Although the program places an emphasis on science, it maintains a liberal arts focus. The first-year seminar breaks from the traditional seminar format. It has an investigative focus, whereby students can solve a variety of open-ended problems working in groups of four to six. During the summer between the first and second years in the program, students spend 10 weeks on campus on a collaborative research project with a member of the science, mathematics or computer science faculty. The projects typically begin in late May or early June and end in early to mid-August.
Students present their findings in a poster session at an open-university forum the following year.
In addition, project results have occasionally been presented at state, regional and national professional meetings, and a few projects have resulted in publications in professional journals. Another component of the Science Research Fellows program is the opportunity to participate in a semester research internship during the junior year or fall semester of the senior year. Internships are tailored to the interest of the individual student. They take place off campus at a major research university, a government laboratory or a private research corporation. Some students elect to do their internship at a research location outside of the United States.