Wabash’s business minor allows students to focus a course of study and co-curricular experiences on the different practices, skills, and issues involved in jobs for business degrees in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Successful and driven faculty offer a series of courses designed to develop the skillsets required for success in business. The minor includes analytical courses in economics and financial economics, accounting courses, and communication courses in English and rhetoric. Two unique elements of the business minor reflect Wabash's strong liberal arts tradition. A philosophy course asks students to think more deeply about the role of commerce, markets, wealth, social and economic rights, and labor in society. In the capstone course, students write a reflective paper in which they draw on their course work and their co-curricular and work experiences to reflect on issues relating to business’s role in modern society. For a complete business course catalog, check out the curriculum.

Financial Economics is an interdisciplinary major that focuses strongly on those students seeking the building blocks for a successful career in finance management. Finance and economics are inextricably linked in the real world, so at Wabash College a degree in finance is grounded solidly in the economics department. Economics courses reinforce the concepts of optimization and comparative statics and give students command of computational tools that are universal in the world of finance. In addition, mathematics courses examine mathematical models and lines of reasoning useful to the finance major. Our faculty structured the courses for Financial Economics majors to complement each other well in building a strong intellectual background to succeed in financial careers. Check out the full curriculum for specific course offerings.

The 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant once suggested three questions human beings can ask, “What can I know?” “What must I do?” and “What may I hope?” Philosophy majors argue over many things, among them what questions we ought to pose, and that suggests a further question, “What should we ask?” The ancient Athenian philosopher Socrates lived by asking questions, so he exemplified this questioning spirit we cultivate in philosophy majors and philosophy classes. Socrates told the Athenians that the unexamined life was not worth living, suggesting that everyone can be a philosophy major by examining life and ourselves, not just the world before us. Philosophy courses at Wabash tie a desire to know, a desire for answers to our questions, to the development of character. For a full offering of philosophy courses, check out our curriculum.

Whether concentrating on studio art or art history, Wabash College art majors develop a set of visual skills: looking, composing, and understanding. Along with the knowledge gained within the humanities, students use these skills in creating and interpreting works of art. Whereas studio art develops visual expression, art history puts visual expression into words. Students develop both skills over several related art courses, concentrating on building both a visual and a verbal vocabulary. For specific art class offerings, check out our curriculum.

The Wabash English department has a broad and diverse curriculum designed to prepare students for a range of academic and professional careers — law, teaching, business, the arts, and communications — as well as for the pleasures of life-long learning. Majors may choose from English classes in two tracks — literature or creative writing. Literature courses cover medieval to modern English literary periods, canonical and non-canonical texts, and a range of critical approaches. Creative writing classes introduce students to various genres – including fiction, poetry, essays, and video-game writing – through small and intensive workshops. For specific English course offerings, check out our curriculum.

From hands-on experiments with state-of-the-art instrumentation to engagement in original research with faculty, Wabash chemistry majors are continually challenged to become investigators. The Wabash chemistry department possesses an active and enthusiastic faculty, who teach a rigorous curriculum in a modern and well-equipped facility. Wabash chemistry classes emphasize instruction in fundamentals as key to the creative use of chemistry in the classroom and the laboratory. The Wabash College 3D Printing & Fabrication Center serves as a nexus for educational STEM and STEAM activities on campus and is housed in the chemistry department. For specific courses in chemistry at Wabash, check out our curriculum.

Global Health considers the health of populations in a worldwide context, the diverse set of factors which determine health, and how equity in health might be achieved for all people. Wabash College’s Global Health minor examines the history of public health, the burdens of disease, and evaluates health in local, regional, and international contexts. Students will be challenged to understand the social determinants of health, examine the basic tools to evaluate health in communities, consider health in the context of human rights, and assess the influence of culture on human health. The minor is an interdivisional global health program that brings together courses addressing the economic, social, biological, and ethical issues surrounding the health of communities, particularly those in low-resource settings. The minor is designed to engage students interested in careers in global health, public health, health care, policy, economics, communication, and other social sciences.

Wabash College’s Asian Studies minor prepares students for roles of leadership and service in a global society increasingly influenced by Asia. Offering opportunities to learn Asian languages, close mentorship by experienced faculty, and a course plan incorporating study abroad, students pursuing any major are invited to join this program. The primary goal of the Asian Studies minor program is to provide students with a solid understanding of the developments within Asia and the historical and cultural exchanges between Asia and different parts of the world that have played an important role in shaping world history and the creation of the modern world.

Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes of living systems and the molecular basis for changes that occur in living cells. As significant overlap in bio and chem processes have emerged over the last 50 years, biochemistry has developed into a field distinct from chemistry and biology, still grounded in fundamental concepts from these fields. It encompasses medical, agricultural, and environmental issues, making it an attractive area of study for students. It focuses on the structures and functions of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules, energy acquisition and use in cells and organisms, communication within and between cells, and regulation of these processes.

The Wabash College biology major studies the living world – from molecule to ecosystem – through coursework, mentored research, and individual exploration. The Wabash biology department distinguishes itself with a strong and diverse faculty and a commitment to undergraduate teaching and research. In a field that is rapidly changing, the ability to acquire new information and place it in a broad context is a crucial skill. Wabash biology classes emphasize analytical and problem-solving skills that enable students to reach their own conclusions and solutions. For specific biology course offerings, check out our curriculum.

Wabash College’s Environmental Studies minor provides students with an opportunity to apply a liberal arts perspective to environmental issues and questions of sustainability, linking traditional scientific study of the environment to the role the environment plays in human experience and society. Human society relies on a healthy, functioning global ecosystem for its survival, but human activities often damage the environment and undermine its capacity to support us. While such environmental degradation has occurred throughout human history, environmental issues have increasingly moved to the forefront of public discourse, even to the point of being considered the greatest existential threat to humanity. Addressing issues of biodiversity and ecological resiliency in our curriculum is an essential aspect of our stated mission to educate responsible, humane leaders. Students minoring in Environmental Studies are expected to help catalyze more environmental interest and action on campus, supporting a transformation to a renewable, more sustainable, Wabash College.

At the center of Wabash College’s curriculum since its founding, the Classics delve into the history, art, archaeology, mythology, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. The Wabash Classics department continues to give instruction in Greek and Latin from beginning to advanced levels as the most immediate means of exploring the ancient world, of understanding the structure and vocabulary of our English language, and of preparing for the technical vocabulary used in the medical and legal professions today. These offerings are supplemented by other classical studies that focus on aspects of ancient civilization, e.g., ancient medicine, Greek and Roman religion, Roman urban planning, ancient political theory, Greek philosophy, and ancient rhetoric.

At Wabash College, the study of music engages students through the theory of music on its own terms, the history of music as written documents, the practice and performance of music, the anthropology of music around the world, and the technology of music analog and digital. Music majors choose music classes that enrich their ensemble experience, satisfy distribution requirements, and in pursuit of a music major or minor in the context of a liberal arts education.

A Wabash College physics major studies the fundamental laws governing our universe while engaging in research to apply these laws to real-world problems. The Wabash physics department benefits from the close personal interaction unique to a small college, with energetic and committed faculty teaching physics within a liberal arts framework. Wabash physics classes uncover the mathematical language that defines the foundation of the world in which students live and act.

Computer science deals with the theory of computation, the design of computers, and the study of automating algorithmic processes. A degree in computer science at Wabash focuses on experimentation and hands-on experience as a methodology that forms the basis for the design and use of computers. The department seeks to help computer science majors acquire computational skills and knowledge that can help define their role in a technologically-oriented society. For specific computer science course offerings, check out the full curriculum.