4D Experience for Students

Gain the building blocks for life and workplace success through DU’s 4D Experience, centered on the Four Dimensions: Deepen Intellect, Develop Well-being, Discover Character, and Design Careers & Lives of Purpose. Whether you’re considering DU or already here, the 4D Experience empowers you to design an education aligned with your interests, values, and goals. By connecting the dots across your learning, you’ll discover who you are becoming, how to apply your skills for the greater good, and how to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning and engagement in your community and world.

Experiences

Design a transformational education through a mix of curricular and co-curricular experiences that help you explore your interests, deepen your learning, cultivate your passions, and apply your knowledge in meaningful ways. As a DU student, you’re encouraged to pursue 4D signature experiences such as study abroad, internships, undergraduate research, and more, gaining hands-on opportunities that boost engagement, support success, and bring the Four Dimensions together through deep, connected learning.

Signature Experiences

Fellowships

Fellowships provide funding and networks of support for transformative experiences such as research, language study, and public service, helping you grow personally and professionally, cultivate purpose, and make a meaningful impact.

Discover Fellowships

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Student Employment

Student Employment helps you explore your interests, build career-ready skills, and connect your learning to real-world work while supporting your intellectual growth.

Explore Student Employment

Study Abroad

Study abroad enables you to deepen your learning, reflect on your interests and goals, and gain new perspectives on education and life through a global experience.

Explore Study Abroad

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Community-Engaged Learning

Engage meaningfully with communities and turn learning into action through working alongside community partners to create sustainable, positive impact for the public good.

Engage with Community

Colton Arciniago at his internship at Capitol

Internships

Internships are a valuable part of your DU 4D journey, giving you hands-on opportunities to apply what you learn, build new skills, and gain clarity about your future career.

Discover Internships

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Outdoor Education

Whether you’re new to the outdoors or a seasoned explorer, our programs help you build confidence, connect with others, and develop skills that enhance your college experience and prepare you for a life of adventure beyond graduation.

Explore Outdoor Education

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Undergraduate Research

Through DU’s Signature Work opportunities, you can apply your passions and creativity to real-world projects alongside faculty and peers, developing skills, making an impact, and preparing for a purposeful career and life.

Explore Research

Signature Programs

Undergrads and Grads

Designing for Careers and Lives of Purpose Retreat

This bi-annual retreat at Kennedy Mountain Campus guides you to clarify how to leverage your degree, discover careers and life paths that you want to pursue, and identify employers and jobs that intersect with your career goals.

Undergrads

4D Peer Mentor Program

4D Peer Mentors create sustained peer-to-peer relationships to guide incoming students in the transition to DU, from Discoveries Orientation to the First-Year Seminar and beyond.

Undergrads

4D Character and Leadership Micro-Credential

Through this curricular pathway, you have the opportunity to develop essential character skills and mindsets related to compassion, integrity, and resilience – qualities which are vital for today’s leaders.

Undergrads

Global and Intercultural Engagement Micro-credential

Centered around study abroad, this micro-credential includes academic coursework that supports, deepens, and extends your global and intercultural learning through the study abroad experience.

Undergrads and Grads

Debate Across the Curriculum

By integrating debate into courses across disciplines, DAC empowers students to engage thoughtfully with diverse perspectives, building a culture of intellectual curiosity, respectful discourse, and academic excellence that extends beyond the classroom.

Undergrads

First Ascent

This immersive weekend at Kennedy Mountain Campus provides first-year students with opportunities for exploration, adventure, and community-building.

Undergrads

4D Fridays

This initiative in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) transforms Fridays into a launchpad for career exploration, purpose-driven learning, and real-world experience.

Undergrads and Grads

Well Coaching

DU Well Coaching is a free service that connects you with a trained well-being coach for personalized, one-on-one support. Wellness coaching is a collaborative process that helps you explore what matters most to you and create realistic, meaningful goals related to your health and well-being.

Undergrads

Major and Career Exploration Lab

This quarterly workshop guides you to connect your interests, values, and skills with potential academic and career pathways. While designed for first- and second-year students, upper-level students will also walk away with actionable insights!

Mentorship

Through the 4D Mentorship Constellation, you’re supported by a relationship-rich education designed around you. As a current or future student, you’ll build a personalized network of faculty, staff, alumni, and peers who mentor and guide you throughout your journey. Together, this community supports your holistic learning and growth across the Four Dimensions, giving you a flexible, lasting system of support that evolves with your goals and needs.

Reflection

With guidance from mentors and advisors through the 4D Experience, you’re encouraged to reflect on your experiences, connect the dots across your learning, and explore how your perspectives are evolving. This process helps you gain clarity and purpose while preparing you to apply what you’ve learned, building a strong foundation for continued growth, deeper understanding, and lifelong development.

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