St. Olaf College

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A St. Olaf education embraces the entire undergraduate experience. Students learn in the classroom and residence halls, rehearsal rooms, practice fields, worship services, student employment, and community organizations.

These diverse learning opportunities work together to help students achieve a comprehensive set of college-wide learning goals.

St. Olaf College challenges students to excel in the liberal arts, examine faith and values, and explore meaningful vocation in an inclusive, globally engaged community nourished by Lutheran tradition.

Our curriculum provides integrative study opportunities through general education courses that meet more than one requirement and through a variety of interdisciplinary majors and concentrations — a blend of traditional and innovative instruction that nurtures critical, creative, and flexible intelligence.

A St. Olaf education is your first step toward a lifetime of learning and doing, of seeking creative solutions to global challenges. St. Olaf's academic environment balances rigor with support. We provide you the class offerings, resources, and tools you need to make the most out of your academic experience.

A visit to St. Olaf allows you to explore our academic programs, experience campus life, and interact with students, professors, and staff. We encourage you to use your campus visit to begin seeing yourself as an Ole.

We are looking for smart, ambitious, creative people who want to be challenged. In a campus community of 3,000 students, with the range of academic and extracurricular programs we offer, we want multifaceted people who will contribute as much to the community as they draw from it.

Oles do not all look alike or think alike, but what they do share is an enthusiasm. An optimism. The knowledge drives a work ethic that anything is possible, the answer to every problem is yes, that what is broken needs fixing, what is working can be improved.

St. Olaf College is a private college of the liberal arts and sciences. We have an excellent track record preparing students for top graduate and professional schools, with particularly strong programs in mathematics, computer science, and statistics, the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics), the fine arts (art, dance, music, and theater), and the humanities (philosophy, religion, and theology). Some of the most popular majors among international students include economics, political science, sociology/anthropology, and environmental studies. International students are encouraged to work with the college's Piper Center for Vocation and Career to find student-faculty research projects and internships that strengthen career preparation.

Students admitted to St. Olaf has indicated that they want their college experience to be challenging and want to live and learn in a community of other students who have ambition and initiative. "Highly selective" also means we do not have space to admit every student who could be successful at the college. Our process is holistic, allowing us to admit students from a range of backgrounds and bring a range of experiences.

St. Olaf College offers a traditional four-year liberal arts education distinguished by both breadth and depth.

Within the bachelor of an art degree program, academic majors are offered in 39 different disciplines and subject areas in the natural and mathematical sciences, fine arts, social sciences, and humanities. Students also may pursue an individually designed major on any subject that permits coherent, in-depth study using the college's resources. Besides the bachelor of arts degree in music, the Music Department provides a professional bachelor of music degree with majors in performance, church music, theory and composition, music education, and elective studies. To enrich their learning, St. Olaf students may choose among 23 different interdisciplinary concentrations, including Asian studies, environmental studies, linguistics, and neuroscience.

If you have a career in mind — medicine, law, business, entrepreneurship, social service, or international business —, we have got you covered with 85+ majors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs, plus a Center for Integrative Studies where you can design your own major.

St. Olaf will challenge you with the breadth and depth of a liberal arts education. Courses are designed to develop a wide range of skills and flexible mindsets to meet 21st-century challenges: languages, quantitative reasoning, scientific literacy, creativity and collaboration, and the ability to communicate effectively.

Oles live, learn, and play together. This is no accident. We have designed the campus, the curriculum, and the extracurricular programs to connect people and build friendships that last. Stav Hall is the hub of community life. It houses our award-winning food service, but it also serves as a community gathering place where you will see your friends for meals.

Ole's college experience is a more comprehensive world experience. Study abroad will involve more than only taking classes in another country. It will connect you to local communities and get you involved in the daily lives of others. The experience will change the way you see the world.

We encourage the exploration of faith, values, and personal fulfillment. St. Olaf is grounded in its Lutheran tradition, but you will find students and faculty from all of the world's great religions, as well as people who may not claim any faith tradition.

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