Undergraduate Academics

Two female students talk while sitting on a bench beneath a building displaying flags from various countries. Two men are walking down the steps to the side of the women talking.

Feb 14, 2023 2 Min Read

Springboard to an Advanced Degree: Undergraduates Can Gain Accelerated Entry to the Middlebury Institute at Monterey

SUA has partnered with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey to provide Soka students with the opportunity to gain accelerated entry admission to its master’s degree program an...

Dr. Shane Barter poses in front of an election sign in Kazakhstan.

Dec 14, 2022 7 Min Read

Dr. Shane Barter: Reflections on His Experience as an Election Observer

Free and fair elections are crucial to democracy, and Shane Barter, professor of comparative politics and director of the International Studies concentration, recently returned from observing election...

Professor Chika Esiobu stands in front of big red letters spelling out TED as she speaks on stage during her TED Talk

Nov 16, 2022 6 Min Read

Professor Chika Esiobu on the Power of Indigenous Knowledge

Attending the same Nigerian high school where author Chimamanda Adichie studied, which shared a campus with where Chinua Achebe lectured, fueled Prof. Chika Esiobu’s desire to affect the world through...

Sophia Vitale ‘25 and Quang Pham ‘24 at the University of Michigan.

Jul 13, 2022 3 Min Read

Life Sciences Students Participate in the University of Michigan’s Developing Future Biologists Program

Before SUA, Quang Pham ‘24 never imagined he would want to pursue research. Two years into his education at Soka, Pham, along with Sofia Vitale ‘25, was among 25 students accepted to the University of...

Students reading and discussing Core literature

Nov 9, 2021 6 Min Read

Challenging New Students to Consider Humanity's Enduring Questions

It is one of SUA’s signature experiences, a rigorous introduction to university-level intellectual work during which first-year students delve into the works of some of humanity’s most profound thinke...

Kroc School of Peace Studies building at University of San Diego

Nov 8, 2021 4 Min Read

An Innovative Option for the Next Generation of Peacebuilders and Social Innovators

In a time of heightened divisiveness and turmoil in the world, two universities with similar missions have come together to educate the next generation of peacebuilders. Beginning next fall SUA studen...

Soka scholarship winners with administrators

Sep 14, 2021 2 Min Read

Honoring Our 2021 Scholarship Recipients

The recipients of Soka University of America’s top academic honors — the Ikeda Scholarship, the John D. Montgomery scholarship, Soka Merit Award, and Academic Excellence Award — met with President Ed ...

Person working with aquarium tanks in lab

Sep 1, 2021 6 Min Read

Biologist Marie Nydam Receives SUA’s First National Science Foundation Grant

Marie Nydam, assistant professor of biology, has received a research grant from the National Science Foundation. A marine evolutionary geneticist, Prof. Nydam is the first SUA faculty member to be par...

Jun 9, 2021 3 Min Read

Undergraduate Honors: Shunji Fueki Is 2021 Founder’s Award Winner

The 2021 graduates of Soka University of America will be remembered for their resilience during a challenging year. Among them are the following undergraduate students recognized for academic excellen...

Jun 1, 2021 3 Min Read

“It's Never Too Late” — Biplab Karki ’22 Took an Unexpected Path from Nepal to SUA

Starting college at the age of 23 wasn’t easy for Biplab Karki ’22, but his doubts about fitting in were short-lived and his SUA experience has strengthened his resolve to help those on the verge of g...