Colby-Sawyer College offers a range of major academic programs, each of which requires that students complete the Liberal Education Program and choose a major field of study. In addition to their major, baccalaureate-degree students may take on a concentrated area of study through the college's Academic Minor Programs. The college also offers a two-year program of study which culminates in the Associate of Liberal Arts degree.
Majors and Minors
- American Studies
The American Studies minor leads to a greater understanding of American culture. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary coursework in areas such as American Studies, English, history, literature and philosophy. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Art History
The Bachelor of Arts in Art History prepares students for careers in museum curatorship, education, historic preservation, art conservation or a related historical field. Students take required courses in art and art history, as well as in the History, Society and Culture Program.
The Art History minor provides students with a basic foundation in the history of visual culture. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Art - Graphic Design
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design is designed for students who wish to become practicing artists and seek careers in the graphic design field. Students learn to use both traditional and state-of-the-art graphic computer methodologies in foundation courses and intensive work in graphic design.
- Art - Studio Art
The Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art prepare students as professional artists and designers. The major provides students with a foundation in several disciplines and them to concentrate in ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking or sculpture.
The Studio Art minor provides students with basic knowledge and experience in a variety of studio art disciplines. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Athletic Training
The Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training, part of the Exercise and Sport Sciences Program, prepares students for preventing, recognizing, managing and rehabilitating injuries in physically active people. Students pursue careers in secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional sports, sports medicine clinics and corporate settings.
- Biology
The Bachelor of Arts in Biology provides a strong foundation in the natural sciences. Students focus their study in their junior and senior years in one of several areas of biology. The program takes full advantage of New Hampshire’s natural classrooms and the laboratory facilities at the college’s Ivey Science Center.
The Biology minor provides students with basic knowledge and experience in the natural sciences. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Business Administration
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration prepares students with a deep understanding of how businesses and organizations function. Students gain in-depth knowledge and skills in marketing, finance and human resource management. The major qualifies graduates for positions in corporate, business and institutional settings.
The minor in Business Administration provides students with a working knowledge of business principles. Students acquire the basic functional skills for employment in a wide variety of areas, which broadens their career opportunities. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Chemistry
The Chemistry minor is designed for students who are interested in employment in a laboratory environment, plan careers as high school teachers, or seek admission to a graduate program in molecular biology/biochemistry, toxicology, or any of the environmental chemistry disciplines such as biogeochemistry, soil science, and hydrology. It is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Child Development
The Bachelor of Arts in Child Development provides students with a liberal arts foundation and a solid grounding in psychology and child development. Graduates are prepared for employment in nursery schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, hospitals, childcare centers, and other agencies that offer services to young children and their families.
- Communication Studies
The Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies is an interdisciplinary major that develops students’ communication skills and knowledge of issues in both professional and liberal arts contexts. The program emphasizes speaking, writing and critical thinking skills, and offers students opportunities to specialize in audio, video and multimedia production, as well as writing.
With the Communication Studies minor, students gain a basic foundation in communications issues and strengthen their writing and speaking skills. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Creative Writing
A Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing prepares students for publishing their work and using creative writing and literature as tools for navigating the world, for graduate study in writing and literature, and for professions that require excellent communication skills. Students take required courses in creative writing, English, literature and writing.
- Education
The Education minor allows students to explore the field of education through a combination of course- and fieldwork. Students gain knowledge and experience in required courses in education and psychology, along with electives in child development, exercise and sport sciences, psychology and sociology. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- English
The Bachelor of Arts in English offers students opportunities for personal, academic and professional growth through the study of literature and mastery of written expression. Students develop skills in writing, research and literary analysis that provide a strong foundation for graduate school or professional fields.
The English minor provides students with a basic foundation in the study of literature and development of skills in writing, research and literary analysis. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Environmental Science
The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science is designed for students interested in a scientific focus on the environment. It offers two concentrations: terrestrial (emphasis on conservation biology) and aquatic (emphasis on chemistry). Through course- and fieldwork, the major prepares students for careers or graduate studies in environmental science.
- Environmental Studies
The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program that includes courses in ecology, business, the literature of nature, ethics and psychology or sociology. This major prepares students for careers and graduate work that require a solid understanding of environmental issues and policy.
The Environmental Studies minor provides students with a solid understanding of environmental issues and policy. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Exercise and Sport Sciences
The Bachelor of Arts in Exercise and Sport Sciences prepares students for careers in athletic training, exercise and wellness, and the sports industry. The major offers three programs of study: Athletic Training; Exercise Science; and Sport Management. These programs are integrated with the liberal arts and with on-campus experiential learning and on- and off-campus internships and field experiences, which strengthen students’ preparation for their professional roles.
- Exercise Science
The Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, part of the Exercise and Sport Sciences Program, prepares students to be health, fitness and exercise specialists. The program emphasizes the scientific approach to wellness through exercise prescription and the evaluation of human performance. Graduates are prepared to work in community, commercial and clinical exercise settings and health fields and to pursue graduate studies.
- History
The History minor provides students with a basic understanding of social conditions from the perspectives of history, the social sciences and the humanities. The minor in history is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- History, Society and Culture
The Bachelor of Arts in History, Society and Culture provides students with a broad understanding of social conditions from the perspectives of history, the social sciences and the humanities. The program prepares students for fields that require knowledge of social conditions and to pursue graduate studies in any of its fields.
- Nursing
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing combines knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences with professional education. Through coursework, clinical internships and a Community Capstone, students gain core competencies and knowledge essential to nursing practice, the values of the healing professions, and the development of nurses’ professional roles.
- Philosophy
The minor in Philosophy provides in-depth learning about the discipline’s aims, methods and texts. Philosophical study fosters openness of mind, the development of critical and creative thinking and writing skills and an understanding of intellectual history, and engagement in questions on the meaning and value of human life. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Psychology
The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology prepares students for careers in human services and mental health professions, and to pursue graduate studies in psychology, counseling and social work. Students take introductory courses and then focus their studies in one of these areas: developmental psychology; social/personality psychology; counseling and abnormal psychology; or research design and analysis.
The Psychology minor emphasizes the study of human behavior and development throughout life. It is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Sociology
The Sociology minor allows students to study the role of the broader social context on human experience. Following an introductory course, students choose from a variety of topical courses in sociology, psychology and philosophy with sociological themes. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Sport Management
The Bachelor of Science in Sport Management, part of the Exercise and Sport Sciences Program, prepares students to enter careers in the sport industry and to pursue graduate studies in related fields. The major provides students with a solid foundation in business and marketing, specifically for sports communications, administration, programming and event management.
- Theatre
The Theatre minor gives students an opportunity to pursue a program focused on acting, performing, writing and technical operation. A wide range of theatrical productions offer students firsthand experiences in their areas of interest. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Women's Studies
The Women’s Studies minor fosters critical thinking by encouraging students’ examination of their own lives and through participation in courses in philosophy, psychology, sociology and women’s studies. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
- Writing for Publication
The Writing for Publication minor is designed for students interested in making writing an important element of their lives and careers. Students explore the challenges of writing fiction and nonfiction, poetry and plays and acquire the skills and discipline to have their writing published. The minor is designed to be combined with an academic major.
Courses of Study
- Coaching Certificate
The Coaching Certificate Program, which can be combined with any associate or bachelor’s degree program, prepares students interested in pursuing careers in coaching or planning to coach athletes part-time. The program includes courses in Exercise and Sport Sciences Department, with complementary elective courses in biology, psychology and science.
- Early Childhood Education (K-3)
Students seeking Early Childhood Education Certification complete the major requirements for the B.S. in Child Development and additional courses. Teaching internships are completed during the senior year and are arranged with cooperating teachers in local schools or in the ccollege's laboratory school.
- Pre-Law
The Pre-Law Curriculum can be combined with any major and prepares students interested in pursuing a law degree and developing their ability to think critically, communicate effectively, conduct library research and contribute to society. The program provides a solid foundation in understanding the American political system, social interactions and issues of diversity, and builds basic quantitative literacy skills.
- Pre-Medical
The Pre-Medical Curriculum can be combined with any major and prepares students interested in pursuing careers or graduate studies in medical and other health-related fields. The program includes courses in biology, chemistry, math, science and liberal arts.
- Pre-Physical Therapy
The Pre-Physical Therapy Curriculum can be combined with a variety of majors including Athletic Training, Exercise Science or Biology, and prepares students to pursue graduate studies in physical therapy. The program includes courses in biology, chemistry, exercise and sport sciences, philosophy, physics and psychology.
- Pre-Veterinary
The Pre-Veterinary Curriculum can be combined with any major, with most of the required courses in biology. The program prepares students to pursue studies in veterinary or other health-related professional schools and includes courses in biology, chemistry, math, physics, psychology and sociology.
For curriculum information, visit our College Catalog.
