Education at Hampshire College prepares students to understand and participate responsibly in a complex world. Through its actions and policies, the college sets an example of the responsible and creative behavior it expects of its students.

As a liberal arts college, Hampshire helps students develop confidence in their intellect, creativity, and values. It encourages their desire to be lifelong learners and their capacity to advance the cause of social justice and the well-being of others. The college fosters these attitudes through: a multidisciplinary, multicultural curriculum; self-initiated, individual programs of study negotiated with faculty mentors; students’ active participation in original research; and the diverse communities, on campus and off, in which learning takes place. Within the college’s residential community students encounter and learn to respect difference and appreciate diversity, thereby enhancing their capacity to live together well.

Through commitment to testing and evaluating new ideas and new approaches to learning, national efforts to promote inquiry-based learning and teaching, and constructive civic and social engagement, Hampshire’s actions serve as models for those of its students.

Outdoors Program/Recreational Athletics

The Outdoors Program/Recreational Athletics (OPRA) offers students extensive opportunities to learn outdoor and sport skills such as rock climbing, kayaking, martial arts, and aquatics. We also provide the opportunity for student- and staff-initiated expeditions and trips.

OPRA gives special emphasis to integrating outdoor and physical learning experiences with the rest of college life. Programmatically that means OPRA collaborates with Hampshire faculty, staff, and students in ongoing courses.

“Fusion of body and intellect” has long been a goal of OPRA. This year the program will continue to offer body potential work and body awareness in addition to outdoor and sports skills courses.

We seek to enable students to experience nature personally, through local natural history explorations, as well as hiking, biking, camping, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, and expeditioning.