Health major experiential learning requirement should contact the DGHI Education team for additional information.

2024 DukeEngage programs and the Global Health Experiential Learning requirement

Environmental Sciences & Policy Major

Students completing an A.B. in Environmental Sciences/Policy are required to complete a Field Experience or Internship. Students should contact the Nicholas School Undergraduate Program Office to discuss whether their DukeEngage experience might meet this requirement.

Environmental Science & Policy Undergraduate Program 

Ethics Certificate

Students completing the experiential version of the Ethics certificate must complete a non-credit community-based field experience exceeding 300 hours, as a part of crafting their own coherent pathway focused on one of five program areas. Interested students should contact the Kenan Institute of Ethics for more information.

Study of Ethics Certificate Program

Global Development Engineering Certificate

Students completing the Global Development Engineering certificate must complete an experiential component in which they design and implement a solution to an identified need. The component is typically a month-long experience within the United States or internationally, where the student teams with a community partner to identify, design and implement their idea.

Global Development Engineering Certificate Program

Health Policy Certificate

To earn the Health Policy Certificate, you must take four courses, complete two experiential learning activities, and create a public facing e-Portfolio that details your health policy work and scholarship.

Health Policy Certificate Program

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate

Students earning an undergraduate certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship are required to complete two immersive co-curricular experiences exposing them to innovation or entrepreneurship, in order to gain real-world knowledge and hands-on learning. DukeEngage projects can often be connected to concepts of social entrepreneurship, as DukeEngage students are often involved in generating, implementing, or learning about innovative solutions to social problems.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate Program 

Science and the Public Certificate

Students earning a Science and the Public Certificate must complete two approved research experiences consisting of either two semester-long independent study courses or one semester-long independent study course plus one approved summer research experience.

Science and the Public Certificate Program

Sustainability Certificate

Students completing the undergraduate certificate in Sustainability Engagement must complete two different experiential learning activities that are thematically related to the pathway the student has laid out. Each experience must integrate at least two of three primary dimensions of sustainability (society, economics, and environment). The experiences must be undertaken in response to needs identified by community partners and must embody principles of collaboration, cooperation, and reciprocity.

Sustainability Certificate Program