Bucknell, dedicated to the education of undergraduate students, has developed several special educational programs. Among them:
Residential Colleges
Nine Residential Colleges: Arts, Discovery, Environmental, Food, Global, Humanities, Languages and Cultures, Social Justice and Society and Technology are located in residence halls on campus. They accept approximately 350 first-year students. Each college focuses its activities on a particular theme. Lectures and films, classes and programs, seminars and coffee houses, special dinners, and celebrations elaborate this theme. Students in each college are required to take one Foundation Seminar associated with their respective college.
Diversified Majors
In addition to the usual departmental majors, students may develop an individual program under the interdepartmental major or the college major in the bachelor of arts curriculum. The interdepartmental major provides an option for the student who may wish to investigate subjects, topics, issues or interests that cannot be served practically within the program of a single department. The college major concentrates upon the intellectual interest and development of the student, rather than upon a field of study, and is structured in accordance with the student’s special interests.
Minors
Optional minors are available in many disciplines. Interdepartmental minors are offered in American studies, arts entrepreneurship, children’s studies, digital humanities, food systems, Latin American studies, legal studies, peace studies, public policy, race & ethnicity studies, social justice, and translation studies. For a complete list of minors offered please consult the Course Catalog.
Independent Study
Many departments provide opportunities for students to engage in independent study under the guidance of a faculty member, and there are opportunities for students to participate in faculty research programs. This research participation or independent study enables the student to pursue and gain experience in specialized areas.
Global Education
The Office of Global & Off-campus Education facilitates off-campus opportunities that accommodate a range of disciplines throughout diverse regions of the world. The office strives to enhance students’ cross-cultural competency through global programs that facilitate a deep understanding of the cultural, social, political, and historical conditions of the host country while highlighting the students’ unique positions as responsible actors in a global context. Bucknell University offers many year-long, semester and summer off-campus study opportunities through external education abroad partners, Bucknell faculty-led programs and university exchange programs.
Honors Program
All academic departments and interdisciplinary majors of the University offer the possibility of departmental honors, coordinated through the University Honors Council, in which students in those majors may undertake special studies or investigations.
The honors program also operates within the special programs known as the College Major and the Interdepartmental Major, as described in the Course Catalog.
Students interested in departmental honors should consult the head of the department and must apply for honors in accordance with the procedures established by the Honors Council.