Academics – BEC Hudson Valley

The mission of Bard Early College is to provide bright, highly motivated students of high school age the challenge of a rigorous course of study that emphasizes thinking through writing, discussion, and inquiry.

The fundamental principles guiding Bard Early College are:

that meeting the particular needs of early college students requires a faculty as committed to fostering adolescent development as they are to teaching and scholarship;
that a strong general education in the liberal arts and sciences should be the foundation of the curriculum for these students; and
that an early college based on these principles could provide a model for reforming the education of American high school students.

The academic program at Bard Early College Hudson Valley is the intellectual embodiment of the early college’s principles and mission. At Bard Early College, students gain exposure to a broad spectrum of thought in the liberal arts and sciences, develop their intellectual curiosity, and work to satisfy this curiosity by thinking and learning independently. In addition, students at Bard Early College:

develop a sense of themselves as thinkers and creators with individual voices and perspectives;
gain an appreciation of several forms of artistic and literary expression, the creative process, and the disciplined use of imagination, formal structure, and aesthetic values;
a flexibility of thought that allows for creative problem solving through an integration of quantitative and qualitative techniques;
knowledge of some of the most influential works of western culture and critical understanding of the values, assumptions, and ideologies that they express;
knowledge and appreciation of modes of thought of other cultures – including non-Western cultures, and groups or societies that exist as distinct subcultures within Western culture;
a sense of history – ideas, movements, peoples, and events of the past – and an understanding of how our view of the past is shaped, and shapes our understanding of the present and future;
sensitivity to the moral and ethical dimensions of thought and action, and developing the ability to make informed moral and ethical decisions.

The Bard Seminar

The Bard Seminar is a writing-intensive, multidisciplinary course that all juniors take while studying at Bard Early College. This course introduces important intellectual, cultural, and artistic ideas that serve as a basis for a liberal arts education. These ideas are presented in the context of a historic tradition and on as broad a scale as feasible within a framework that emphasizes precise, analytical thinking through class discussions and frequent writing assignments. The heart of the yearlong course is a series of core texts that focus on a central theme.

Elective Courses

Additional course options offer students the opportunity to study a range of topics of interest to them and that complement the seminar curriculum. In most cases, these courses also help students meet high school graduation requirements. Although elective courses vary from year to year, they can include classes in fields as diverse as art, history, political studies, psychology, environmental studies, genetics and biology, and creative writing.

The College Experience

The College Experience is designed to familiarize students with their own learning needs in preparation for the college selection and application process. Students learn about a range of in-state and out-of-state college options, the application process, and financial aid. Students work closely with a college advisor who provides support in such areas as personal essays, the Common Application, financial aid, and other important elements of selecting a four-year college. The course also explores the skills and capacities students need to succeed in college.