academic program
RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT In order to graduate, students must be in residence at the College a minimum of two academic years, including the last year preceding graduation. A minimum of sixty hours of credit (of the 120 hours required for graduation) must be earned in courses taught at Hampden-Sydney. Following termination of the last semester of residence a student may receive no more than eight semester hours of credit for work done elsewhere. Note: The residence requirement regulation may be modified in individual cases by action of the Executive Committee of the Faculty. QUALITY REQUIREMENT In order to graduate from the College, a student must have a grade-point average of 2.0 or better on work taken at Hampden-Sydney or in cooperative programs. The grade-point average is calculated by dividing the total quality units earned in HampdenSydney and cooperative programs by the total hours attempted therein. REQUIREMENTS FOR A SECOND BACHELOR’S DEGREE Anyone who has earned a bachelor’s degree at Hampden-Sydney or at another accredited institution may seek to earn a second bachelor’s degree at Hampden-Sydney. The candidate for the second degree must be cleared by the regular admissions process. Granting of the second degree requires the completion of two semesters of residence at Hampden-Sydney and of at least 30 hours of academic credit during that period. In addition, fulfillment of the present core requirements through courses taken in the original four-year program and/or courses taken in the fifth year, and similarly the fulfillment of the course requirements for an academic major distinct from the major of the original bachelor’s degree, are required. The student’s proposed fifth-year program must also be approved for overall coherence and quality by the Dean of the Faculty and the Chair of the second major department.
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SPECIAL PROGRAMS FRESHMAN SEMINARS Freshman seminars are designed to stimulate students’ interest in the liberal arts from the outset of their college careers; to encourage students to begin asking important questions and seeking answers to them; and to provide students with the opportunity for interaction with faculty and other students in a small seminar environment. Seminar enrollment is limited to 12-14 students per class and is open only to freshmen. No special skills or knowledge in any specific academic area is necessary for successful performance in the class, and the work level will be consonant with expectations in other freshman-level courses. However, all seminars require active participation of students, and include a significant amount of both writing and oral presentation. Topics vary from semester to semester, and will be determined by individual instructors. The freshman seminar courses do not satisfy any specific core requirements, except for part IX (Experiential Learning/Compass) when designated as such. THE HONORS PROGRAM The Honors Program is meant for the student who gives evidence of intellectual curiosity, independence of thought, excitement in learning, appreciation of knowledge—for the young man who sparks the enthusiasm of fellow students and challenges the best in his teachers. With its small classes and excellent faculty, Hampden-Sydney provides a firstrate learning environment for such active, engaged students. The program is designed to provide the strongest academic students at the College with opportunities for enriched classroom experiences and independent research pursuits; to enhance students’ liberal arts education by providing interdisciplinary experiences; and to create and sustain a community of likeminded young scholars. Participation in Honors work is limited to students who have applied for membership to and been accepted by the Honors Program. Students may apply either as part of their application for admission to the College in their final year of high school or at the end of the freshman year. Interested students should contact the Director of the Honors Program, Professor Wolyniak. If accepted into the program, students must complete the following course of study:
