Knox College

• Knox College is an independent-minded, uncannily smart four-year residential college that is home to 1,200 brilliantly original human beings from everywhere on the planet. We believe that every experience is an education, that every new venture, every fantastic idea, every great journey is human-powered. We also believe you learn the most from the people least like you. Knox is one of the 10 most diverse liberal arts campuses in America, with a student body that includes a wide array of races, ethnicities, ages, cultures, backgrounds, genders and gender identities, sexual orientations, and beliefs.
• A Knox education is not something you sit and watch — it’s something you do. That can take the form of advanced research and creative work, internships, off-campus (sometimes way off-campus) programs, community service, or some combination of your own devising. Our future is rooted in our past. The commitment to put learning to use to accomplish both personal and social goals dates back to the founding of the College in 1837. We take particular pride in the College’s early commitment to increase access to all qualified students regardless of race, gender, or financial means. Today, we continue to expand that historic mission and the tradition of active liberal arts learning. Faculty work closely with students and invite and expect them to reach their own reflective but independent judgments.

• Knox awards every student a $2,000 Power of Experience grant you can use in your junior or senior year to pursue study abroad, independent research, an internship, or community service.
• Students can choose from among six immersion terms — 10 weeks devoted to exploring a single topic (starting a business, for instance, or working as part of the cast and crew on two entirely different theatre productions) — or many shorter-term immersion experiences that help them bring what they’ve learned in the classroom out to the so-called real world.
• Nearly 90% of Knox students complete an independent research or creative project during their time here. About half study abroad.
• Knox now offers a business major with five different focus areas, new majors in journalism and public policy, and new minors in art museum studies and Spanish translation and interpretation.
• And, speaking of new things, we recently completed the first phase of a dramatic $10 million renovation of our Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center — all the better for pursuing one of nine bachelor of science degree programs. (Did we mention we’re also a leading producer of future Ph.D.s and M.D.s?)

• All courses are taught by full-time professors who are distinguished scholars — teachers and experts in their fields (97% have their Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree). They are dedicated to teaching, to integrating students into their scholarly work, and to guiding and supporting each student as an individual. All classes are taught by professors (there are no teaching assistants at Knox). Every student participates in some form of experiential learning before they graduate, including research or creative work, an internship, community service, or study abroad.
• Knox has a longstanding (and pioneering) commitment to supporting advanced student research — intensive, long-term projects that go beyond coursework. The vast majority of our students (89%) produce research, independent studies, or creative work.
• Half of our students study abroad, and our off-campus study programs — more than 80 in total — are designed to work with the Knox experience.
• Our career center helps students find meaningful professional experience by making the most of their education, resources, and connections to secure internships and postgraduate opportunities across the country and around the world.

Knox’s program provides a balanced curriculum in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Our 3-3 academic calendar — three terms (fall, winter, and spring), three courses per term — allows students to fully explore course subject matter and fulfill research expectations. For the most current listings, please check the college website.  

Majors & Minors
Africana Studies — B.A.
American Studies — B.A.
Anthropology & Sociology — B.A.
Archaeology — Minor
Art History — B.A.
Art Museum Studies — Minor
Art, Studio — B.A.
Arts Administration — Minor
Asian Studies — B.A.
Astronomy — Minor
Biochemistry — B.A., B.S.
Biology — B.A., B.S.
Business & Management — B.A.
Chemistry — B.A., B.S.
Chinese — Minor
Classical Languages — B.A.
Classic & Ancient Mediterranean Studies — B.A.
Computer Science — B.A., B.S.
Creative Writing — B.A.
Dance Studies — Minor
Data Science — B.A.
Design — Minor
Earth Science — Minor
Economics — B.A.
Educational Studies, Elementary — B.A.
Educational Studies, Secondary — B.A.
Educational Studies, Special Content Areas — B.A.
English Literature — B.A.
Environmental Science — B.A., B.S.
Environmental Studies — B.A.
Film Studies — Minor
French — B.A.
Gender & Women’s Studies — B.A.
German — B.A.
Health Studies — Minor
History — B.A.
International Relations — B.A.
International Studies — B.A.
Japanese — Minor
Journalism — B.A.
Latin American Studies — B.A.
Mathematics — B.A., B.S.
Modern Languages — B.A.
Music — B.A.
Music – Ethnomusicology — Minor
Music – Jazz/Popular Studies — Minor
Music – Musicology — Minor
Music – Performance — Minor
Music – Theory/Composition — Minor
Neuroscience — B.A., B.S.
Peace & Justice Studies — Minor
Philosophy — B.A.
Physics — B.A., B.S.
Political Science — B.A.
Psychology — B.A., B.S.
Public Policy — B.A.
Religious Studies — Minor
Self-Designed Studies — B.A.
Social Service — Minor
Spanish — B.A.
Spanish Translation and Interpretation — Minor
Statistics — Minor
Theatre — B.A.
Theatre, Design & Technology — Minor
Theatre, Directing — Minor
Theatre, Dramatic Literature & History — Minor
Theatre, Performance — Minor
Theatre, Playwriting — Minor

Pre-Professional & Other Programs
Business — Pre-professional Program, Early Admission Program
College Honors
Engineering — Pre-professional, Cooperative Program
First-Year Preceptorial
Law — Pre-professional Program, Cooperative Program
Medicine — Pre-professional Program, Cooperative Program
Nursing — Cooperative Program
Occupational Therapy — Cooperative Program
Optometry — Cooperative Program
Peace Corps Preparatory Program
Sports Studies — Courses
Teacher Certification

• Galesburg, Illinois (pop. 33,000).  We’re close to the Illinois-Iowa border, full of enterprising, big-hearted people. We value kindness, hard work, and community. We’re at the heart of a national rail network; there’s an Amtrak station a few blocks from campus. The land around us is prairie or farmland. At dusk, the horizon is a long glowing line in every direction. There’s something deeply democratic about this. We all have a voice. We all stand on equal ground, together.
• About 90% of our students live on campus. In addition to the usual residence halls and apartments, Knox has several theme houses, where students live together exploring common interests, whether that’s playing jazz or exploring Latin culture.
• Clubs and Organizations: The one quality that binds our 100+ student clubs and organizations is that they are all student-driven. Students create and run organizations in response to interests and needs. Some clubs focus on academic disciplines such as chemistry or physics. Others, such as Common Ground, Model United Nations, and Allied Blacks for Liberty and Equality focus on identity, culture, and politics. And, our successful club-level Ultimate Frisbee team and our music, dance, and performance ensembles provide an athletic and creative energy that characterizes Knox.
• Intramural Clubs: More than half of our students participate in some kind of organized athletic activity, from club sports (water polo, fencing, equestrian); to intramurals (basketball, indoor soccer, softball, volleyball); to fitness classes organized and taught by students (recent examples include Zumba and yoga).
• Student Governance: Our student government actually governs. The Student Senate helps determine how funds from student activity fees are spent, makes student appointments to faculty committees, and serves as a forum for the debate of important issues on campus. Our students shape the future of Knox; their work is a lasting legacy.
• Civic Engagement: We pride ourselves on being deeply engaged in the life of a strong, sustainable community — whether that community is local or global. Our students contribute tens of thousands of hours of service every year through established partnerships and special programs. Knox was the first college or university in the country to offer a contemporary Peace Corps Preparatory Program; we rank among the top producers of Peace Corps volunteers.
• Experience Knox — Virtually. Go on an interactive, guided tour of the campus and see 360-degree panoramas with great views of the campus, classrooms, performance spaces, athletic venues, residences, and even the town of Galesburg.

18 varsity sports in NCAA Division III, Midwest Conference:

Baseball (Men)
Basketball
Cross Country
Football (Men)
Golf
Soccer
Softball (Women)
Swimming and Diving
Track and Field
Volleyball (Women)

The most successful graduates think critically and creatively, work collaboratively, communicate clearly, adapt to new technologies, and navigate today’s global world — all skills that Knox excels at providing its students. In fact, here are a few things that happen after you graduate from Knox:

• You become independent. All of the skills you honed at Knox — critical thinking, problem solving, communicating across difference — help you land your first job, pursue a graduate degree, or serve your community. And each of these opportunities sets you on the path to personal and financial independence.
• You adapt with the times. You do work that you hadn’t imagined doing four years ago — maybe four days ago. You know how to adapt, how to change with the times. Sometimes you make things change on your own. Nearly 80% of Knox alumni say they are still using important skills they gained as undergraduates 10 years out of college.
• You pursue meaningful work. You find work that you believe in, that’s aligned with your values. It could be in leadership, in sustainable business, in fields so new they don’t yet have a name — but it’s meaningful to you and to the people around you. In fact, 83% of Knox grads say they are pursuing meaningful work 10 years after college, and 61% say they participate in civic engagement opportunities.
• You feel gratitude. For six consecutive years, Knox has been on the Forbes Grateful Grads index — a list of the top colleges in America where alumni feel that they received the greatest return on their college investment. When they look at what they’ve accomplished in their life, when they think about the choices they made, about the people who helped them along the way — they think about Knox. 

• Middle 50% SAT scores: 1090-1350
• Middle 50% ACT Composite scores: 24-31
• 69% graduated in the top quarter; 33% graduated in the top tenth