Academics at Amherst College

Classes

      Learning is a never-ending process at the College. Amherst is an intellectual  community combining some of the finest scholars in the country with excellent academic  resources and a nurturing environment that encourages free exchange of ideas. A natural result of this combination is that students and faculty alike find themselves learning just  as much outside of the classroom--reading poetry on top of Bare Mountain or discussing politics in a friend's room--as they do inside of it. Nevertheless, it is the classroom that  serves as the hub of academic life at Amherst. The formats of our classes vary as widely  as the subjects taught in them, but whether it's an economics lecture or a biology lab there are unmistakable similarities: a genuine interest in exploration, personal attention from the faculty, and an invitingly relaxed and supportive atmosphere in which students and professors respect one another as scholars.

      Another common feature of an Amherst classes is intimacy. A great strength of the College is its small size, which allows the luxury of small classes where each student is an important and valued participant. The average class size is 22 students. In these classes, discussion predominates; rarely will you find a professor standing at a lectern and students taking notes furiously, looking up only to glance at the blackboard. Instead,  professors and students exchange, refine and question ideas, teaching and learning via conversation. Professors teach many of the classes in a round-table format, with students and professors sitting and learning together. The cavernous lecture hall with hundreds of students doesn't exist here; less than one percent of our classes have more than 80 students. Even in larger classes, professors seek discussions. Hiding in the back rows is a difficult thing to do! The small classes allow the professors to serve as teachers and mentors. Professors don't just know their students as names on an attendance sheet, but as people with individual writing styles, motivations, and interests. Quite a few professors are known for returning three-page papers with three pages of comments! All faculty members have scheduled office hours, so if you have a question about something, it's easy to drop in. Every student also has a faculty advisor, with whom he or she meets before the beginning of the semester and throughout the school year. Upon deciding a major, the student chooses another advisor. Students who decide to double major select an advisor for each discipline.

      Amherst is a purely undergraduate liberal arts college, so we have no graduate students teaching classes. Faculty members teach all classes, lectures, laboratories, and discussion groups. For more statistics about class sizes and student/faculty ratios, please see the Quick Facts page.

The Major

      All Amherst students complete the requirements of at least one of the thirty-one departments at Amherst. Each department has its own set of requirements, with between eight and fourteen courses necessary for completion. Some departments require introductory classes (eg. Economics, Physics), some ask for a concentration in a particular subject area (eg. English) while others ask for a combination of both (eg. History). Since students have 31 'elective' classes during their four years, it is possible to finish a major having taken two thirds of their classes in departments outside of the major. Students may double major (roughly one third of our seniors graduate with two
 majors), and there are a few triple majors every year. Amherst does not have minors. To double major, students need to fulfill the requirements of both departments, but the two majors do not need to have any thematic connection. Physics/Theater is just as feasible (though perhaps less common) than History/Political Science. A major must be declared by the beginning of Junior year, but a major may be added or dropped at any time.
      Amherst awards the A.B. degree in each of its 31 departments. Students who double major receive one A.B. degree which indicates both majors.
      Amherst does not have an honors program distinct from the rest of the College.  Graduating with Latin Honors (cum, Magna cum, or Summa cum laude) is dependent on a student's grade point average and for Summa cum laude, the quality of a senior thesis. In addition, departments grant departmental honors, based solely on the quality of a student's thesis work.