Academic Program

Wellesley's course offerings, faculty, and resources are ranked among the strongest in the nation. The College is committed to providing you with a well-rounded, dynamic, and challenging education that will prepare you for success throughout your life.

Wellesley's blend of high academic standards, strong sense of community, and dedicated faculty create an ideal environment for women who want to succeed. Because Wellesley is an undergraduate institution, students don't compete with graduate students for faculty attention, academic resources, the use of facilities, or research projects.

Wellesley offers over 1,000 courses and 52 majors, of which 30 are single departmental majors and 23 are interdepartmental majors. Students may also structure an individual major that combines traditional subjects in ways that suit their interests.

Among the interdepartmental majors are international relations, which offers courses such as the Historical Origins of Contemporary Conflicts, Global Inequalities, and International Development in South Asia; and environmental studies, with concentrations in environmental justice, environmental philosophy and ethics, environmental policy and economics, or environmental science. A neuroscience major includes core courses in biological sciences, chemistry, and psychology, as well as specialized seminars, research, or individual study.

Classes at Wellesley typically range in size from 12 to 24 students, depending on the level of instruction. With a student-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, classes are small enough for students to get personal attention, but large enough to foster debate and exchanges of information.

More than 3,600 paid and unpaid internships are targeted for Wellesley students, even for first-year students, through the Center for Work and Service online internship database. There are also numerous opportunities for study abroad and exchange programs.

Wellesley is also known for its extensive research opportunities in the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Typically, more than 400 students each year elect to do guided research, independent study, or senior thesis research. These collaborations between faculty and students, which sometimes include travel to academic conferences, encourage development of continuing academic partnerships.