Special Academic Opportunities

Senior Fellowship Program

The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty may designate academically outstanding members of the junior class as Senior Fellows. Highly motivated juniors who are prepared to conduct an intensive, year-long program of individual original research or creative work for their senior year may apply to be admitted into the Senior Fellowship Program. A Senior Fellowship proposal should grow out of earlier coursework, and must be supervised by two tenured or tenure-track faculty, who must submit a plan of supervision with the application to Academic Council. Fellows must submit a final project (a 60-100 page thesis or equivalent) reflecting original research or creative work to be evaluated by the supervisors and an examination committee. In addition to the final project, successful completion of the fellowship requires: an oral defense of the project for the supervisors and examination committee, and a public presentation of the project to the College community.

To be eligible for consideration for the Senior Fellowship Program members of the junior class must: have completed 24 course credits before the beginning of their fellowship year; and must have fulfilled the Writing Intensive, QSR, and Physical Education requirements. If the student has not yet completed the SSIH requirement in a currently-declared concentration, the Fellow, in consultation with their supervisors, must articulate a method of fulfilling the SSIH requirement.

The Senior Fellowship serves as the sole concentration for the Fellow and counts for 8 credits. Fellows are exempt from taking a normal course load, but they may take such courses as are appropriate to their projects and their educational goals. A Fellow may not earn more than 10 credits for the academic year of the fellowship. Any courses taken by the Senior Fellow appear on the transcript, and are graded CR or NC.

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.

Cooperative Law Program

The Hamilton cooperative law program permits highly qualified students to enter the Columbia University School of Law after completion of their junior year. The program in Accelerated Interdisciplinary Legal Education (AILE) permits these students to earn both the Hamilton baccalaureate degree and the Columbia juris doctor degree after three years of study at each institution. Interested students should consult with the chair of the pre-law committee, Associate Professor Keelah Williams.

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
315-443-2461
afdet535@syr.edu

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.