Claremont McKenna College - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Professors at Claremont McKenna are friendly, hands-on teachers who care about the academic and general well-being of their students. With most classes enrolling fewer than 19 students, it’s easy to be heard in class; even in lecture classes, discussions are encouraged. While there is a hefty workload, Claremont is not a grind school, and generally, the work ebbs and flows in regular cycles. It is not unusual to have two weeks of intense paper-writing and midterm-taking followed by a few weeks of reading. It is essential to have prioritizing skills at Claremont, since keeping up on homework, extracurriculars, and social life is a constant—but manageable—juggling act. Most classes are structured around three or four major assignments; because there are so few, professors expect a high level of effort and a certain amount of creativity and originality. Students are supportive of one another, no one judges anyone else by the grades they get, and most classes assign group work.

Government and economics are the two most popular majors at the school, but that shouldn’t deter anyone not considering either, as many of the other departments are diamonds in the rough. How does taking your introductory psychology class with Diane Halpern, the president of the American Psychological Association, sound? Students tend to take classes from every professor in the department, and the resources of the whole group will be available when looking for jobs, internships, or research opportunities.

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Students Speak Out

cpaullin12 says: Claremont McKenna College 2012 Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Need strong work ethic to get A's A If you want a A's at CMC, your work ethic has to be stronger than it's ever been. But B's are very manageable for the average college partier. 12345 Academics: December 26, 2009 Report

jayd13 says: Claremont McKenna College 2013 Psychology

There Are a Lot of Programs for Psychology Majors A I am a freshman but I know there are many facilities/research methods for Psychology majors. Some include, but are not limited to, the Autism center, Child Development, and more. 12345 Academics: December 17, 2009 Report

katiec.browning says: Claremont McKenna College 2013 Law and Legal Studies

Teachers Are Great and Classes Are Small A The classes at CMC are fantastic. As with any college, you'll have a few duds, but on the whole they are interesting and engaging. Most classes are capped at 19 students, and are discussion based, so you get a lot of personal attention and speaking time, if you want it. Professors usually have good office hours and are willing to schedule appointments whenever you need help! It's also cool that you can take classes at the other 5 C's. 12345 Academics: November 30, 2009 Report

clatta11 says: Claremont McKenna College 2011 Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Spanish Major B+ I sometimes feel limited in my major but haven't had any trouble finding at least one class that I want to take each semester. I have really liked all of the Spanish professors that I have had. People at CMC don't really appreciate people who major in humanities so it's sometimes hard to deal with peoples' reactions when I say I'm a Spanish major but I've gotten over it. 12345 Academics: November 28, 2009 Report

clatta11 says: Claremont McKenna College 2011 Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Academics=:) A The consortium allows students to have a huge variety of available classes (and it's super easy to get into a class at another college which is great). The strongest departments are government and economics but other departments are great too and if CMC doesn't have a class or major that you want, such as music, you can just take class at another school. The professors at CMC are wonderful and frequently invite students to their homes for meals/holidays. 12345 Academics: November 28, 2009 Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Claremont students can cross-register for any classes across the Consortium, often including graduate-level classes, and students can even major through another college while still receiving a Claremont McKenna College degree.

Claremont McKenna does not offer minors. Instead, students may choose to dual major, which slightly reduces the course load of both majors, making two areas of study more manageable. Best of all, tell someone at home you’re a bio-lit dual major, and they’ll assume you’re actually doing the full double!

Claremont also offers sequences, which allow students to get credit for other areas of study. Some examples are the Leadership, Gender Studies, Human Rights, Genocide and Holocaust Studies and Financial Economics sequences. Students may only get credit for one sequence.

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