Ursinus College

Academic Programs

Ursinus College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and offers Bachelor’s degrees in 60 majors. The largest programs on campus are in Biology/BioMedical fields and Social Sciences. Departments at the College include Arts, Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Pre-Professional Programs. Per the Mission Statement, “The mission of the College is to enable students to become independent, responsible, and thoughtful individuals through a program of liberal education. That education prepares them to live creatively and usefully, and to provide leadership for their society in an interdependent world. Liberal education is provided through an academic program that empowers the intellect, awakens moral sensitivity, and challenges students to improve society. Students gain intellectual curiosity, the capacity to think analytically, critically, and creatively, and the skill to express thoughts with logic, clarity, and grace. Further, they develop a deepened sense of human history and an understanding of who they are as persons, what they ought to do as citizens, and how they best can appreciate the diversity and ambiguity of contemporary experience.”

Student Life

There are over 1,600 undergraduate students enrolled in Ursinus College, most of whom live on campus among the x residence halls. The College sponsors over 100 clubs and student organizations including club sports and intramurals. For the varsity athlete, the red and gold Ursinus Bears field teams in 14 sports and participate in NCAA Division III competition. Annual events include a local version of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in the Fall and a presentation of Handel’s Messiah in December. “The Ursinus educational philosophy encourages students to think for themselves, so that they may become mature, responsible independent adults in an interdependent world. Ursinus students do not just learn science—they do science. They do not merely write—they also publish. They learn foreign languages, then travel to other nations to use those languages in the context of the cultures from which they sprang. The Ursinus educational philosophy is based on the belief that professor and student are equal and active partners in student achievement. Each contributes, each takes, and each grows and is fulfilled in the experience.”