Majors and Minors

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 28 majors and 30 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.  

Academic Majors

Independent Major

In addition to the programs listed above, students may petition to design an independent, self-designed major. Petitions are reviewed by the Curricular Policy Committee and the Registrar, who evaluate each proposal based on the following considerations: whether the proposed major is intellectually coherent, whether it is feasible, whether it contains all required courses, and whether it is sufficiently distinct from existing curricular options.

Students interested in this option should contact the Registrar's Office.

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. Because majors vary widely, so do their Capstone Requirements. All of them, however, must include the following 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 be graded as NP (No Pass), P (Pass), HP (High Pass), or H (Honors). Completion with an H is one of the requirements for Departmental Honors.
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 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 registrar for approval at least six months before the student expects to receive their degree. 

Declaring a Major

Students are required to file a declaration of major at the Registrar’s Office no later than the end of their second 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. 

Students who fail to declare their majors by the end of the second semester are fined $25. If the major is not filed by the end of the third semester, a $50 fine will be assessed; if not filed by the end of the fourth 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

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.

Inactive Programs

The following programs do not plan to accept new students for the 2026–2027 academic year. Students who were admitted to and are completing one of these programs should refer to the catalog corresponding to their year of entry, available on the Academic Catalog homepage, for applicable program requirements.

All students enrolled in an inactive program remain subject to the institutional policies, tuition, and fees published in this 2026–2027 catalog, regardless of which catalog year governs their program requirements.

Students with questions about their progress toward completion of an inactive program should contact their academic advisor or the office of the registrar.

*International Studies and Public Policy are now available as concentrations in the Politics major.