The Scholar Program now runs for six months. Three months of live online sessions are followed by three months of capstone research, and the programme confers the NSD Scholar grade.
What changes for Cohort 08
Cohort 08 is the first intake to run the longer format. The live online sessions continue as before, and the capstone research track is added after them rather than in place of anything.
The capstone is where the techno-managerial part of the grade is demonstrated. Scholars complete a piece of research and publish it, and the grade is conferred on completion of the programme.
Cohort 08 opens on 2 September 2026. An opening immersion is optional and announced separately; it is not graded, and it is what unlocks the right to form a chapter and stand for election.
Everyone who completes the online programme is a full Scholar. The immersion unlocks chapter governance, not a higher title.
Draft layout. Final copy to be supplied by NSD.