Academics
The college, which operates on a semester system, has 12 academic departments, 10 research institutes and 32 majors, the most popular of which are economics, government, psychology, and international relations. The student to faculty ratio is 9:1 and 82% of the classes have fewer than 20 students. The four year graduation rate is 84%, and the freshman retention rate, which is an indicator of student satisfaction, is 96%.
Students must complete calculus, two science courses, two humanities courses outside of their major and three social science courses outside of their major. They must also achieve proficiency in a foreign language, which they can do by passing a proficiency test or by completing the third semester of the language. Freshmen are required to take a humanities seminar and a writing seminar. All students must complete a senior thesis, which can be either one-semester in length or, to receive departmental honors, two semesters. Students who are not on a sports team must complete three semesters of non-credit physical education classes.
Claremont McKenna's curricular emphasis is on its social sciences, particularly economics, government, international relations, and psychology. About forty percent of CMC students major in either government or economics. CMC also offers an Oxford-style Philosophy, Politics, and Economics major. Other multi-disciplinary majors include management engineering, philosophy and public affairs, science and management, econ-accounting, biology-chemistry, and environment, economics, and politics (EEP). CMC also offers the Robert A. Day 4+1 BA/MBA, in which students receive both their BA from Claremont McKenna and their MBA from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University in 5 years. In September 2007, Claremont McKenna College announced the largest gift ever to a liberal arts college – $200 million – donated by alum Robert A. Day (Chairman, TCW Group), to create the Robert Day Scholars Program, which has both an undergraduate and graduate component. Undergraduate Scholars, representing a variety of majors, pursue courses in economics, accounting, finance, and psychology, and upon completion, have the Robert Day Scholars designation noted on their transcript. Graduate Scholars, who already enter the Program with a solid foundation in economics, accounting, finance, and organizational psychology, take one year of advanced courses in corporate finance, econometrics, investments and valuation, culminating in a Master of Arts in Finance. All Robert Day Scholars are provided significant scholarship support and participate in a variety of co-curricular activities, including networking trips and private dinners with prominent guest speakers.
Instead of traditional minors, CMC offers interdisciplinary sequences in Asian-American Studies, computer science, ethics, financial economics, gender studies, human rights, genocide, and holocaust studies, leadership, and legal studies.
CMC's science program is offered through the Joint Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges. The Joint Science Department offers a double year-long introductory science class to allow more flexibility than the former 3 year-long introductory biology, chemistry, and physics courses that most science majors must complete.
Nearly half of CMC students study abroad. Another popular option for off-campus study is the Washington Program, in which students complete a full-time internship while taking government courses taught by CMC professors in Washington at night. "
77% percent of CMC students attend graduate school within five years of graduation, and those who choose to go straight to the workforce average a starting salary of $52,115. 80% of CMC graduates applying to medical school get into their first or second choice institutions. According to a 2009 PayScale report, CMC ranked 1st among all liberal arts colleges in the nation for highest starting salary.
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Famous quotes containing the word academics:
“Our first line of defense in raising children with values is modeling good behavior ourselves. This is critical. How will our kids learn tolerance for others if our hearts are filled with hate? Learn compassion if we are indifferent? Perceive academics as important if soccer practice is a higher priority than homework?”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)
“Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with a vested interest in stressing only some of the implications and falsifying others. The idea that academics should remain “above the fray” only gives ideologues license to misuse our work.”
—Stephanie Coontz (b. 1944)