2019-2020 Academic Catalog

Founded in 1887 as the first all-graduate-studies institution in the country, Clark University today is a renowned liberal-arts-based research university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. With our small size, capacity for interdisciplinary learning, and emphasis on effective practice, and engaged scholarship, we cultivate an environment uniquely supportive of students’ interests and ambitions. Our urban location and tradition of community partnerships place Clark faculty and students in an ideal position to boldly exemplify the University’s motto, “Challenge Convention. Change Our World.” Students come to Clark with the passion to make a difference, and we honor that passion by engaging them intensely with the world in all its diversity and complexity, enabling them to become more globally aware, focused, and prepared to act.

Located in the second largest city in New England - Worcester, Massachusetts - Clark enrolls approximately 2,200 undergraduate and 900 graduate students.

Undergraduate Studies
Clark University offers more than 30 undergraduate majors and an innovative, accelerated B.A./master’s degree program with the fifth year of study tuition-free for qualified students. Nationally renowned as a college that changes lives, Clark is emerging as a transformative force in higher education today. Clark’s curriculum is structured around the concept of Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP). LEEP integrates academic work with relevant opportunities to translate knowledge into practice, ensuring that what students learn in the classroom is connected to the experiences of the wider world. LEEP is structured to develop the skills needed for a remarkable career-and a purposeful life.

Graduate Studies
Clark’s focused areas of research excellence are backed by strong doctoral, master’s degree and graduate certificate programs - in the arts and sciences, our Graduate School of Management (GSOM), the Department of International Development, Community and Environment and the School of Professional Studies - that engage graduate students from around the world. Our academic programs, research centers and institutes and emphasis on engaged scholarship generate findings and insights that directly benefit the communities Clark serves. Clark students graduate with the capacity to lead effectively, manage responsibly, advance knowledge, and make significant contributions to their workplaces, communities, and the world.

The American Language and Culture Institute offers intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) programs for students who want to improve their English-language skills.

Diversity and Inclusion

Clark University embraces equal opportunity as a core value: we believe that cultivating an environment that embraces and promotes diversity is fundamental to the success of our students, our employees, and our community. This commitment applies to every aspect of education, services, and employment policies and practices at Clark. This commitment to diversity and inclusion informs our efforts in recruitment, hiring, and retention. All positions at Clark share in the responsibility for building a community that values diversity and the uniqueness of others by exhibiting integrity and respect in interacting with all members of the Clark community to create an atmosphere of fairness and belonging.

We invite you to visit the Clark University website to learn more.

It is the policy of Clark University that each individual regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age as defined by law, disability, or veteran status, shall have equal opportunity in education, employment, or services of Clark University.

Provisions of this publication are not to be regarded as an irrevocable contract between the student and Clark University. The University reserves the right to make changes in its course offerings, degree requirements, policies, regulations and procedures, and fees and expenses as educational and financial considerations require.