Key Takeaways:
- Mount Holyoke College offers 48 degrees, including 3 dual degree programs (bachelor’s/master’s).
- The student-to-faculty ratio at Mount Holyoke College is 9 to 1. More than 75% of the classes have less than 20 students.
- Mount Holyoke is known for educating women leaders, from medical pioneers to Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights.
Degree Programs Available at Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College appears in our ranking of the 30 Best Colleges for Young Democrats.
Mount Holyoke College offers a Bachelor of Arts program that lets students choose a major in one of nearly 50 fields. The theatre arts major helps students gain the stage experience they need to work as actors as they study some popular acting theories and methods. In the Russian literature and culture program, students look at the work produced by Russian authors and those who lived in the country. There are plenty of other majors available too, including religion, psychology, geography, economics, geology and art history. All undergraduates must take the college’s core group of classes, which include math and humanities courses.
Featured Programs
The Nexus programs offered by the college include an internship that seniors do. These programs train and prepare students to work in specific careers. These are all pre-professional programs that help students form working relationships while they’re in school. The engineering program includes multiple internships that students do over the summer, while the data science program allows students to do their internships in the middle of the school year. Other Nexus programs include majors in journalism; nonprofit organizations; museums, archives and public history; and law, public policy and human rights.
A Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is available for graduate students and includes three tracks: initial teacher licensure, mathematics teaching, and teacher leadership. The first program helps students become licensed teachers in Massachusetts. It includes 36 credits and can help students get their elementary, middle or high school licenses and licenses to work in preschools, with English learners or with students who have disabilities. All three of these graduate programs include online classes. Those in the leadership program only need to spend one week on the Mount Holyoke campus every summer.
Students can also earn one of 17 certificates through the college. These certificates are joint programs offered by Mount Holyoke College and one of four other schools in the state. The queer and sexuality studies program looks at the impact that culture, society and other factors have on LGBTQ people, while the culture, health and science certificate program focuses on the connections between all three subjects. Certificates are also available in fields such as sustainability studies and reproductive health rights and justice.
About Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a private college for women that offers liberal arts programs. Established in 1837 as a seminary, it was originally the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. This was one of the only colleges at the time that offered religious and education training for women and inspired several other colleges to open across the country. It would later join the Five College Consortium, which consists of five colleges in Massachusetts. Those schools work together to increase the number of opportunities for students.
Also called MHC, it is one of the only female colleges still left that does not accept men. The idea is that women can focus more on their studies and on forming relationships with other students without sharing classes and a campus with men. U.S. News and World Report ranks MHC as the nation’s 30th best liberal arts college, while Times/Wall Street Journal ranks it as the 65th best college in America. MHC now allows students to study on one of 12 other campuses for credit.
Mount Holyoke College Accreditation Details
MHC has the institutional accreditation that lets students use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) when they need financial help. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEACS) awarded the college this accreditation after making sure that it met the standards for accreditation. MHC has a review board that is responsible for making sure it continues to meet those standards.
Mount Holyoke College Application Requirements
There are two early decision deadlines for prospective undergrads: November 15 and January first. Students will receive letters from the college by the first of January or February when they use these deadlines. Those who apply by the final deadline of January first will get their letters around the beginning of April. Students must complete the MHC supplement section on the Coalition Application or the Common Application. The college also requires a counselor recommendation, secondary school report, two evaluation forms from their teachers and a mid-year report. A signed early-enrollment agreement is due from those applying for early decision. All students have the option of doing an interview with the college too.
Current and future teachers applying to an MHC graduate program can access the online application through any page of the college’s website. They will find several sections that ask for general information, including a social security number, birthday and home address. The application allows students to upload an unofficial college/undergraduate transcript and a current resume. They can also upload a resume and their letters of recommendation. MHC charges a $50 application fee and allows students to add more information to their applications, including copies of their teaching licenses and any writing samples they want to share. The college will review applications at the end of January and begin sending notices a few weeks later. If the student defers, MHC will charge an enrollment deposit and hold a spot in the program until the following year.
Tuition and Financial Aid
MHC estimates that undergrads will pay $67,578 each year. This includes full-time tuition of more than $52,000 a year and a room and board charge, which can change as students move to different residence halls or decide to live off-campus. Though the college once charged different rates for its graduate programs, it switched to a flat rate starting in 2019. Those students now pay $775 per credit hour. If they audit classes or take classes without receiving credit, they pay $549 per credit hour.
Between the FAFSA and institutional aid, MHC students can significantly reduce their annual costs. Graduate students can apply for scholarships each year, which will require that they write an essay and fill out an application. MHC fellowships provide students with up to $12,000 a year on top of any scholarships that they get. Merit scholarships also go to students who submit the FAFSA and have more merit than others show on their applications. The financial aid packages awarded by Mount Holyoke College help students pay for any of the degree programs that interest them.