The
academic program of Hendrix College comprises diverse elements in a coherent
whole, combining design with flexibility. The Collegiate Center brings together the shared components of the Via Hendrix
curriculum that all students complete: First-Year
Foundations, the Foundational Breadth Program, the Hendrix
Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program, and the Senior-Year Experience. The
four major components of the Collegiate Center provide
opportunities for students to experience a liberal arts education in a way that
nurtures engagement, breadth, and the
integration of learning with life and career pursuits.
First-Year Foundations is a full-credit course that all entering Hendrix
students take during their first semester and supports them in their transition
to college. The Foundational Breadth Program requirements
afford multiple options for acquiring a basic understanding of the content,
disciplinary styles, and modes of inquiries of the humanities, the natural
sciences, and the social sciences and develops basic proficiency in fundamental
skills used across multiple disciplines. The Hendrix Cooperative Education (Co-Op)
Program provides all Hendrix students with a structured, full-time,
career-related professional experience that integrates classroom learning with
the student’s career goals.
The Senior-Year Experience is a 0.25-credit common course required of
all students during their senior year that helps students integrate their
liberal arts experience and prepares them for their transition to life after
college.
Majors are offered in thirty disciplinary fields and include opportunities for interdisciplinary studies. Minors in thirty-one areas complement the majors and allow students opportunities to pursue additional academic interests. The College’s curricular structures are intended to guide students in a coherent process of learning while encouraging all students to exercise responsibility in constructing individual programs of study.
The requirements for the baccalaureate degree apply to all candidates for the baccalaureate degree at Hendrix. These requirements include the Collegiate Center; requirements beyond the Collegiate Center regarding the number and level of performance in courses counted toward the degree; and the requirements regarding majors and minors.
Hendrix also offers a program leading to a Master of Arts in Accounting as described both in this section and in the departmental entry for Economics and Business.
Most graduate and professional schools discourage heavy undergraduate specialization and emphasize the values of a broadly based liberal education as a preparation for advanced study. Graduate study can lead to careers in scholarship, research, or the professions. In planning undergraduate preparation for graduate study students should confer with the members of the department in their fields. Information about course planning can be found in each department section under the "course planning" tabs and in the webpage on pre-professional programs and specialized advising.