Division I Advising

Division I

To complete Division I, students must satisfactorily complete seven academic courses, one of which must be a Division I seminar. The other six elective courses may be a combination of faculty-evaluated Hampshire courses and Five-College courses carrying 3 or more credits and graded C or better. Students may also use one special project in their first year to go towards Division I electives with approval from their faculty Division I advisor. No more than three Five-College courses may be used toward Division I course requirements. Two dance technique courses designated as half courses may fulfill one out of the six electives. OPRA courses and other courses labeled Co-curricular on TheHub may not be used to fulfill Division I course requirements. During Division I, students also must complete 40 hours of Campus-Engaged Learning (CEL-1). 

Students take one Division I seminar, innovative courses taught by teams of faculty in different fields, all focused on a single question of contemporary relevance. Each seminar embeds different disciplinary approaches, enabling students to learn about a wide range of skills and approaches to the topic. Staff educators on the teaching teams support skill building in communication, collaboration, and intercultural competence, also organize workshops that orient students to Hampshire’s academic program and available resources, and peer mentors additionally support students’ learning inside and outside of the classroom. Division I seminars are sized in order to shift between small and larger groups to enable flexibility in facilitating cohort-based experiences of learning in community with others.

Since exposure to curricular areas including the sciences, culture and human experience, the arts and design, and race and power are built into the transdisciplinary approaches of the Division I seminars, there are no additional distribution requirements in the first year. Students in their first year choose at least five additional elective courses based on their own interests. 

In addition to the seven courses, students must complete campus-engaged learning activities (CEL-1) totaling a minimum of 40 hours. Community-Engaged Learning (CEL-1) is an academic requirement that encourages first-year students to meaningfully participate in campus community life. CEL-1 helps students find places of belonging and deepen their understanding and relationship to race and power. It prepares them to pursue community-engaged learning opportunities that address community identified needs in ethical and reciprocal ways. Students complete a minimum of 40 hours of CEL-1 in Division I including a minimum of 10 hours focused on race and power.  The student will document the fulfillment of the CEL-1 and reflect on their CEL-1 experience in the Division I retrospective essay.

Note for first-year entrants with advanced standing: carefully read the advanced standing description and contact CASA with questions.

Note for transfer entrants: the rules for completing Division I are significantly different than those for first year entrants. Students should refer to the Transfer Policy for information and contact CASA with questions.