The Liberal Arts Approach

Since its founding, Bennington has been committed to the belief that a dynamic, relevant education is best achieved when students themselves define its direction. In this way, Bennington students take with them not only what they have learned, but how they have learned it.

At Bennington, students work closely with faculty to design the content, structure, and sequence of their study and practice. As a result, internal sources of order come to replace external templates, and their education prepares them to direct their lives toward self-fulfillment and constructive social purposes—goals which are central to Bennington's founding vision.

How it works

Step outside traditional majors.

At Bennington you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.

You get graduate-style academic advising as an undergrad.

You will work closely with faculty to design the content, structure, and sequence of your study and practice—your Plan. In one-on-one sessions with your faculty advisor and in meetings with your faculty Plan committee, your teachers serve as both mentors and guides. They help you discover how your intellectual interests and professional ambitions might shape an education of depth, breadth, and rigor. They guide your progress to ensure that your Plan is challenging, academically sound, and significant.

You'll complete a minimum of four annual internship experiences.

For two months every winter, you will work with an organization or institution of your choosing, anywhere in the world, to apply what you have learned on campus and to focus what you study and make at Bennington—engaging the field that interests you without waiting for graduation. This is your Field Work Term.

You will engage a community of active makers and practitioners.

The faculty and administration are mentors and peers ready to engage with your work, in addition to being subject matter experts. The Bennington community extends far beyond the campus, offering connections to notable alumni, colleagues, and employers around the world.