RIT’s Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) is highly flexible thereby allowing students to customize the program to match their interests. Each student entering the program will submit a proposal that identifies how he or she intends to achieve the following five core competencies.

1.    Research/Creativity – Mentored research or creative experience on a Grand Challenge-like topic
2.    Multicultural Understanding – Understanding of cultures, preferably through a multicultural/global experience, to ensure cultural acceptance of proposed solutions.
3.    Multidisciplinary – Understanding of multidisciplinary engineering system solutions, developed through engagement.
4.    Viable Business/Entrepreneurship – Understanding, preferably developed through experience, of the necessity of a viable business model for solution implementation.
5.    Social Consciousness – Understanding that solutions should serve primarily people and society, reflecting social consciousness.

Within each competency, students may select from activities categorized as having a low, medium, or high level of engagement. These levels are determined by the faculty who are part of the GCSP steering committee. To become a Grand Challenges Scholar, students must complete two low-level, one medium-level, and a minimum of two high-level activities spanning the five competencies.