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- Carleton College Profile
Founded in 1866, Carleton is an independent and highly selective liberal arts college with a diverse and exceptionally able student body, a talented faculty whose first priority is teaching, and a continued commitment to the liberal arts. Carleton is a national college enrolling approximately 1,800 students drawn from all 50 states and several other countries.
A four-year college, Carleton offers the bachelor of arts degree. Its students can choose from 29 major fields of study, as well as numerous special programs, area studies or concentrations. Beginning in fall 2000, a new program in cross-cultural studies will encourage comparative study of differing cultures and will enable Asian and American students to live and work in an increasingly global society.
As early as 1872, college publications stated that Carleton’s sole purpose is to provide men and women with a "liberal and thorough" education. Carleton teaches basic skills upon which all higher learning rests: to read perceptively, to write and speak clearly, and to think analytically. To this end, all students must take two courses in arts and literature, two courses in humanities, three courses in social sciences, and three courses in natural sciences and mathematics. Students must also satisfy writing and foreign language proficiency requirements, as well as complete the Recognition and Affirmation of Difference requirement by taking at least one course that focuses on a non-Western culture, or on class, race, or gender differences.
Carleton students enjoy a student-faculty ratio of 11 to 1, which provides abundant opportunity for student-faculty research and collaborative scholarship. Carleton’s faculty have outstanding educational credentials—approximately 96 percent have the highest degree conferred in their field. Although their first priority is teaching, faculty are also active and accomplished scholars in their fields.
In 1995, U.S. News & World Report asked college presidents, provosts, and deans of admissions to assess the quality of teaching at colleges similar to their own. Carleton was ranked number one among national liberal arts colleges in terms of "an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching"—the first and only time such a distinction has been given by the magazine. Carleton has consistently ranked among the top five national liberal arts colleges in academic reputation. In the most recent U.S. News report, Carleton once again ranked fifth in academic quality and was ranked eighth overall among all national liberal arts colleges in the country.
For 30 years, Carleton has been a leader in broadening its on-campus curriculum with off-campus study programs. Approximately 65 percent of Carleton students participate in off-campus study at least once during their four-year tenure. During the academic year 1998-99, 358 students, or 19 percent of the student body, took part in domestic and international programs in 45 countries. Fifty-four percent of those students studied on off-campus seminars led by Carleton faculty; 12 percent studied on consortia programs, and 34 percent were participants in programs sponsored by other U.S. institutions or foreign universities.
Approximately 87 percent of Carleton students graduate within five years of matriculation, and within five years of graduation, roughly 70 percent continue their studies at graduate and professional schools. An unusually high percentage of Carleton students receive graduate fellowships. In the 16 years that Mellon Fellowships in the Humanities have been offered, 16 Carleton students have been honored with this award. Carleton’s strength in the sciences is evident by the fact that it is first among national liberal arts colleges with 39 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships received since 1996. Since 1982, five Carleton seniors have been awarded Rhodes Scholarships and recent graduates have also received Marshall and Churchill scholarships, Watson and Fulbright fellowships, and, in the sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute doctoral fellowships.
According to data collected by the National Research Council for its Survey of Earned Doctorates (which shows baccalaureate origins of doctorate recipients for 10-year periods, the most recent being 1986-95), Carleton ranks first overall among four-year liberal arts colleges in the number of students who went on to earn the Ph.D. in the natural sciences and mathematics (first in the earth sciences, first in chemistry, first in physics/astronomy, first in the biological sciences; and fifth in mathematics) and Carleton is the only college ranked in the top 10 in all fields of the natural sciences and mathematics. In all fields, the National Research Council data shows Carleton ranking second among all liberal arts colleges with graduates who went on to earn the Ph.D. During the past two decades, 15.8 percent of all Carleton graduates have earned Ph.D. degrees.
In 1992, Carleton was recognized as one of the "International 50," a group of liberal arts colleges commended for long-term commitments to international affairs and excellence in the education of future leaders. Carleton is also among the "Science 50," a group of leading liberal arts colleges noted for strength in the sciences and high percentages of undergraduate majors in mathematics and the sciences. In business, the Standard & Poor’s/McGraw-Hill 1996 Executive/College Survey of the nation’s major corporations identified Carleton as one of the top 25 U.S. colleges in producing "leading business executives."
Carleton occupies more than 900 scenic acres of campus, arboretum, and athletic fields. Located in Northfield, Minn., roughly 40 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Carleton offers access to the cultural advantages of a major metropolitan area while preserving a collegial environment conducive to an intensive academic life.
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