We Are Designed to Empower Leaders
Liberal education was designed to empower people for leadership—in careers and in society. The first American colleges were only accessible to an elite group. Today, this unique education belongs to everyone. And Ursinus will prepare you for exceptional success—as scientists, as artists, as teachers, as political leaders, in all fields. We help our students define and find their own success. But don’t just take our word for it—the American Association of Colleges and Universities has done a lot of research on career readiness .
The Summer Fellows program has been a hallmark experience for Ursinus students for nearly 25 years. Each year, more than 80 students spend eight or more weeks working one-on-one with faculty on rigorous research. Pictured: History major Seamus Clune ’27 presents his Summer Fellows research at the annual Summer Fellows Symposium.
Our Unique Curriculum
Ursinus’s Open Questions Curriculum is based on a “distinctly American” style of higher education that combines specialized disciplinary education with perspectives from a range of disciplines. Unlike other colleges, Ursinus provides opportunities for students throughout all four years to make connections between courses and their co-curricular experiences, helping them make value-based decisions about their future and their interactions with those around them.
A Liberal Education Is Distinctively American
Higher education in the United States was designed from its earliest days to educate the whole person, rather than simply prepare an individual narrowly for a career. Many credit the long history of innovation and creativity in the U.S. to this style of education. Higher education in the rest of the world has historically been more focused on disciplinary training and has only more recently begun to adopt elements of the American model.
To many, the term liberal arts suggests a political slant and a focus on arts and humanities—neither of which is accurate. At Ursinus, we want to take this type of education to a higher level by structuring reflection points throughout all four years. Students are challenged to understand other perspectives, draw connections between experiences in and out of class, and use those reflections to chart their futures.
