Unique Programs and Degrees at Colorado College
Colorado College appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Technologically Advanced Small Colleges.
This very selective school offers no online courses and has only two graduate programs. Nevertheless, the school is highly-ranked for both quality and innovation. It operates on a block system instead of a traditional semester or quarter format. Students spend three-and-one-half weeks of intensive study in three-hour courses and then have a fourth week free for other activities. All students are required to take a freshman experience course.
The school offers more than 45 majors and 33 minors. It also features combined majors, dual degrees and thematic minors, which are multidisciplinary programs centered around one theme.
Students may earn bachelor’s degrees in anthropology, art, Asian studies, chemistry and biochemistry, and classics.
The BA in Classics is based on the importance of classical literature, language and history as a foundation for contemporary society. Students take seven -to-fourteen hours in departmental units such as Greek for Beginners, Introduction to Classical Literature and Archaeology and Concepts of Freedom from Ancient to Modern Times. They must also pass a comprehensive test that includes reading in at least one classical language, and they have to prepare a senior thesis or the equivalent. The degree program requires college-level study in two languages and contains 32 units. It is also available as a minor containing five or six units.
Students may earn undergraduate degrees in computer science, economics and business, and education.
The BA in Education contains 11 units from courses such as Introduction to the K-12 Classroom Culture, Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners and Globalization in Education. There are also required units in research, psychology, policy and reform, instruction methods and curriculum instruction.
Colorado College offers a MAT ( Master’s in Teaching), Initial Licensing Program and a MAT, Literacy Specialist degree. The licensing program is a fifth-year degree that allows students to earn a BA in Education and the MAT within five years. Students may become licensed in Elementary Education, K-12 Art, Music and World Languages or in Secondary Education, English, Math, Science and Social Studies.
The MAT, Literacy Specialist degree is earned in two years, and is taught in partnership with the Colorado Literacy and Learning Center. This is for teachers who want to specialize in reading, including teaching students with Dyslexia. Programs are full-time during the summers and once a month during the academic year to accommodate working teachers.
There are also graduate certifications in education.
The BA in Sociology at Colorado College requires the First Year Experience, 11 credits in the major including Development of Sociological Thought, Sociological Research and Design, Quantitative Research Methods and other courses plus a thesis. Students must also take six units of electives such as Thinking Sociologically, Law and Society and Global Inequality.
There are also minors, and thematic minors. In the latter, students choose a theme such as Global Health, and explore it through several disciplines. For instance, the Thematic Minor in Global Health includes at least six units. Courses are chosen from Sustainability/Development, Medicine and Policy Studies, and an integrative experience. Then students may complete a thesis, an integrated course which includes writing a 25-page report, or a global four-week health internship and final paper.
About Colorado College
This is a private “four-year-plus” liberal arts school in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It began in 1874 and has graduated such notables as Senator Ken Salazar. There are more than 2,000 undergraduates at CC. Forbes Magazine said the school was the best private college in Colorado, and The US News and World Report ranked it as #27 of National Private Colleges and # 2 of “Most Innovative.”
Colorado College, also referred to as a “Hidden Ivy,” values its close community culture and encourages faculty to invite students to their homes for dinner. In fact, the school reimburses the teachers to do that. The program is called “Breaking Bread.” That closeness, along with its student-teacher ratio of 10:1, may be why the school has an amazing 82 percent four-year graduation rate.
Colorado College Accreditation Details
- North Central Association, The Higher Learning Commission
- Colorado Department of Higher Education
- Colorado Department of Education
Colorado College Application Requirements
Students applying to the school as freshmen should fill out the Common Application, QuestBridge or the Coalition Application. There is a $60 non-refundable application fee. Students complete essays chosen from writing prompts. They also submit a school report including a counselor evaluation and their high school official transcript. A mid-year report and a final grade report are required along with two teacher evaluations, official SAT or ACT scores and a financial aid application.
Students who apply to the graduate programs complete the application, along with supplemental essays, submit official undergraduate transcripts, and arrange for an optional interview.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition at Colorado College is $57,612 per year. Additionally, room and board average $12,956. Along with fees and miscellaneous expenses, the estimated cost of attendance for an undergraduate is $75,234 per year. Most of the students need assistance paying that amount. The school says that the primary responsibility for funding a student’s education belongs to the family. After students receive their award letters from FAFSA stating expected family contributions, however, the school commits to assisting them with financial aid packages.
Colorado has some scholarships and grants available for people with financial need as well as for those in special demographic populations. Colorado College also offers grants and scholarships. Unlike many colleges and universities, the bulk of these are for those students who have financial need. There are some merit awards, but the school says that, as it is extremely selective, most students accepted by Colorado College already meet the qualifications for merit scholarships. The school offers “very limited numbers” of four-year $40,000, $28,000 and $20,000 awards.
Colorado College assists students in putting together a package of aid that includes grants, scholarships loans and work opportunities in addition to expected family contributions. In fact, most CC students have work-study or institutional employment as a part of their financial aid.
As a result of this commitment, and with some advice from financial aid counselors, students should be able to afford the unique degree programs offered by Colorado College.