Eckerd College, on Florida's Gulf Coast, is a private coeducational college of liberal arts and sciences that enables undergraduates to take advantage of a spectacular mile of campus waterfront for outdoor laboratories in biology, marine science, and environmental studies as well as an impressive array of intramural, club, and intercollegiate sports and water recreation. Offerings in the arts and humanities-taught by faculty who, for the most part, hold a Ph.D. or the highest degree in their field-inspire creativity and foster critical thinking and self-awareness. Our more than 1,800 students from over 35 countries and almost every U.S. state and territory take advantage of Eckerd's robust academic program featuring more than 40 majors and 50 minors, a 11:1 student/faculty ratio, undergraduate research opportunities, and a focus on global learning that makes us No. 2 in the nation for short-term study abroad among small colleges. We venture together to think outside conventional questions, methods, and solutions-seeking to build a better world. At home in St. Petersburg, Eckerd offers a close, friendly community that values volunteer service, environmental activism, and creative self-expression-we even have our own campus farm and are developing a center that will bring the city into the classroom and the classroom into the city. Nearly 90% of our students live on our 188-acre campus, many in themed residence halls, which includes pet-friendly accommodations. New students begin with a three-week orientation known as Autumn Term, and from the moment they set foot on campus, they can participate in joint student-faculty research and scholarly projects-designing original studies and gathering, analyzing, presenting, and even publishing their findings. As one of The Princeton Review's Best 387 Colleges (2022), a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and one of 40 schools featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives, Eckerd makes it clear that its first priority is to teach students how, not only what, to learn. Eckerd students graduate with more than a bachelor's degree-they graduate with experience and connections. They go on to find more than jobs-they find fulfillment.
