Majors and Minors

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Earlham encourages students to develop broad, inquisitive minds to seek the truth in all contexts and strives to offer as many learning opportunities as possible: on campus, in the surrounding community and in programs around the globe. Earlham offers 42 majors and 39 minors, which are organized around four academic divisions (Visual and Performing Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences). They also include innovative interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programs that emphasize and explore the connections between fields and allow students to explore an expansive area of inquiry as well as focus on methods and theories from specific disciplines. Students may opt to combine two majors, or a major and a minor, for their Bachelor of Arts degree.

The major usually consists of 10 to 14 courses, and may include one or more capstone requirements, such as a senior seminar, senior thesis or comprehensive examination. Guidelines for the major are established by the department/program. 

Applied Minors and Academic Minors are available in 52 departments and programs. 

Academic Majors

Accounting
African and African American Studies
Ancient and Classical Studies
Art
Biochemistry
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Comparative Languages and Linguistics
Computer Science
Creative Writing
Data Science
Earth and Environmental Science
Economics
Engineering
English
Environmental Sustainability
Exercise, Sports, & Health Studies
French and Francophone Studies
Global Management*
History
International Studies
Japanese Studies
Mathematics
Media and Communications
Museum Studies
Music
Music Studies
Neuroscience
Peace and Global Studies
Philosophy
Physics and Astronomy
Politics
Psychology
Public Policy
Quantitative Economics
Religion
Social Services
Sociology/Anthropology
Spanish and Hispanic Studies
Theatre Arts
Women's, Gender, Sexuality Studies
3+2 Pre-Professional Major in Engineering

Declaring a Major 

Students are required to file a declaration of major at the Registrar’s Office no later than the end of their fourth semester; transfer students must declare a major after earning 58 credits. Majors require approval from the department or program convener and the Registrar. 

Each major will have a course designated as writing intensive and research. This requirement for graduation ensures that every student learns to write and conduct research within their chosen field of study. 

Earlham allows students to apply for an independent, self-designed major. Petitions for such majors are considered by the Curricular Policy Committee and the Registrar, and are evaluated on these considerations: whether the proposed major is intellectually coherent, whether it is feasible, whether they contain all the required courses (R, WI, Capstone) and whether it is sufficiently different from available, curricular options. Please see the Petition to Propose an Independent Major form available from the Registrar’s Office website for details and deadlines.

Students who fail to declare their majors by the end of the fourth semester are fined $25. If the major is not filed by the end of the fifth semester, a $50 fine will be assessed; if not filed by the end of the sixth semester, a $100 fine will be assessed each semester thereafter. It is essential for students to declare their majors in a timely manner to ensure that all courses required for the major are available as well as to assist in planning for senior capstone experiences, comprehensive examinations, internships, research and off-campus study opportunities. 

Academic Minors

African and African American Studies
Ancient and Classical Studies
Art
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Computer Science
Creative Writing
Data Science
Earth and Environmental Science
East Asian Studies
Economics
English
Environmental Sustainability
Equestrian Management
Film Studies
French and Francophone Studies
Global Management*
History
Japanese Language and Linguistics
Japanese Studies
Jewish Studies
Mathematics
Museum Studies
Music
Philosophy
Physics and Astronomy
Politics
Psychology
Public Health
Public Policy
Quality Science
Religion
Sociology/Anthropology
Spanish and Hispanic Studies
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Theatre Arts
Women's, Gender, Sexuality Studies


* no longer available to declare as a new major or minor

Declaring a Minor 

Students who plan to declare a minor must have declared their major and submitted the form to the Registrar’s Office for approval. Please review each of the requirements with the Academic Department or Program. Earlham allows students to apply for an independent, self designed minor. With departmental approval, the minor must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office for approval by no later than the fifth week of the eighth semester.

Senior Capstone Requirement  

Effective August 2004, Earlham’s Comprehensives was re-labeled the “Senior Capstone Requirement.” Every academic major at Earlham culminates in a senior-year demonstration of proficiency and accomplishment in an area of study. This demonstration may be an examination, a public presentation or exhibit, completion of a thesis, or successful participation in a designated senior seminar. It may be some combination of these. 

The faculty of the department or program shall determine the form of the Capstone Requirement and advise majors in a timely manner of its form. It is consistent with variety of majors that there be a variety of Capstone Requirements. All Capstone Requirements, however, must have these common features: 

  1. Every program should devise and use means that adequately demonstrate achievement in the student’s work. The objective is to measure accomplishment. Results will continue to be accorded the grades of NP, P, HP or H. Completion with an H (Honors) will continue to be one of the requirements for Departmental Honors. (The grade of HP, that is “High Pass,” may be used to indicate greater discernment among passing grades.)
  2. Faculty in every program shall discuss Capstone results annually as part of its ongoing self-assessment.
  3. The Capstone Requirement will normally be completed in the student’s final year of residency, though preliminary work may begin a semester earlier.
  4. If it is practicable, programs should devise Capstone Requirements that students will complete at least 30 days before Commencement so that unsuccessful students may amend their performance in time for graduation. If such an arrangement is not practicable, then programs must provide sufficiently continual advice that errant students may improve their work in a timely fashion. Students who fail the Capstone Requirement twice may petition the associate academic dean, registrar and major department or program for permission for a third attempt. If the petition is approved, the student must wait six months before the third attempt.
  5. Accompanying the petition must be a detailed plan of preparation (or a plan for completing the seminar, project or thesis), a plan that has the written approval of the department or program convener. The petition must be submitted to the associate academic dean and registrar for approval at least six months before the student expects to receive his or her degree.