Hampshire College

Hampshire students qualify for the Bachelor of Arts degree by completing a full-time program composed of three levels, or Divisions, of study.

Students complete Division I during their first three semesters. The first two semesters constitute the first-year program, in which students take a first-year tutorial with their advisors and complete eight courses, which must include a course in each of the college's five schools and meet seven Division I learning goals. The third semester involves systematic evaluation and reflection upon their first-year work, with development of a plan for Division II.

In Division II students develop a plan of study for their concentration, as well as continue other learning endeavors as part of their liberal education. They explore their chosen field or fields of emphasis through an individually designed program of courses, independent work and often internships or field studies.

The following are Division II guidelines to concentrations in design: Art and Design, Adaptive Equipment Design and Applied Design.

In Division III, or advanced studies, students complete a major independent study project centered on a specific topic, question or idea.

In addition to these requirements, students must include volunteer service to Hampshire or the surrounding community as part of their Hampshire education and in Division III are asked to look beyond the specific focus of their work by integrating their scholarship into the larger academic life of the college. The faculty also expect all students to consider some aspect of their Hampshire work from a non-Western perspective. A complete description of Division I, II and III, which comprises the college's academic program, may be found in Non Satis Scire, the Hampshire College policy handbook.