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Additional Study Opportunities

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Bard offers a number of opportunities for learning outside the formal curriculum and course structure. Students planning professional careers can major in a liberal arts field and at the same time arrange their program to meet the requirements for admission to graduate or professional school. In some professional areas, students may choose a program in which they combine liberal arts study at Bard with graduate work at another institution. Pathways for independent work include special study and internship programs, study at another academic institution in the United States or abroad, and individual and group study projects. 

The main Bard campus is also home to several graduate programs, institutes, and centers of scholarship that sponsor lectures, conferences, and other events, and offer internship and volunteer opportunities to undergraduates.

Independent Work

Independent Study Projects
Photo by Sarah Wallock '19

Independent Study Projects

Bard academic credit may be awarded for successful completion of an independent study project outside the College’s regular course structure, provided that the project has demonstrated academic value. After a proposed project has been approved by a faculty sponsor, the student submits it to the dean of studies, who presents it for final approval to the Faculty Executive Committee.

An independent study project may be undertaken in the fall or spring semester (for up to 4 credits) as part of the normal course load, or during January intersession or the summer (for up to 2 credits). Students may earn up to 12 independent study credits in total.

  

View the College catalogue to learn about options for nonmatriculated students and auditors, study at another academic institution, and other ways to tailor your education at Bard.

  • January Intersession
    Intersession begins at the end of the winter holiday vacation and extends through the month of January. Students can gain academic or work experience or earn academic credits during this period in the following ways:

    January Intersession

    Intersession begins at the end of the winter holiday vacation and extends through the month of January. Students can gain academic or work experience or earn academic credits during this period in the following ways:

    • Independent study: A reading, research, or creative project for academic credit. The project must be planned with a faculty member, submitted to the dean of studies, and approved by the Faculty Executive Committee by the end of the fall semester.

    • Work project or internship: Paid or volunteer employment or an internship at a news organization, hospital, law firm, theater, museum, or other institution. Although work, on or off campus, does not usually carry academic credit, students who think a particular work experience or internship is worthy may apply for academic credit or transcript recognition.

    • Enrollment in a midyear course at another college or university: Many colleges and universities with a one-month January intersession offer courses for credit that are open to students from other institutions.
  • Research in the Sciences
    At Bard, we believe that science is learned best through the experience of doing research. For this reason, we offer research opportunities available to ambitious Bard students throughout their college careers.
  • Internships
    Bard offers a number of internship programs for students. On campus, internships are arranged through several offices, including the Center for Civic Engagement, Career Development Office, and Human Rights Project; the Environmental and Urban Studies Program; and [email protected]

    Internships

    Bard offers a number of internship programs for students. On campus, internships are arranged through several offices, including the Center for Civic Engagement, Career Development Office, and Human Rights Project; the Environmental and Urban Studies Program; and [email protected]

    Bard also sponsors off-campus programs, in the United States and overseas, that feature internship opportunities. These include Bard College Berlin and the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program and Bard Experiential Learning Lab in New York City. The Bard Graduate Programs in Sustainability also help students obtain appropriate internships.

    Students may request 0.5 credits or formal, noncredit-bearing transcript recognition for internships that are supervised, unpaid, and require at least 40 hours of work. Transcript recognition is not available for work performed through Bard College or for work conducted on any of Bard’s campuses. After a proposed internship has been approved by a faculty sponsor, the student submits it to the dean of studies for approval.

    Visit the Career Development Office to Learn More

On Campus and Beyond

Explore the Greater Bard Network
Bard College Berlin

Explore the Greater Bard Network

Bard envisions the liberal arts institution as the hub of a network, rather than a single, self-contained campus. Opportunities exist in Annandale and beyond, in Bard Network programs from New York City to Berlin.

Learn More

Professional Preparation

Health Professions Preparation

Admission to medical and other health profession schools is governed by several factors, including the academic record, experience in the field, results of standardized tests, letters of evaluation, and an interview. Nationwide, students accepted to medical schools in recent years had an average GPA of 3.5. Early preparation and planning are important in order to fulfill health profession school requirements and to do well on entrance exams. For medical school, typical minimum requirements include general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, laboratory courses in biology, physics, mathematics, and statistics. Competencies are also required in language, psychology, and sociology. Early in their academic careers, interested students should discuss their plans with the health professions adviser, Professor Frank M. Scalzo ([email protected]). For more information, visit bard.edu/hpa.

Prelaw Preparation

Law, Justice, and Society at Bard
Bard is an excellent place to begin thinking about law, whether in preparation for a legal career or a lifetime of civic engagement. No specific curriculum of undergraduate study is required for law school, but law schools do value the wide-ranging, interdisciplinary preparation afforded by a liberal arts education. The most important factors in law school admission are the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score, grade point average, and letters of recommendation. Bard professors whose teaching and scholarship focus on law include Roger Berkowitz, Simon Gilhooley, Allison McKim, Miles Rodriguez, and Peter Rosenblum. To learn more, see libguides.bard.edu/lawjusticesociety.

Joint-Degree Programs

The professional option allows exceptionally qualified students to combine undergraduate study at Bard with graduate or professional work in an approved participating program and, through the option, to qualify for a Bard BA degree and a degree from the participating program. Students wishing to apply to any of the dual-degree programs listed below must first receive permission from their academic adviser and from the dean of studies. Those accepted into a participating program complete three or four years of study at Bard (according to the terms of the program) and then do further work at the other institution. To qualify for the BA, students must successfully complete their distribution requirements at Bard, the degree requirements of their major program at Bard, and the degree requirements of the other institution; students who are not at Bard for their senior year may be exempt from the Senior Project as a BA requirement.

Learn More

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