Each study area is designed to involve students in three to five months of intensive work, readings, structured learning experiences and evaluation procedures. Each study area is under the direction of a faculty member who is responsible for course content, instruction, evaluation procedures and commentary in the student's performance. The annual summer institute brings together students from all the clusters. This is an eight-day academic experience providing an opportunity for interaction among students from around the world. Each master's student must attend one summer institute and each doctoral student must attend three institutes.
Students are responsible for their travel, hotel room and meal costs, as well as materials and fees.
Students must register and reside at the site selected for the summer institute. The NSU applied research is a problem-solving experience in which students identify a problem in their work settings and then carry out strategies to improve the identified situation. Two applied research seminars are held for master's students and four applied dissertation seminars are held for doctoral students.