Our Core Curriculum
The liberal arts represent the foundation of an Elms education. But what are they? Broadly speaking, the liberal arts tradition teaches you how to move beyond a single way of thinking. It encompasses the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, and encourages you to make sense of the world using multiple perspectives.
Elms students become versatile, perceptive thinkers by studying the liberal arts. They also become eloquent communicators. Mature researchers. Multi-talented global citizens with a love of learning. The liberal arts prepare you to take on any challenge you encounter, and to shape the future in the process.
Excellence in Teaching
The faculty at Elms make teaching their first priority. They value your questions, respect your ideas, and want to know what you think about important issues. Together, you and your instructors act as co-creators of knowledge. This approach to academics gives you the freedom to pursue topics you find interesting, and to set the bar as high as you’re willing to go.
A Skill Set For the Shifting Economy
Simply put, the liberal arts are in high demand. Now more than ever, employers want to hire graduates who can think critically and creatively, are innovative, communicate effectively, solve problems individually and in groups, and adapt to change. That’s why we focus on teaching these skills in all of our majors. You’ll enter the workforce with confidence, knowing that you have the skill set and experience to succeed as a leader.
The liberal arts are woven throughout your coursework at Elms. You’ll gain experience in ethical thinking, creativity, global awareness, cultural understanding, civic engagement, and communication.
Small Class Sizes, Re-Imagined
Small class sizes are the norm these days. But at Elms, it’s how those classes are structured that makes a meaningful difference for our students.
- We intentionally keep our student-faculty ratio low (10:1) so you have constant access to your mentors.
- We integrate your courses with state of the art technology labs and learning spaces, to make sure your education mirrors real-world demands.
- Regardless of your major, your professors are also available to help you find experiential learning opportunities, so you enter the job market with a powerful lineup of internships, research gigs, and other experiences outside of the classroom.
Take Control of Your Education
One of the main advantages of attending a liberal arts college is having the support, guidance, and resources to work on projects you actually feel passionate about. If academic experience is your goal, you can focus on publishing your ideas in peer-reviewed journals. If you identify with the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph, you can spend an entire week enriching the quality of life for the local community as a Dorothy Day volunteer. Elms offers countless ways to get involved — it’s up to you to decide how you will take your education to the next level.