For more information about our curriculum, visit the Academics section of our Web site.
If you'd like to pick up a printed and bound 8 1/2 x 11 copy of the 2008-2010 Catalogue, limited copies will be available in the Provost's Office and the Office of the Registrar, as well as the Hobart Deans Office and the William Smith Deans Office, starting Monday, September 8.
The 2006-2008 catalogue is still available online as a PDF. To browse it, click here.
If you have questions or comments about the new online catalogue, please send us your feedback.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges educate students in the liberal arts. The faculty strives to provide students with a framework for the development of knowledge, skills and independence through a program of work that combines general study with in-depth study of two fields of knowledge and inquiry, one of which must be interdisciplinary.
The instructional program is presented in two semesters, and students take four courses each semester. All programs of study for the degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science are designed to be completed in four years. Most students graduate in the traditional four-year period, although individual programs allow for five years. The first year, either the second or third year, and the senior year must be spent in residence.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges offer an innovative Teacher Education Program embedded in the liberal arts. Through a series of seminars and field experiences that complement their regular academic schedules, students can earn New York State teacher certification. Normally, students apply towards the end of their first year, and if accepted, complete seminars and field experiences during their sophomore and junior years and finally student teach during one semester of their senior year.
The Ninth Semester Student-Teaching Option provides students increased flexibility in completing the Teacher Education Program. It permits students to apply as sophomores or can help students balance demanding academic schedules. If all other requirements are completed, students can complete their student teaching semester as a tuition-free ninth semester.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges also offer a Master of Arts in Teaching program. Only students enrolled at HWS and who are in the Teacher Education Program can be considered for admission. In January of their junior year, these students may apply to continue in the fifth year MAT program. More information is available in Department of Education section.
The faculty of Hobart and William Smith Colleges has established the following requirements for the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science beginning with the Classes of 2000. To qualify for the degree, a candidate must have:
The eight goals and objectives can be addressed through formal course work in the context of many different programs of study. Students must work with a faculty adviser to design a program of study that both meets their interests and addresses the goals and objectives—this is a graduation requirement. Goals are addressed through formal academic work, i.e. courses. Only courses in which students received a passing grade can be considered as evidence for having addressed a goal. After finishing the course work necessary to address a goal, students must complete a Goal Certification form which must be signed by the adviser. (Note that no form is necessary for Goals 1 and 2.)
In petitioning for certification in a goal students must explain to the faculty adviser how they have addressed that goal. The eight goals and comments on the types of course work that may address them are described in greater detail below. Note that the goals can be divided into three groups.
Goal 1
The essential skills which serve as a foundation for effective communication. These include the ability to read and listen critically and the ability to speak and write effectively. Beginning with the First-Year Seminar and continuing through the completion of the major, effective communication is an important component of all course work at the Colleges. Academic work which supports this goal includes the reading of primary texts, sustained writing experiences, oral presentation of argument and extensive faculty feedback.
Goal 2
The essential skills which serve as a foundation for critical thinking and argumentation. These include the ability to articulate a question, to identify and gain access to appropriate information, to organize evidence, and to construct a complex written argument. Critical thinking, argumentation, and reflective reasoning are the skills that underlie most courses and all major programs at the Colleges. Work that supports this goal includes research-based papers, critical and explicative essays, evaluation of competing hypotheses, and experience in the use of bibliographic and other library resources to identify literature appropriate to a research problem or area of investigation. Special opportunities include the Colleges’ Honors program and independent study.
Addressing Goals 1 and 2
Because these goals speak to foundational skills necessary for any major, completing a major (while meeting both course and minimum GPA requirements), addresses these goals.
Goal 3
The ability to reason quantitatively. Quantitative reasoning involves an understanding of magnitude and proportion, the ability to visualize those abstractions, and the ability to apply them to a problem. Courses in mathematics, the natural sciences, and the social sciences that require students to work with numbers; to recognize trends, patterns and relationships represented by those numbers; and to express conclusions drawn from such evidence, address this goal. Courses that have typically been used to address this goal include introductory courses in biology, chemistry, computer science, geoscience, mathematics and physics. Courses involving statistical analysis in economics, sociology and psychology have also been used in support of this goal.
Goal 4
The experience of scientific inquiry and an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge. The understanding of scientific knowledge, in both its promise and limitations, is best achieved through the direct experience of experimental investigative, scientific inquiry. Such scientific inquiry involves the development and experimental testing of competing hypotheses. This normally means a lab-based course in biology, chemistry, geoscience, physics or psychology.
Goal 5
An understanding of artistic expression based in the experience of a fine or performing art. This goal exercises each individual’s capacity for artistic expression through direct participation in a creative artistic endeavor. Courses that typically support this goal include studio art, music performance, dance, theatre and creative writing.
Addressing Goals 3, 4, and 5
Students must petition their adviser for certification in each of these three goals. This petition must spell out how the course work addresses the respective goal. Simply noting completion of a particular course is not sufficient.
Goal 6
An intellectually grounded foundation for the understanding of differences and inequalities of gender, race, and class. An intellectually grounded foundation for the understanding of the differences and inequalities of gender, race and class can develop from courses that explore the historical development and social construction of difference, illuminate and allow the visualization of the experience of difference, and/or provide a framework for a critique of historical and or contemporary differences of privilege and the experience of peoples of different genders, races and classes. Students generally address this goal through a combination of courses. Students should address each element of “race, class and gender” in one or more courses.
Goal 7
A critical knowledge of the multiplicity of world cultures as expressed, for example, in their languages, histories, literatures, philosophies, religious and cultural traditions, social and economic structures and modes of artistic expression. Courses in history, literature, language, the social sciences and the arts that study and explore the multiplicity of world cultures address this goal, as does the experience of a different culture in an off-campus program. “Critical knowledge” refers to a broad understanding that allows students to understand the global complexity of the world and their place in it; this can include but is not limited to a critique of cultures. Students generally address this goal through a combination of courses that examine at least two distinct cultures.
Goal 8
An intellectually grounded foundation for ethical judgment and action. An intellectually grounded foundation for ethical judgment and action derives from a deep, historically informed examination of the beliefs and values deeply embedded in our views and experience. Courses that examine values, ethics, social action, social policy, social justice and the responsibilities of citizens in contemporary society address this goal.
Addressing Goals 6, 7, and 8
Students must petition their advisers for certification in these goals explaining how the courses they identify meet the descriptions above. This petition must spell out how the course work addresses the respective goals; this may take the form of a discussion with the adviser or completion of a petition for certification form. Simply noting completion of a particular course is not sufficient. Combinations of courses, rather than single courses, may more effectively meet these goals.
The faculty’s intention in adopting this curricular plan is that students achieve breadth and coherence in their programs of study by working with faculty advisers to construct programs that simultaneously explore the student’s interests, while concretely addressing the Colleges’ educational goals and objectives through formal academic work.
The requirement that this program include both disciplinarily based work and work that is interdisciplinary in character reflects the Colleges’ intention that students learn to see the world in its complexity, while at the same time acquiring the essential critical skills of a specific area of inquiry.
Students may be required to enroll in writing courses at two points in their studies.
First-year students needing special attention for their writing skills may be required to enroll in and pass with a grade of C-or better WRRH 100 Writer’s Seminar during the fall semester.
First-Year Seminar instructors may require a student enrolled in their seminar to take a supplemental writing class during the student’s first year. Courses that satisfy this requirement are any 100-level rhetoric course.
The major provides the means by which students acquire knowledge in depth of a discipline, interdisciplinary program, or individually designed area of study.
The typical departmental major at the Colleges requires eight to 10 courses in the major department and additional courses from related departments. The total number and sequence of courses needed to complete the major are determined by the department or program. Students should consult departmental or program offerings in this catalogue or discuss requirements with the department chair or program coordinator. In the case of individual majors, the student should consult with his or her adviser and the Individual Majors Committee.
Students normally file a declaration of major by the end of the second semester of their second year, and must do so by the beginning of the first semester of the third year. In addition, students are responsible for seeing that prerequisites for the major are met as they plan their schedules. Some students choose to do two majors rather than a major and a minor, but this is not a requirement. Of the courses required for a major, six must be unique to that major (cannot be counted toward another major or minor).
A student whose interests involve several disciplines may create an individual major. Working with a faculty sponsor, the student plans a program and the specific courses to be taken. This program is then submitted to the Individual Majors Committee, which must approve the program. The committee and the faculty sponsor then oversee the student’s program of study.
The committee’s responsibilities include approving any changes in the program and certifying the student as sufficiently prepared in the individual major to enter the senior year. While most individual majors earn a B.A., it is possible to earn a B.S. This requires 16 courses in the division of natural sciences and the approval of the Individual Majors Committee. Courses to be counted toward an individual major must be passed with a grade of C- or better.
A student choosing to declare two disciplinary majors must complete an interdisciplinary minor. This interdisciplinary minor can be either a) an established interdisciplinary minor, for which any uniqueness requirements are waived, or b) an integrative minor, which the student constructs with the help and consent of the two major advisers. The integrative minor must consist of a minimum of five mutually agreed-upon courses that address a single problem or area of inquiry from at least two identifiable disciplinary points of view.
A student choosing to declare two interdisciplinary majors must complete an established disciplinary minor listed in the catalogue. Any uniqueness requirements pertaining to this minor are waived.
A minor also allows students to focus on a particular area of study, though to a lesser extent than a major. Minors ordinarily consist of at least five courses. Students can file a declaration of minor at any time but should do so prior to the second semester of their third year. Declaration consists of completing a form that names the minor field, lists the courses that count toward the minor, and includes the signatures of the student and the department chair or program director of the minor department or field. Of the courses required for a minor, three must be unique to the minor (cannot be counted toward another major or minor).
Late in their third year, all students meet with their faculty adviser to construct a baccalaureate plan. This plan records a student’s progress in addressing the Colleges’ educational goals and objectives and progress toward completing a major and minor or second major, and identifies work to be done in the senior or baccalaureate year to complete all requirements. Submission of this plan is a requirement for admission to the senior year.
Students who have demonstrated a capacity for individual work at an advanced level may, with permission of the department chair, register for independent study in place of one regular course. Each department sets its own qualifications for such advanced work.
Independent study may grow out of a regular course, or it may deal with problems or fields not otherwise covered in regular course offerings. It may take one or a combination of several forms:
In all cases, independent study is under the supervision of a faculty member, who guides the student in planning and carrying out the program.
Independent study is listed on the student’s record and confers course credit.
Normally, a student takes four courses per semester. However, students may develop imaginative alternative programs that substitute other forms of academic activity for one or more courses. Course equivalents have been undertaken in the form of internships at Geneva General Hospital, Rochester General Hospital, the Geneva Historical Society, radio stations and newspapers, and community service organizations. Students have also received course equivalents for volunteer research, and assistantships in law offices.
Course equivalents require the approval of the student’s faculty adviser and the Committee on Standards. Course equivalents, which are listed with their title on the student’s transcript, may count toward the major with the approval of the appropriate department chair. Course equivalents are not graded; they may be taken as credit/no credit only.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges award two undergraduate degrees, the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science. The Colleges award one graduate degree, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT). In addition, the Colleges participate in several joint degree programs leading to a Hobart or William Smith undergraduate degree and a specialized degree from another institution.
Graduating seniors in the humanities and social sciences are awarded the degree Bachelor of Arts. Students who major in biology, chemistry, geoscience, mathematics, physics or psychology may choose to receive the degree Bachelor of Science, provided they meet departmental requirements, and apply to receive approval from the chair of the major department. Individual Majors in scientific subjects may also receive the B.S. if their applications are approved by the Individual Majors Committee. At the discretion of each science department, certain courses not counted toward a normal major in that department may also not be counted toward the courses required for the B.S. Consultation with department chairs is advised.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges offer a Master of Arts in Teaching program. Only students enrolled at HWS can be considered for admission to the MAT program. Students apply in two stages. Late in their first year they join the teacher education program (through a competitive application procedure), and in their sophomore and junior years they complete the teacher education seminars and field experiences. In January of their junior year, these students may apply to continue in the fifth year MAT program.
Admission to the program is highly competitive. In order to be considered, students must have an outstanding academic record, an outstanding record of performance in the teacher education program, and strong faculty recommendations. Those who are admitted take a research/thesis preparation seminar in the spring of their senior year. In the fall of their postgraduate year, they take a semester of teaching along with two education seminars: one to guide their reflection on student teaching, and the other to guide their thesis. In the spring semester they take four graduate courses. Three are courses in a department or departments of the students’ choice, and one is a research seminar in the Department of Education that is thematically related to the other courses. Also in the spring the candidates complete a master’s thesis in their area of concentration. For more information see the Department of Education section.
Engineering
The Colleges have joint degree programs in engineering with the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.
In general, for these programs, students spend three years at Hobart and William Smith, and then two years at the other institution. At the end of five years the student receives a B.A. or B.S. from Hobart or William Smith and a B.S. in engineering from the cooperating university. In some cases, a student can arrange to receive the degree from Hobart or William Smith at the end of the fourth year, and the degree in engineering from the partner institution at the end of the fifth year.
The Dartmouth program is structured a little differently. Typically, a student spends the first two years at Hobart and William Smith, the third year at Dartmouth, the senior year in Geneva, followed by the fifth and final year at Dartmouth. Upon completion, the student receives two degrees, one from Hobart or William Smith and one from Dartmouth.
For more details on the joint degree programs in engineering, consult Professor Donald Spector, Department of Physics.
Business
The Colleges have agreements with both Clarkson University and the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) allowing students to complete the requirements for a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree in one year rather than the usual two or more.
Admission to the “4-1” programs at Clarkson and RIT is available to students who include foundation courses in their undergraduate programs and meet prescribed admissions standards.
For more details, consult Professor Patrick McGuire and/or Professor Alan Frishman of the Department of Economics.
Architecture
The Colleges offer a 3+4 cooperative program in architecture in conjunction with Washington University in St. Louis. Under this arrangement, the student studies the first three years at Hobart and William Smith and the last four years at Washington University. After seven years, the student receives a B.A. from Hobart or William Smith and a M.Arch., the advanced professional degree in architecture, from Washington University. It is also possible for students to spend their third year at Washington University and come back to Geneva for their senior year before returning to St. Louis for the remaining years of graduate study.
While at Hobart and William Smith, these students may pursue an individual major in architectural studies, but are not required to do so. They may pursue any program of study that enables them to meet both the standards of preparation for Washington University and the degree requirements within their major before departure. Admission into the graduate program is not automatic; that decision is based on the student’s performance after the first year of study at Washington University.
This is one of several options offered by the architectural studies program. For more details, see p. 99, or consult Professor A. E. Ted Aub, Department of Art.
Financial Aid for 3-2 Joint Degree Programs
Financial aid for the 3-2 joint degree programs (in which the student spends three years at HWS followed by two years at Columbia University or the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) is available during the first three years at Hobart and William Smith Colleges through the regular financial aid application process and deadlines. For the two years of study at the other institution, Hobart and William Smith will not process or award any sources of financial assistance. You should contact the other institution directly to find out what, if any, sources of financial assistance are available.
Financial Aid for 2-1-1-1 Joint Degree Programs
Financial aid for the 2-1-1-1 program with Dartmouth is available for the first four years of study through Hobart and William Smith. Financial aid for the fifth year is processed through Dartmouth. Contact Dartmouth directly for application requirements and deadlines.
