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Illuminating, challenging and engaging — that’s what a Lawrence University education is all about. Celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, it has long equipped students with the knowledge and tools to identify their passion, find their light, and impact the world. At the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, all of this happens in and out of the classroom.
From day one, award-winning faculty members are ready to help you shine whatever your interests. Whether it’s unlocking the meaning of an ancient text or exploring the edge of the cosmos, conducting marine field research in the Caribbean or combining coursework with a social justice internship, each is set to be as enriching and immersive as possible.
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During summer, you can undertake an intensive 10-week research project with professors, alumni teaching in major research universities worldwide, or an outside programme that interests you. Previous projects explored bats in the Philippines, French manuscripts, and the creation of video albums.
Whatever you’re majoring in, you’ll have opportunities to study abroad as well. Lawrentians have travelled to Argentina, Botswana, Egypt, France, Tanzania, the UK and more.
At Lawrence University, you have many chances to conduct your own research. Instead of liaising with a grad assistant, students work directly with experienced faculty, who give meaningful feedback. The Chandler Senior Experience is where students pursue their interests in-depth, encouraging autonomy and creativity. You can critically review past theory and research, an original empirical study report, a theory development paper, or a paper that integrates your applied work (e.g., in an internship) with its wider scholarly contexts.
Real-world learning opportunities
Popular majors at Lawrence University
If the mysteries of the mind intrigue you, consider a major or minor in psychology. The subject allows you to explore the inner workings of brain behaviour. This programme prepares you for many careers, including counselling, social work, speech therapy, music therapy, art therapy, or business.
Pick courses based on your interests. Some highlights include Psychology of Learning, Psychology of Music, Industrial Organisational Psychology, and Cognitive Psychology (with laboratory).
You’ll complete empirical research projects in research methods and are encouraged to do them in laboratory and topics courses. Access to the department’s extensive laboratory facilities for research in neuroscience (neuroendocrinology, cognitive, and affective), child development, social, health, industrial/organisational, and clinical psychology is provided.
Psychology
Economics examines how the world works, building models to analyse data and map patterns. This wide subject area applies to decision-makers in government, business and other organisations, helping them make informed decisions. At Lawrence, you can develop models that explain the world and then use data and statistical analysis to test ideas. You’ll pick up many technical skills through different courses too.
Economics at Lawrence University has a STEM designation, but courses extend beyond crunching numbers. These include Effective Altruism, Sustainable Cities, Start-Up Theatre and Natural Resource & Energy Economics.
As a graduate, you’ll be set to pursue careers in consulting, finance, law, entrepreneurship, project management, production engineering, policy analysis, education, coaching, accounting, technology, and wealth management. Love studying? You can progress to advanced degrees in business administration (MBA), finance, law, economics, political science, international economics, and the social sciences — like many other Lawrentians have.
Economics
In computer science, statistics, data science, mathematics and beyond come together. This will help you develop innovative problem-solving skills through hands-on learning. You will learn various programming languages such as Java, C++, SQL, Python, R, and more. The broad array of classes will show you how to adapt quickly. This culminates in the Senior Experience project, designed, completed, and presented individually.
Courses include Machine Learning, Computer Organisation & Architecture, Artificial Intelligence, Theory of Computation, Neural Networks and more.
You can compete in Berkeley and Princeton Hackathons or the Association for Machine Learning competition to win research funding and bragging rights. Upon graduating, you’re ready to work in software engineering, web development, actuarial science, programming, game development, banking, and entrepreneurship. Recent employers of graduates include Google, IBM, and CISCO Systems. Some graduates go on to earn advanced degrees in computer science, mathematics, and business.
Computer Science
During the summer, she worked with Professor Gerard and another student on a research project titled “ChatGPT and the Future of Lawrence (Economics).” “Our research aims to explore how ChatGPT, with its advancing capabilities, can be used to complement student learning without being misused for academic dishonesty,” Nguyen says. “We’re also dedicated to informing faculty across Lawrence about this AI technology. To this end, we’re working on a series of informative videos.” It was a chance to exercise her communication skills and engage in meaningful discussions.
Soon, Nguyen is about to study at the Lawrence University London Centre. “I’m set to participate in an internship in the field of data analysis,” she says. “This internship will give me the opportunity to turn my theoretical knowledge into practical application. I believe working while taking classes there will give me a unique set of skills that contribute greatly to my education and future career.”
Nguyen’s current programme of study is Economics, which she declared at the end of her first year with a Data Science minor. She was drawn to how the discipline gave her a unique perspective to examine human behaviour, touching on her interests in psychology. “It was during my first core course, Microeconomic Theory, at the start of my second year that truly ignited my passion,” she says.
There are many benefits to a liberal arts education, especially for students who are unsure about what they want to pursue right away. “One of the main reasons I chose Lawrence is its liberal arts curriculum,” says Vietnamese student Quynh Nguyen. “As a multi-interested student who wanted to explore different disciplines, the prospect of not having to decide my major until the end of the second year was particularly appealing.”
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