The Liberal Arts

Mount Holyoke College recognizes that the twenty-first-century world holds unprecedented challenges: societal, economic, political, environmental. That's why we educate students to become solutions.

By definition, a liberal arts education is a broad education. Rather than choosing one specialized track of study, students explore art, literature, languages, philosophy, politics, history, mathematics, and science. It's a curriculum that combines both breadth and depth. A liberal arts education consistently emphasizes critical reading and thinking, clear writing and speaking, and leadership.

At Mount Holyoke, the liberal arts also transcend the classroom. Students gain a complex understanding of the world in which they live through internships, study abroad, community-based learning, volunteer work, and independent research. They do this in a community of learners from nearly 70 countries, and alongside faculty who speak more than 50 languages in addition to English.

The results are powerful and empowering. Mount Holyoke students learn to participate in creating new ways to think and new approaches to problem solving. As graduates, they continuously prove that a top-notch liberal arts education is the best preparation for success in every field imaginable—from law to medicine to teaching to engineering to business to the arts.

A Mount Holyoke education offers the intellectual flexibility needed to thrive in this era when people frequently change careers and jobs. It's a twenty-first-century education—and a global education—that will serve you for life.