Special Academic Opportunities
Senior Fellowship Program
Each spring, the vice president for academic affairs/dean of faculty designates up to seven academically outstanding members of the junior class as senior fellows. Students in the junior year may become candidates by submitting a proposal for a senior year of independent study. Senior fellows are exempt from taking a normal course load in the conventional curriculum, and they need not complete concentration requirements; they may take such courses as are appropriate to their fellowship projects and their educational goals. A written thesis is required at the close of the fellowship year, along with a public lecture to the College community. Evaluation is made by the advisors and an examination committee.
Cooperative and Affiliated Programs
Hamilton has established cooperative arrangements with several institutions to expand educational opportunities for students. Several instances are described below. Students enrolled in cooperative programs receive a Hamilton degree only upon demonstrating to the department in which they concentrate that they have fulfilled concentration requirements and have satisfied the goals of the College. If the concentration requirements have not been met by the end of the junior year, they may, with the approval of the department, be completed at the cooperative institution.
American Council of Teachers of Russian Undergraduate Program
Hamilton has been designated as a host institution for students from the Russian Federation and other nations of the former Soviet Union. Each academic year, one or more Russian students will have the opportunity to study at Hamilton. In the past, the College has hosted students from Kazan, Voronezh, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Almaty, Everan, and numerous other cities in the New Independent States (NIS). The program is funded by the United States Information Agency and the governments of the NIS.
Assurance of Admission: Master of Arts in Teaching
As a result of an agreement with Union Graduate College, well-qualified Hamilton students can gain assurance of admission to Union Graduate College’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program. The M.A.T. degree will normally require two summers and one academic year in residence at Union College, and carries with it secondary school teaching certification. Students interested in pursuing this option should contact Chaise Ladousa, chair of the Education Studies Program Committee, preferably no later than the fall semester of their junior year.
Cooperative Engineering Program
Liberal arts-engineering (3-2) plans are in effect with Columbia University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Washington University in St. Louis, whereby the student spends three years at Hamilton and then two years at the cooperating engineering school. At the end of this period, the student earns an A.B. from Hamilton and a B.S. from the engineering school. Hamilton also offers access to a combined plan at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. This program is on a 2-1-1-1 schedule. The student completes two years at Hamilton, the junior year as a visiting student at Dartmouth and returns to Hamilton to complete the senior year and to earn the A.B. The student then returns to Dartmouth to finish the second year of engineering studies and to receive a degree in engineering. Admission to these programs in the traditional divisions of chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, and now many others such as biomedical, computer and environmental engineering, is based on obtaining a G.P.A. of 3.0, or a B average, and the positive recommendation of the Department of Physics. Various 4-2 plans lead to different degree options. For details, consult with the engineering advisor, Professor Gordon Jones, in the Department of Physics.
Direct Admission MBA Program
Under a direct admission agreement with the William E. Simon School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester, Hamilton will recommend students who are especially well prepared to proceed directly to the MBA program upon earning their undergraduate degree. Drawing on the College's recommendations, the Simon School will select candidates, preferably by the end of their Hamilton junior year, who have demonstrated above average maturity and strong academic preparation, regardless of undergraduate major. The Simon School will evaluate candidates through a priority interview with a Simon School graduate or a member of the admissions committee. The application fee will be waived. Hamilton students admitted to the Simon School by direct admission should complete business-related summer internships or work experience, or both, during their undergraduate years. The Simon School will provide counseling and support to identify pre-MBA internships and offers merit-based support. For more information about direct admission with the Simon School, see Ann Owen in the Economics Department.
ROTC Program
Hamilton College has a crosstown agreement with Syracuse University—Detachment 535. Students will be enrolled as a full time student at Hamilton and will take ROTC classes each week at Syracuse University—Detachment 535.
For more information, please contact Syracuse University's ROTC Office:
Virginia O’Connor, G’13, EMPA
Program Coordinator
Syracuse University
Air Force ROTC, Suite 214
National Veterans Resource Center
Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building
101 Waverly Ave., Syracuse, NY 13244
Study at Neighboring Institutions
With appropriate approval (see “Transfer of Credit” under “Academic Regulations”), a Hamilton student may take coursework toward the baccalaureate degree at neighboring institutions during the fall and spring semesters. In recent years, students have enrolled at Colgate University and Utica College. Usually one course is taken at a neighboring institution while the rest of the work is done at Hamilton.