Whitman offers a rigorous, challenging, and innovative education in the liberal arts. While we offer an array of programs, our core objective is to ensure that, in addition to expanding their intellectual horizons and regardless of their majors, students develop a broad and interdisciplinary foundation of knowledge and acquire the critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills they need to lead successful, meaningful, and rewarding lives.

General studies. A core requirement for all Whitman students, the general studies curriculum expects you to venture outside your comfort zone and discover the areas of study about which you are truly passionate.

Forty-two departmental majors. Whitman offers a diverse breadth of majors that lead to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Each major requires that you dedicate about one-third of your classes to in-depth study of your chosen subject. Whitman is one of the first colleges in the nation to require seniors to take written and oral assessments, including projects and comprehensive exams, to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the knowledge they have gained in their fields of study.

Individually planned majors allow students to develop concentrated study in an area that crosses two or more disciplines and isn’t offered as a standard major. Students must have their proposed course of study approved by the faculty. Recent individually planned majors include Peace and Conflict Studies, Political Philosophy, Creative Writing, and International Political Economy.

Combined programs. Combined degrees allow you to mesh Whitman’s liberal arts education with a specialized degree from participating institutions by dividing time between studies at Whitman and the associated colleges and universities. Whitman College offers combined degrees in a variety of fields, including, computer science, engineering, education, forestry or environmental management, international studies, law, and oceanography.

Other distinctive programs. From exploring multiple fields of study through fieldwork as participants in our acclaimed Semester in the West program, to opting for a two-semester course in Western Civilization, to participating in the annual Whitman Undergraduate Conference, to taking advantage of the extensive study abroad and domestic off-campus programs we offer, Whitman students are also able to take advantage of a variety of other distinctive programs and flexible course offerings.