Undergraduate Academic Programs

Academic Programs
Photo by Karl Rabe

Academic Programs

Undergraduate students can earn a bachelor of arts degree in one of approximately 35 stand-alone programs in the following academic divisions. They may moderate into a concentration, or cluster of related courses, in conjunction with moderation into a program. 

Program and Concentration Approach to Study

A liberal arts education offers students both breadth and depth of learning. At Bard, the primary sources of breadth are the First-Year Seminar and the distribution requirements. The primary source of depth is the requirement that each student major in a stand-alone academic program, possibly in conjunction with a non-stand-alone field of study, or concentration, or with another program in a joint major.

  • Programs and Concentrations
    A program is a sequenced course of study designed by faculty (and sometimes by students in conjunction with faculty) to focus on a particular area of knowledge or a particular approach to an area. A concentration is a cluster of related courses on a clearly defined topic.
  • Interdisciplinary Study
    With a curriculum based on programs rather than more traditionally defined departments, the faculty are encouraged to rethink boundaries between divisions and disciplines and to examine the content of their courses in terms of how the courses interact with one another.
  • Program Requirements
    The requirements for Moderation and graduation differ from program to program and are summarized in the College catalogue. All students must declare a major in a program in order to moderate from the Lower College to the Upper College and become a candidate for the bachelor of arts degree.

Divisional Programs

The requirements for moderation and graduation differ between programs and are summarized in each program description in the College catalogue or on the program’s webpage. Students studying in an interdivisional program generally moderate into both the divisional program, which serves as the home discipline for their concentration, and into the interdivisional program. A student who decides to pursue a double major must satisfy the requirements of both programs.
Division of the Arts
Photo by Chris Kayden

Division of the Arts

Architecture
Art History and Visual Culture
Dance
Film and Electronic Arts
Music
Photography
Studio Arts
Theater and Performance

arts.bard.edu

Division of Languages and Literature
Photo by Scott Barrow

Division of Languages and Literature

Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures
Literature
Written Arts

langlit.bard.edu

Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computing
Photo by Pete Mauney '93 MFA '00

Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computing

Biology
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Computer Science
Mathematics
Physics
Psychology

science.bard.edu

Division of Social Studies
Photo by Scott Barrow

Division of Social Studies

Anthropology
Economics
Economics and Finance
Historical Studies
Interdisciplinary Study of Religions
Philosophy
Politics
Sociology

socialstudies.bard.edu

Interdivisional Programs and Concentrations

Interdivisional Programs and Concentrations is home to 24 interdisciplinary fields: 11 are offered as majors, 13 as concentrations (minors). A major in literature might pair it with a concentration in Victorian studies, or political studies with a concentration in Middle Eastern studies, or human rights with a concentration in Latin American and Iberian studies. The variety of possible combinations illustrates the richness of study at Bard.

interdivisional.bard.edu

Interdivisional Programs
Photo by China Jorrin ’86

Interdivisional Programs

American and Indigenous Studies
Asian Studies
Classical Studies
French Studies
German Studies
Global and International Studies
Human Rights
Italian Studies
Middle Eastern Studies
Russian and Eurasian Studies
Spanish Studies

Interdivisional Concentrations
Photo by Scott Barrow

Interdivisional Concentrations

Africana Studies
Data Analytics
Environmental Studies
Experimental Humanities
Gender and Sexuality Studies
Global Public Health
Irish and Celtic Studies
Jewish Studies
Latin American and Iberian Studies
Medieval Studies
Mind, Brain, and Behavior
Science, Technology, and Society
Theology
Victorian Studies

Specialized Degree Programs   

In addition to the bachelor of arts degree, Bard College offers two five-year, dual-degree undergraduate programs.

The Economics and Finance Program offers a BS degree in economics and finance and a bachelor of arts degree in another field in the liberal arts or sciences other than economics.

The Bard College Conservatory of Music offers a BM in music and a BA in another field in the liberal arts or sciences other than music.

Preprofessional undergraduate and joint-degree options (for example, prelaw and engineering) are also available. For more information, see the “Additional Study Opportunities and Affiliated Institutes” chapter in the College catalogue. Bard and its affiliates also offer several graduate degrees.