Liberal arts college

A primarily undergraduate institution that emphasizes broad study across the humanities, sciences, and social sciences rather than specialized professional or vocational training.

Liberal arts education: An educational approach that develops broad knowledge, critical thinking, and communication across multiple disciplines. The college is an institutional setting built around this educational approach.
Research university: A university whose mission includes substantial research activity alongside teaching. Research universities generally combine undergraduate education with extensive graduate study and research.
Colonial colleges: The colleges established in British North America before the American Revolution. Their classical curricula helped shape early American undergraduate education.
Undergraduate research: Research conducted by undergraduate students, often with faculty supervision. It lets students pursue inquiry directly within a teaching-centered institution.
Critical thinking: The disciplined evaluation of evidence, reasoning, and assumptions to reach well-supported judgments. Developing this capacity is a central stated outcome of broad undergraduate study.
General education: A curriculum component that exposes students to fields beyond their major or specialization. General education requirements put the college’s breadth-of-study ideal into practice.
Community college: A postsecondary institution that commonly offers associate degrees, transfer programs, and career-focused education. Community colleges often serve broader access and workforce pathways at lower cost.
Yale Report of 1828: A defense of the traditional classical curriculum issued by Yale College in 1828. It articulated an enduring argument for broad intellectual training over narrow practical instruction.
Study abroad: An educational program in which students complete part of their studies in another country. International study can extend the college’s broad curriculum across cultures and settings.
First-generation college students: Students whose parents or guardians did not complete a four-year college degree. Their access and outcomes reveal how well colleges translate educational ideals into opportunity.

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