General Education Requirements

The Sterling College curriculum incorporates the classic elements of a liberal arts education and includes experiences across the arts and sciences designed to help students develop strong problem solving skills and become lifelong learners. Many Sterling College courses require students to integrate skills and content from multiple disciplines. Sterling’s curriculum demands commitment--physical, intellectual, and emotional—to problem solving in real-world situations to meet the following objectives:

• Practice both critical and systems thinking
• Compile, assess, and use data to make decisions
• Communicate accurately and effectively in writing and speech
• Understand historical and global contexts of current issues
• Show leadership through active participation in the community
• Develop and appreciate creativity in work and problem-solving

• Integrative Coursework -- 12 credits (in addition to Senior Applied Research Project requirements)
• Applied Sciences -- 1 credit
• Humanities -- 4.5 credits (including 5 elective credits)
• Natural Sciences -- 9 credits
• Social Sciences -- 5.5 credits

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Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree must earn a minimum of 120 credits with a minimum cumulative Q.P.A. of 2.0 and pass the Mathematics Competency Test. Candidates must also complete all required Core Courses, complete six credits each of Natural Science, Social Science, and Humanities electives, including a minimum of two credits emphasizing textual analysis and written critical response, and complete an approved major. All resident students must receive a satisfactory grade in the College’s Work Program during their final semester of academic enrollment. Non-resident students must receive a satisfactory grade in their final semester of record in the College’s Work Program.

Course Waiver
To request waiver of a course, a student must meet with his/her advisor to determine whether the required competencies for the course have been met. Once the request is approved by the advisor, the student must petition the Dean of Academics in writing and submit all supporting documentation for final approval of course waiver.

Required Course Load
The standard course load, including Core Courses, major requirements, and electives, is 30 credits for each year. With permission of the Dean of Academics, students may take a reduced course load of as few as 24 credits per year. Students must be aware that a reduced course load will require additional semesters of study, at additional cost, to earn their degree. Students may take up to 33 credits per year without additional charge. Those who wish to take courses beyond this credit limit must seek the permission of the Dean of Academics and will be charged additional tuition.

Core Courses
Skills and knowledge introduced in Core Courses are considered essential for a Sterling College graduate. These courses not only prepare students to succeed in their chosen majors but also prepare students for lifelong learning in areas beyond their major fields of study. Environmental stewardship and sustainability are approached from different angles in several Core Courses. The hands-on, real-world challenges that permeate the Core reflect a commitment to experiential education. Several Core Courses integrate skills and content from more than one field of study. An interdisciplinary approach to problem solving is an important tradition at Sterling, and students are encouraged to seek additional connections among their courses.

If a student does not pass a Core Course, he/she may retake the course or make a plan with his/her academic advisor and the Dean of Academics to meet the required competencies through substitute courses or independent study.

Integrative Coursework*

• HM/NS/SS100: A Sense of Place -- 3.0
• HM/SS106: Humans in the Environment -- 3.0 (taught fall and spring)
• SS300: Practicum in Environmental Stewardship I (Internship) -- 6.0

• AS100: Tools and Their Application -- 1.0

• HM110: Writing & Speaking to the Issues -- 3.0 (taught fall and spring)
• HM225: Writing & Communications -- 1.5

• NS145: Critical Science & Mathematics with Lab: Issues in Society -- 3.0 (taught fall and spring)
• Either NS207: Ecology -- 3.0 (taught fall and spring)
• Or NS205: Environmental Science with Lab -- 3.0 (taught summer and fall)

• SS105: Experiential Education I (Bounder) -- 3.0
• SS110: Experiential Education II (Bounder) -- 1.5
• SS190: Work Search -- 1.0

Distributive Requirements for all Students
In addition to the core courses each student must complete a minimum of 6.0 credits in Humanities electives, 6.0 credits in Natural Science electives, and 6.0 credits in Social Science electives**. Of the Humanities credits, 2.0 must be at the 200-level or above and must emphasize textual analysis and written critical response.

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Bachelor of Arts Degree Programs

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree must complete an approved major. Required courses are offered on campus and through Global Field Studies. Students may meet additional elective credit requirements through Sterling College courses and independent study undertaken with a faculty member. Students may also individually design a semester (typically the spring of the Junior year) related to their major, especially in support of the Senior Applied Research Project, through exchanges at colleges and universities, participation in Global Field Studies, or even a second internship.

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Concentrations

Within any major, whether self-designed or following an established track, students may elect to further focus their studies by concentrating in a specific area. Such concentrations of 12-15 credits are meant to weave interdisciplinary threads through a given major and thus offer students the opportunity to both focus and broaden the disciplinary reach of their studies. Students should work with their advisors to help develop a well-defined concentration and to complete a written plan using the guidelines listed below. The plan must be approved by the student’s advisor and submitted to the Dean of Academics for approval by the end of the first semester of the junior year. If students have completed most of the courses prior to declaring the concentration, they may submit their plan no later than one year prior to the planned date for completion of coursework for the B.A.

1. Name of proposed concentration
2. Narrative of concentration plan, complete with learning objectives and a description of how the concentration fits into an overall degree plan
3. List of courses comprising the concentration, with projected credits
4. Advisor’s signature

Examples of possible concentrations include:

• Cultural Anthropology
• Human Ecology
• Rural Studies
• Native Literature and Culture
• Ecotourism
• Northern Forest Studies
• Environmental Education
• Nature Writing
• Wildlife Conservation
• Adventure Therapy
• Sustainable Living Systems
• Land Use Planning
• Natural History

Descriptions of possible concentrations in Nature Writing and Natural History follow.

• Concentration in Nature Writing
• • “A true account of the actual is the rarest poetry,” wrote Henry David Thoreau in 1846. A concentration in Nature Writing weaves threads through a variety of existing areas of study and enables students to emphasize the ways that written (as well as visual) representation of the natural world can empower…. By emphasizing observation, recording, and revising, students will learn skills that are valuable both on their own and as a complement to their work across the curriculum. both stand on their own and support the work in other fields. Meant to supplement other work toward the B.A. degree, this concentration
  • • Required Courses
    • • HM326: Nature Writing -- 2
      • HM320: Creative Writing -- 2
      • HM222: Drawing from Nature -- 2
      • HM226: Literature and the Rural Experience -- 3
      • HM267: Spirituality of Place -- 3
    • Strongly Recommended:
    • • Inclusion of Writing from Experience component within an existing Global FieldStudies or other field-based course. -- 2
      • Participation in the Wildbranch Writing Workshop (separate application required)

• Concentration in Natural History
• • Natural History is a field-based science employing descriptive and comparative methods for understanding and interpreting the biotic and abiotic components of the natural world, the relationships among them, and their evolution through time. Natural History methodologies emphasize hands-on observation and interpretation of organisms in their natural habitat, and include identification and classification skills, and understanding the interplay between physical factors such as weather and climate, geology, and soil formations and the life histories of organisms. Natural History also stems from a rich tradition of interbraiding the natural sciences and nature-based humanities such as visual and literary arts, and many naturalists use their training to become liaisons between the scientific community and non-scientists.
  • The concentration in Natural History is designed to complement student's existing studies in any of the existing majors. For example, students majoring in Outdoor Education and Leadership may want to develop expertise necessary to work as a naturalist in a camp setting; students majoring in Conservation Ecology may seek appropriate background for developing interpretive programs at a nature center or national park; students majoring in Sustainable Agriculture may seek naturalist training to focus on natural systems-based agriculture or develop garden-based learning programs; and students majoring in Northern Studies may wish to focus on northern ecosystems and organism's responses to global climate change. In each instance, a concentration in Natural History will aid students in meeting both their educational and career goals. Chosen course work within the concentration is in addition to those required for the major.
  • In addition those listed below, other courses that support this concentration include existing core courses HM/SS/NS100: A Sense of Place, HM/SS106: Humans and the Environment, and NS207: Ecology. In addition, students are encouraged to take a related humanities elective, such as HM221: Outdoor Photography, HM222: Drawing from Nature, HM326: Nature Writing, or HM267: Spirituality of Place.
  • The concentration consists of the following coursework:
  • • NS235: Natural History of the North Woods -- 3
    • NS415: Senior Seminar in Natural History -- 3
    • Choose one of the following
    • • Either NS260: Geology -- 4
      • or NS310: Quaternary Studies -- 4
    • Choose one of the following field-study courses
    • • *NS 215: Field Ornithology -- 2
      • *NS 217: Spring Flora -- 2
      • *NS 333: Tundra and Taiga Ecology -- 3
      • *NS 362: Research in Tropical Ecosystems (Belize) -- 3
    • Students are also strongly encouraged to take one of the following
    • • NS 360: Winter Ecology 4
      • NS 328: Vertebrate Natural History of the North and lab -- 4
      • NS 348: Vascular Flora of the North and Lab -- 4
    • Total required credits for concentration -- 12-13

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Sustainable Agriculture Semester

The Sterling College Sustainable Agriculture Semester immerses students in the daily rhythms and realities of farming. The Sustainable Agriculture Semester (SAS) is a 6-credit integrated program of work and study exploring sustainable agricultural management of plants, animals, and land. Classroom instruction, hands-on training, and work on the farm are combined to teach sustainable practices and to foster discussion about agricultural issues. Our farm includes certified organic vegetable gardens, a small greenhouse, a movable hoophouse, a small orchard, solar and wind powered barns, and a variety of livestock including sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, poultry, and draft horses. Any Sterling College student who has achieved sophomore status is eligible to apply, regardless of major. We also welcome applications from students who have achieved sophomore status at other colleges.

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Global Field Studies

Global Field Studies programs at Sterling College vary in length and intensity and generally involve additional fees to cover extra costs related to travel and teaching in remote sites. See College Costs for detailed information on Global Field Studies fees. All programs are subject to change and are offered on a rotating basis by demand.

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Advising

Advisors play a critical role in every student’s tenure at Sterling. Academic advisors are assigned to all first year students and are available for regular meetings, and students should feel empowered to seek out their advisor early in their first year for help with any questions about their new collegiate home. At the beginning of the second year, students often change advisors to one who can better support a student’s particular academic interests. Students will work with their advisors to co-design a major area of study and develop a curriculum plan for work toward the degree. By the first semester of the junior year, students may wish to develop further focus with a concentration, and should begin to make plans to work on a Senior Applied Research Project (SARP). A SARP advisor, who is often the same person as the academic advisor, will work very closely with a student on independent work as a guide through the stages of the SARP process.

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Internships

Early in the second-year students participate in a 10-week internship (Practicum in Environmental Stewardship I). This requirement is designed to introduce students to professional work in a field of interest. Students experience the everyday realities of work and develop an understanding of an organization’s structure and goals.

Through Sterling’s comprehensive Internship Program, students intern across the U.S. and around the world. Internship positions include environmental education, adventure programming, resource management, agriculture, and Circumpolar Studies. Internship sites include for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations, federal and state agencies, or advocacy and research groups. Many internships offer paid positions.

During the internship, the student develops learning objectives and submits weekly reports to the College. A critical component of the internship program is time for facilitated reflection. Upon their return to Sterling College, students prepare narratives and fifteen-minute presentations describing and evaluating their experiences. Presentations are shared with the entire Sterling College community during afternoon or evening sessions devoted solely to this purpose.

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Junior Year

By Junior Year, students have formally declared their major. The fall semester consists of core and major course requirements as well as elective offerings. One required course, Junior Seminar, assists students in planning the remainder of their studies at Sterling College. Faculty advisors help identify areas of study for the Senior Applied Research Project as it pertains to coursework, independent study options, or field-study program opportunities. During the spring semester students may enroll in Sterling College electives or enroll in courses at another college or university in the United States or overseas. They may participate in Sterling’s Mountain Cultures Semester or participate in other field-study programs. They may opt for independent study and research that taps the resources of experts in a particular field or even complete a second internship.

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Senior Applied Research Projects

By the first semester of Junior Year, students have begun to formalize a plan for their Senior Applied Research Project (SARP)—an integrated learning experience that requires students to develop and apply the theoretical knowledge necessary to tackle a real problem in their field of study. The SARP requires each student to research the chosen problem, propose a solution, present results in both oral and written form, and take at least one significant step toward implementing the solution. The SARP goes beyond theory and becomes a real-world project as students collaborate with a sponsoring organization, agency, company, or individual that intends to make use of the outcomes of the project. Students may work in groups or as individuals. A faculty advisor works closely with each student to develop study plans, guide project design, and find a sponsoring organization that offers a project of appropriate scope.

Students should begin planning their SARP in the Junior Year, and it is recommended that work begin no later than the fall of the Senior Year. Timing is essential because some projects are dependent upon the summer season. Also, some transfer students may be required to focus on coursework in the senior year and must therefore begin the SARP in the Junior Year and complete the bulk of the work during summer months. The SARP progresses through a series of courses that culminate with a formal presentation. Through the Senior Applied Research Project, students begin to build a bridge between their college studies and the practical applications that constitute their future work.

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Associates of Arts Degree Program

Sterling College students may elect to pursue an Associate of Arts in Resource Management. Candidates for the A.A. must earn a minimum of 60 credits with a minimum cumulative Q.P.A. of 2.0 and pass the Mathematics Competency Test. Requirements also include 100 and 200-level Core Courses listed previously, including the Internship (Practicum in Resource Management I), and two additional elective credits in Humanities. Associate’s Degree candidates who transfer from other institutions must earn at least 30 credits at Sterling College. All resident students must receive a satisfactory grade in the College’s Work Program during their final semester of academic enrollment. Non-resident students must receive a satisfactory grade in their final semester of record in the College’s Work Program.

A.A. degree candidates are strongly encouraged to pursue coursework in Global Positioning Systems and Geographic Information Systems, as skills in these areas are increasingly important in the rapidly changing field of Resource Management.

During the 2007-2008 academic year Sterling College is not accepting new students into the A.A. degree program. For more information about the A.A. in Resource Management, please contact the Dean of Academics.

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