St. Olaf is among the nation’s top colleges and universities for sending students abroad. In an average graduating class, 78 percent of students will have studied off campus.
Besides the typical bachelor of arts degree, St. Olaf also offers a bachelor of music degree, giving a conservatory-like experience in a liberal arts setting.
St. Olaf offers three “Conversation” programs: Great Conversation, Asian Conversation, and American Conversation. These special programs guide a small group of selected students through the canon of great western, Asian, or American philosophy, literature, and art.
As a liberal arts college, St. Olaf seeks to give its students a well-rounded education. For this reason, every student is required to take a formidable number of general education requirements outside of his or her area of emphasis. Everyone must take four semesters of a foreign language, two semesters of science, two semesters of western civilization, and a variety of other classes.
Olaf’s 4-1-4 schedule includes a mandatory interim period between the first and second semester during which students enroll in a one course. Interim runs through the month of January and is an excellent opportunity to study abroad, take a quirkier sort of class, or get one of those general education requirements out of the way.