Founded in 1955, Harvey Mudd College has developed a reputation for its leading science and engineering programs. Although it's classified as a liberal arts institution, the college’s most popular bachelor’s degrees are engineering, computer science, and a joint mathematics and computer science major.
Despite the overarching STEM focus, the core curriculum includes a healthy dose of humanities and social science courses. Students can also enroll in any classes offered by the other undergraduate Claremont Colleges: Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, Pomona and Scripps. They can also devise their own individual programs of study.
Unlike many other science-oriented schools, Harvey Mudd's faculty focuses on teaching rather than research, and it shows. Although coursework is intense, professors tend to be highly rated and the school’s retention rate is near 100%.
The college partners with Claremont McKenna and Scripps to compete in Division III sports like football, basketball and soccer. And when they’re not in the lab or on the field, students with an artistic flair can join the school's choral ensembles, its improv group (known as DUCK) or take part in battle tie-dye (a real thing).
