Beyond the First Year

Majors and Minors

While you are not expected to declare your major until the end of your sophomore year, keep the following in mind.

Mount Holyoke students are required to complete not only a major but also a minor. In place of a minor you can complete one of the Five College certificate programs.

More information about major and minor requirements is available in the Catalogue. You can also review this information if you visit the online Catalogue. At the pull-down box for "other areas of the catalogue," choose the following topics: The Bachelor of Arts Degree" and "The Five College Consortium."

If you're interested in studying premedical studies, engineering, or public health, you'll want to talk to some special advisors starting in the first semester of your first year. These disciplines have a lot of requirements; hence you'll need to plan your time very carefully.

Learning Abroad

Mount Holyoke strongly encourages every student to build a learning experience abroad into her program, whether through traditional study abroad, an internship, or research. Learning abroad proves to be a transformative experience for many students.  Immersion in another country and culture encourages students to understand the world through a different lens and to question their own assumptions and beliefs. 

Study Abroad

Each year more than 200 Mount Holyoke students, representing approximately 40 percent of the junior class, study for a semester or academic year at universities and programs around the world. Students may choose to study with a Mount Holyoke-sponsored or affiliated program or exchange, or with one of the many other programs that we approve, covering more than 50 countries.  Though most students study abroad as juniors, study abroad in the sophomore year, or even the fall of senior year, is possible and sometimes fits better into a student’s overall program.  You should work closely with your faculty advisor in choosing the country and program that best fit into your plan of study.

If you expect to study abroad in a language other than English, you should plan to complete a minimum of two years of college-level language study prior to going abroad.  (The French Department and the German Department require that students take a four-credit course in the respective language every semester prior to going abroad; the French Department further requires that students complete at least one 200-level course in culture and literature.)  You should also take at least one course focusing on the country or region in which you wish to study. 

International Internships

An internship abroad enables students to explore their interests and apply their analytical skills in a cross-cultural context.  Many students participate in established summer internship programs around the world that are open to college students; some students design their own internships.  Students may also apply for the Mount Holyoke College International Internship Program (MHC-IIP), which provides funded internship opportunities—primarily outside the United States—exclusively for Mount Holyoke College students.  In the summer of 2007, 27 students were funded for MHC-IIP internships in 15 countries.

Student Research Abroad

Many students engage in independent study projects that involve research abroad.  Through the competitive Global Studies Summer Fellowship, the College provides financial support for collaborative student-mentor research projects abroad during the summer.

For more information about learning abroad options, visit the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives.