About the Institution
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Together they are now known as the Five Colleges, or the Five College Area.The College is widely known for its alternative curriculum, focus on portfolios rather than distribution requirements, and reliance on narrative evaluations instead of grades and GPAs. It is known particularly for facilitating the study of film, music, theater, and the visual arts. In some fields, it is among the top undergraduate institutions in percentage of graduates who enroll in graduate school. Fifty-six percent of its alumni have at least one graduate degree and it is ranked 30th among all US colleges in the percentage of its graduates who go on to attain a doctorate degree (notably first among history doctorates).Its School of Cognitive Science was the first interdisciplinary undergraduate program in cognitive science and has few peers.
Undergrad Programs / Areas offered :
African American Studies International Relations
Agriculture Jewish Studies
American Studies Journalism
Animal Behavior Latin American Studies
Animation and Digital Art Legal Studies
Anthropology/Archaeology Linguistics
Applied Design Literature
Architecture/Environmental Design Marine Science
Art History Mathematics
Asian Studies Middle Eastern Studies
Astronomy Music
Biological/Life Sciences Native American Studies
Business/Entrepreneurship Neuroscience
Chemistry Peace and World Security Studies
Childhood
Youth
and Learning Philosophy
Cognitive Science Physics
Communications/Media Studies Politics
Computer Science Psychology
Creative Writing Queer Studies
Culture
Brain
and Development Religion
Dance Social Change
Digital Media Sociology
Economics Southwest Studies
Environmental Studies/Sustainability Studio/Visual Arts
Film/Video/Photography Theatre
Geology Women's Studies
Globalization/Third World Studies World Language
Health/Premedical Studies Writing
History