FOCUS at a GLANCE

A pair of hands wearing red knit gloves forming a heart; in the heart is the top of Duke Chapel.
  • 16 clusters in the 2026 - 2027 academic year
  • 2 seminars (max enrollment 18 students) selected from clusters of 3-4 courses in the fall, 1 Writing 120 course in the spring; maximum enrollment in each course is 18 students
  • 3-5 faculty per cluster for up to 36 students per cluster
  • Living-learning communities: FOCUS students share a first-year dorm based on their cluster
  • Each cluster (1) meets for weekly IDC dinner with the cluster faculty [0.5 half S/U credit] and (2) participates in educational enhancements including:
    • field trips (ex. include Washington, DC, Miami, FL, Atlanta, GA, NYC, and others),
    • concerts and performances (local and out of state),
    • community-building projects, and
    • engage with guest speakers from government agencies, NGOs, prominent physicians, scholars, and artists (US and international).
  • Student and faculty mentors, including former FOCUS students and Faculty in Residence