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- About About
Carleton College
Academic Highlights
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Carleton students can choose from 33 majors and 38 minors, with 60% majoring in STEM programs and 40% majoring in the humanities (although no Carls limit themselves to just one field of study). The average course size is 17 students and two-thirds of courses have 20 or fewer students, allowing faculty members to connect with each and every student they teach. Carleton faculty members are recognized in their fields as leading scholars, scientists, artists, and researchers, but their passion and priority is teaching. They often extend this commitment beyond the classroom as well, regularly sharing meals with and opening their homes to Carleton students, and facilitating student-faculty research partnerships, with 77% of the student body engaged in research.
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Unlike most colleges, Carleton has three 10-week terms per academic year—fall, winter, and spring—this has multiple major benefits. First, you can focus more completely on your coursework, as students are only expected to take three courses at a time instead of four. You can also more readily pursue diverse interests, as you have twelve opportunities to select sets of classes instead of eight. And finally, the fall/winter split means students get a full six weeks of winter break from November to January, which students often spend part of relaxing and part of doing research or participating in internships all over the country.
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Carleton’s Off-Campus Studies (OCS) office and the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) create dynamic opportunities for students to learn with and from others all over the world as well as in the local community. Over 70% of students study off-campus at least once during their four years at Carleton. In 2022–23, 67% of students participated in community or civic engagement through the CCCE.
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All Carleton students do a comprehensive senior project called “comps,” which usually involves original research or creative expression. Many Carleton alumni who go on to earn advanced degrees say that their comps project was outstanding preparation for graduate-level work (and by the way, over 70% of Carls go on to graduate school!). Carleton also has pre-professional programs and advising available in health and medicine, law, engineering, and education.
