At Bennington, The Plan is a theoretical map that every student draws to dive deep into the studies of an area and subject of their choice. It’s a personalized, evolving direction of your education designed by you, with guidance from an advisor and faculty who are in your areas of study
🎓 What does that look like in practice?
When you ask a Bennington student what they study, you might hear:
- Medical Anthropology
- Victorian Literature
- Space Architecture
- Objecthood and Nostalgia
- Along with more traditional areas:
- English and Psychology
- Biology and Photography
- Painting, Math, and Chemistry
Students pick their main areas of study and create a central question that might combine their interests to make a path of study that is unique to you.
- You start your first year studying broadly with no requirements outside of your First Year Forum Class
- You create a Plan Proposal your second year to present to a faculty committee
- You build your course of study around your questions, interests, and goals
- You meet regularly with faculty advisors who help you refine your focus
- Your Plan grows and shifts with you so you can grow as a learner
The goal is to balance intellectual adventure with academic depth. Your curiosity drives it. The Plan shapes it. Together, they make an education that’s completely your own with depth in your areas of interest while also continuing to study broadly in a liberal arts model.