The Lyceum Scholars Program at Clemson University

Lyceum Scholars Program at Clemson University

About Clemson University

Through a bequest from Thomas Green Clemson, Clemson University was founded in 1889 as a public, land-grant agricultural college in Clemson, South Carolina. Today, Clemson University is one of the best public universities in the U.S., a nationally ranked R1 research university with 20,000 undergraduates, over 80 majors, and a student-to-faculty ratio of 16 to 1.

About the Lyceum Scholars Program

Drawing inspiration from the Lyceum School founded by Aristotle in ancient Greece, the Lyceum Scholars Program at Clemson University was founded in 2014 as the first college program in the U.S. to use a great books approach to studying the moral, political, and economic foundations of a free society. All Lyceum Scholars receive a $10,000 scholarship, which is disbursed over their four years at Clemson University. In exchange for this scholarship, students in the program take eight courses with the other Lyceum Scholars in their entering class.

The Lyceum Scholars Program offers all of the benefits of a small liberal arts community along with all of the advantages of a large research university.

Lyceum Scholars take courses ranging from ancient political thought to the political thought of the American founding to constitutional law. The Lyceum Scholars Program is open to students of any major. Students who complete the curriculum, however, do fulfill the requirements for a minor in political science, and six of the eight courses count toward the political science major at Clemson University.

Lyceum Scholars also have the unique and invaluable opportunity to create meaningful relationships with professors and their fellow students. The Lyceum Scholars Program offers professional and moral mentorship to its students. Professors work with individual Lyceum Scholars to identify the academic and professional opportunities that best fit the student’s immediate interests and long-term aspirations. Yet most unique to the Lyceum Scholars Program is the “Socratic Tutor Session,” wherein each Lyceum Scholar meets bi-weekly with a professor to discuss moral character and the ways in which the ideas from the classroom connect to everyday life. What is more, the Lyceum Scholars Program fosters a close-knit learning community that allows Lyceum Scholars to form lasting friendships with each other.

Those interested in becoming Lyceum Scholars should apply in their senior year of high school to Clemson University and to the Lyceum Scholars Program. The Lyceum Scholars Program is currently accepting applications from students who will be entering Clemson University next Fall.

Homeschoolers

9% of current Lyceum Scholars were homeschooled prior to coming to Clemson University. The Lyceum Scholars Program values homeschoolers not only for their intelligence and ability to think critically but also for their love of learning. The Lyceum Scholars Program, in turn, is an excellent program for homeschoolers because of its classical, great books curriculum. But what is unparalleled about the program is the individualized attention and mentorship that each professor provides to each Lyceum Scholar. The Lyceum Scholars Program at Clemson University encourages homeschoolers to apply today. If you have any questions about the Lyceum Scholars Program, please email: lyceum[at]clemson.edu.

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