Academics at Wesleyan

Whatever you choose to study at Wesleyan, you won’t stand on the sidelines reading the outcomes of someone else’s work or relying on the pages of a textbook to tell you what you need to know. 

You will engage in insightful discourse and debate, challenge your assumptions, and work through purposeful, hands-on collaboration in the classroom, in the lab, and out in the world. At Wesleyan, you will learn to think independently, consider different perspectives and points of view, make an argument for what you believe, and develop fundamental critical thinking and communication skills that will serve you for a lifetime. 

With our flexible liberal arts framework and open curriculum, dedicated faculty, integrated research opportunities, and action-oriented student culture of collaboration, you will have all you need for an impactful and distinct educational experience that’s right for you.

 

Immersive + Expansive

Create your own academic path, expanding your interests, knowledge, and academic pursuits while also diving deep into your areas of expertise. Our distinct open curriculum approach, supported with general education guidelines, faculty advisors and peer mentors, allows you to align and combine your academic studies with your intellectual curiosity.

World-Class Scholar-Teachers

At Wesleyan, we integrate the classic framework of a liberal arts education with the opportunity to do meaningful interdisciplinary research alongside faculty scholars. Interdisciplinary collaboration, intersecting academic exploration, and hands-on research are the cornerstones of a Wesleyan education. Our faculty are dedicated to academic rigor inside and outside the classroom, allowing you to be your best and most authentic self.

Faculty at a Glance

400+

scholar-teachers and expert researchers

26%

persons of color

7:1

student-faculty ratio

Majors and Minors

Wesleyan offers a broad range of majors, minors, and certificate programs (Applied Data Science; Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory; and Writing) that enable you to immerse yourself deeply in a particular field of study, create connections among multiple disciplines, or experiment with a field that’s completely new to you.

Explore our Majors and Minors

With 45 majors, 32 minors, and 3 certificates—and endless opportunities to combine all three—the choices at Wesleyan are as vast as your academic interests. You can also check out our Academic Calendar and Course Catalog for more information.

Academic Opportunities

Wesleyan offers multiple ways to deepen your academic experience through our honors program, internships, and study abroad opportunities.

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    Honors

    Our Honors Program recognizes a bachelor's degree attained with distinction, either in the major or in general scholarship.

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    Internships

    As you progress in your undergraduate career and gain experience through your classes, jobs, internships, athletics, clubs, and other pursuits, you develop marketable skills, self-confidence, a deeper self-awareness about the type of work that fits you best, and a track record of accomplishment.

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    Study Abroad

    We consider study abroad to be an essential part of a liberal arts education for students majoring in any subject. A meaningful cross-cultural experience sharpens an understanding of ourselves in relation to the world in which we live.

Interdisciplinary Colleges and Centers

Discover the unlimited potential of applying knowledge in new and meaningful ways with expanded opportunities to dig deeper into specific areas of interdisciplinary study and to extend learning beyond the walls of the classroom and out in the world.

Wesleyan’s programs and academic centers offer interdisciplinary majors, minors, certificates, and co-curricular opportunities for students who want to integrate different areas of focus and study, providing a locus for sharing ideas and innovating novel approaches.

Interdisciplinary Colleges and Centers
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