The Three Independent Research Electives
Beyond its honors-only academic core, Regis High School offers three self-directed research electives open mainly to sophomores: the Science Research Project, the Student Historian Project, and the Latin Research Project. Students work under faculty or outside mentors, culminating in presentations or written research. Regis also runs a selective three-year Global Scholars program, Global Education trips across five continents, and an annual June J-Term for interdisciplinary study outside the regular curriculum.
Regis opens three research-intensive electives to students, mainly sophomores, who show strong interest and initiative in a specific discipline. The Science Research Project lets students individually design and investigate their own research question, working under mentors inside or outside Regis; students who qualify can continue the project through senior year. The Student Historian Project spends its first weeks teaching archival and academic research skills before students choose a topic and present findings to the wider school community. The Latin Research Project is a year-long, credit-bearing track for students with a passion for the classics, with an optional one-trimester extension built on research at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World.
| Elective | Focus | Typical Entry Point |
| Science Research Project | Self-designed lab or field research under a mentor | Sophomore year, can continue through senior year |
| Student Historian Project | Archival research culminating in a public presentation | Sophomore year |
| Latin Research Project | Independent and cohort-based classical studies research | Year-long, credit-bearing |
Why Sophomore Year?
Opening these tracks in sophomore year gives students a full year of Regis’s honors curriculum first, so they enter independent research with a stronger academic foundation and can, in the Science Research Project’s case, sustain a single project across two or three additional years.
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Global Education and the Global Scholars Program
Regis offers Global Education trips across five continents for service, cultural exchange, and learning, typically during the summer or school breaks, designed to complement the school’s academic and Ignatian formation programs.
A smaller group of students can apply, starting in sophomore year, to the selective three-year Global Scholars program, which combines colloquia on global issues, guest speakers, international trips, spiritual reflection, and a capstone project. Students who complete the program receive recognition as an Ignatian Global Scholar through the Jesuit Schools Network.
A Three-Year Commitment, Not a Single Trip
Global Scholars differs from a one-off travel opportunity: applicants commit as sophomores to a structured, multi-year program that runs alongside their regular coursework through graduation, culminating in a capstone rather than a single trip experience.
J-Term: A Different Kind of June
Each June, Regis runs J-Term, an interdisciplinary intensive-study period that falls outside the standard academic year framework. Teachers choose the subjects offered, which lets faculty experiment with topics and teaching approaches that don’t fit neatly into a full-year course, some of which are later folded into the regular curriculum if they prove successful.
The Bottom Line for Families
Because Regis doesn’t offer AP-labeled courses, these research electives and global programs function as its primary vehicle for depth beyond the honors curriculum.
Distinguished families evaluating Regis against schools with large AP catalogs should ask specifically how many students actually complete the Science Research Project through senior year or the Global Scholars capstone, since availability and mentor capacity can vary by year.
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