Undergraduate Academics
Bard students are held to the highest possible standard of intellectual achievement.
They are challenged and encouraged to take risks. They are exposed to some of the finest minds in every field and discipline, and to the newest developments and ideas in their areas of study. At Bard it’s understood that education, like life itself, is a continuous process of growth and effort.
Academic Mission
Since its founding in 1860, Bard College has maintained a firm commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, along with a readiness to innovate that has enhanced the undergraduate experience with compatible intellectual and artistic ventures at its Hudson Valley campus and at affiliated institutions around the world. Bard seeks to provide a challenging academic program; a supportive environment that fosters a collaborative interchange of ideas, as well as the ambition to achieve excellence; and access to world-class scholarship and research.
The Curriculum
At Bard, students take ownership of their education. Instead of choosing from standard departmental majors, Bard students pursue interdisciplinary, individualized programs of study. In addition, Bard's core curriculum ensures that students receive a broad academic foundation with particular emphases on writing, the sciences, and mastering the tools of scholarly inquiry. Faculty advising combines with program milestones—such as Moderation and the Senior Project—as students chart their course of study.
Academic Programs
Bard students choose from among nearly 50 programs in four academic divisions—Arts; Languages and Literature; Science, Mathematics, and Computing; and Social Studies—as well as Interdivisional Programs and Concentrations, which enable students to pursue a multidisciplinary course of study or major in more than one program. Joint majors offer students an exciting opportunity to work on projects that cut across disciplines, while double majors allow students to focus in depth on more than one subject.
Bard's undergraduate curriculum gives students a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, as well as depth of study in a chosen academic program.
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Today and throughout Bard's history, members of the faculty have effected change in medicine, the arts and letters, international affairs, journalism, science, and education, among other endeavors.
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First-year students participate in Bard's common curriculum-the Language and Thinking Program, First-Year Seminar, Citizen Science, and first-year advising.
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Dual-degree programs in the United States and abroad, offered through Bard College and its affiliates, give students flexibility in both undergraduate and graduate study.
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Bard College students who wish to study abroad choose from Bard programs, student exchanges, summer language intensives, or programs sponsored through other institutions.
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