Exploring Majors at Wheaton College: A Comprehensive Guide

Wheaton College, a distinguished private Evangelical Christian liberal arts college located in Wheaton, Illinois, offers a wide array of academic majors designed to equip students for impactful lives and careers. Founded in 1860 by evangelical abolitionists, Wheaton has a rich history of academic excellence and a commitment to integrating faith and learning. This article provides an in-depth look at the various majors available at Wheaton College, highlighting the unique aspects of its academic programs and the opportunities available to students.

A Foundation Rooted in History and Values

Wheaton College's origins are deeply intertwined with the abolitionist movement. Jonathan Blanchard, Wheaton's first president, was a staunch abolitionist. Blanchard consistently lobbied for universal co-education and was a strong proponent of reform through strong public education open to all. At this time, Wheaton was the only school in Illinois with a college-level women's program. The institution's commitment to Christian values is evident in its "Statement of Faith and Educational Purpose," which must be reaffirmed annually by all members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff. This commitment permeates the academic environment, fostering a community where faith and intellectual inquiry are integrated.

Academic Departments and Degree Programs

Wheaton College offers a variety of undergraduate degrees, including the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Music (B.M.), and Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.). A majority of majors within the Arts and Sciences award the Bachelor of Arts. Selected majors (chiefly in the sciences) award the Bachelor of Science, and the Conservatory offers the Bachelor of Music and the Bachelor of Music Education.

Students may choose from about 40 majors in many liberal arts disciplines and the sciences. The most popular majors at Wheaton College (IL) include: Social Sciences; Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; English Language and Literature/Letters; Theology and Religious Vocations; Psychology; Visual and Performing Arts; Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs; and Education.

Conservatory of Music

Wheaton College is home to a Conservatory of Music accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The conservatory offers two professional music degrees: the Bachelor of Music (with emphases in performance, pedagogy, composition, history, and literature, or elective studies) and the Bachelor of Music Education. There are approximately 200 music majors in the conservatory, with a student-faculty ratio of 7:1. Music majors and liberal arts majors alike perform in the conservatory's nine ensembles: concert choir, jazz ensemble, men's glee club, symphonic band, symphony orchestra, and women's chorale.

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The Artist Series at Wheaton College, operating under the umbrella of the Conservatory of Music, is a concert series that brings world-class performers to the Wheaton College community.

Christ at the Core: General Education Curriculum

To earn a bachelor's degree, students must satisfy all the requirements for their program of study, which includes all the Christ at the Core general education requirements, one or more majors (which may have concentrations or emphases), and any minors, certificates, fellowship programs, or endorsements declared by the student.

The purpose of our general education program, Christ at the Core, is to introduce men and women to an understanding and appreciation of God, His creation and grace, and to our place of privilege and responsibility in the world He has made. Christ at the Core general education exposes students to the fundamental ideas of their shared theological, cultural, intellectual, and scientific traditions, and also to concepts and issues outside the framework of their own cultural background. The Christ at the Core general education curriculum is designed to develop the student's ability to be creative, to think critically, and to reason analytically and quantitatively. It enables students to develop proficiencies in research methodologies, in oral and written expression, and in aesthetic appreciation. Christ at the Core encourages independent thought and action, nurturing the desire and capacity for informed moral choices and lifetime learning.

The general education requirements listed below apply to students in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs.

Core Competencies

Competencies are essential academic skills for advanced study in the Christian liberal arts. Each student must satisfy up to 18 hours of Core Competencies over four different disciplines (First-Year Writing, Oral Communication, and Modern or Classical Language). Some students test out of part of the requirements through validation tests administered by the appropriate department or with a qualifying score on specific Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge Level A or AS, ACT, or SAT Subject exams.

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Shared Core

The Shared Core fosters students’ developmental learning of the integration of faith with their liberal arts study. These common courses are required of all students as either prerequisites or as a required course which explore topics and cultivate skills valued in the development of Christian perspectives on all of life and learning. Shared Core courses are expected to be taken at Wheaton College.

Thematic Core

The Thematic Core offers broad exposure to the liberal arts while allowing for multidisciplinary courses. The Thematic Core requirement is fulfilled by taking one course from each theme (aka tag) unless otherwise noted. Courses that fulfill Thematic Core themes will have this designation in their course description. Courses may carry up to 2 Thematic Core tags.

Unique Opportunities for Learning and Growth

Wheaton students put learning into action in many ways, from independent research projects to immersive, enriching faculty-led experiential learning opportunities all around the globe.

Study Abroad Programs

The college sponsors study-abroad programs in Asia, England, France, Germany, Israel, Latin America, and Spain, as well as a summer program in Washington, D.C. Participants in Wheaton-in-England, one of the most popular annual programs, take 2-3 courses in literature while studying in London and St. Anne's College, Oxford. Many students also participate in the Human Needs and Global Resources program. Wheaton also sponsors a semester-long, experiential, residential program called Wheaton in Chicago. In Chicago, students complete internships and take advanced interdisciplinary coursework.

HoneyRock

In 1951, HoneyRock, the outdoor center for leadership development at Wheaton College, was established in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. HoneyRock is not only a year-round camp for young people, but it offers a variety of leadership schools and courses for students. Due to Wheaton's membership in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, Wheaton students may also study at the Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, Excelsia College in Australia, and Xi'an Foreign Language University in China.

Campus and Facilities

Wheaton's most recognizable and oldest building is Blanchard Hall, a limestone building built as the main College building in 1853. Jonathan Blanchard had a vision for the expansion of this structure into its present castle-like architecture. Wheaton contends that it patterns its campus architecture after buildings at the University of Oxford which Blanchard admired on a trip to England in 1843.

Wheaton housed its science departments in Breyer (Chemistry) and Armerding (Biology, Geology, Math, and Physics) halls until the 2010-11 school year when Wheaton completed a new Meyer Science Center. The Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, housed in the Armerding Center for Music and Arts (previously in McAlister Hall and Pierce Memorial Chapel), is an internationally recognized music school and is the only conservatory within an Evangelical school of higher education.

The library, named after college trustee Robert E. Nicholas, opened in January 1952. In 1975 Buswell Memorial Library, named for the college's third president J. Oliver Buswell, Jr., was built adjacent to the Nicholas Library, and an interior corridor linked the two, creating the college's main library.

Student Life and Activities

Over 25% of Wheaton’s student body participates in athletics, and it's no wonder with so many options available, including baseball, basketball, football, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, softball, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. Our Division III athletes are conference and national champions.

The official student newspaper at Wheaton College is the Wheaton Record, a weekly publication with a circulation of 3400, in existence since 1876. The Record is produced by students, published by the college, and distributed each Friday after chapel free of charge.

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