2023-2024 Pomona College Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2023-2024 Pomona College Catalog

Special Programs and Opportunities



Cooperative Academic Programs

Student Exchange Programs

Pomona College offers limited domestic exchange opportunities which allow our students to receive Pomona financial aid, pay Pomona tuition, and study at one of our partnering institutions. Under arrangements made each year, Pomona sophomores, juniors and first-semester seniors may study as domestic exchange students for a semester at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, or Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. 

All Pomona College students who wish to participate in domestic programs and receive Pomona College course credits must apply to the International and Domestic Programs Committee for acceptance and approval during the semester before the proposed study off-campus. Students can access the application from the corresponding program page in the online International and Domestic Programs brochure. The application must be submitted online by the mid-September deadline for spring programs and by the mid-February deadline for programs beginning in the fall. Some programs may have early deadlines. 

Pomona College students must register for, at minimum, the equivalent of three Pomona College courses. A maximum of 4.75 Pomona College credits can be transferred back to Pomona. Courses must follow the Transfer Credit Policy and should be reviewed by the student’s Academic Advisor. The Department Chair will ultimately decide if courses taken through the Domestic Exchange program apply towards the student’s major; students should consult with their Chair before continuing with the application. General Education requirements can be satisfied only with courses taken at The Claremont Colleges. That is, no General Education credit is awarded for students who participate in the Domestic Exchange program. Grades earned at the host college will be calculated into the student’s Pomona College GPA.

It should be noted that approval is contingent on many factors, including availability of college housing at the other school, current academic standing, GPA, disciplinary record, and department recommendation.

Combined Plans in Engineering

3-2 Plans: California Institute of Technology and Washington University in St. Louis

Qualified students may receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College and a Bachelor of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology or Washington University in St. Louis after a combined five-year program. The first three years are taken at Pomona and comprise the student’s general education and preparation for the major of the second institution. Students pursuing this plan will be accepted at Caltech or Washington University under an expedited procedure less elaborate than admission as a transfer student, if recommended by Pomona and if they have the requisite grade point average in science and mathematics courses at Pomona. Caltech specifically reserves the right to limit both the number of students admitted in certain fields of study under the 3-2 program and the financial aid offer to accepted students. Interested students should consult with the pre-engineering advisor as soon as possible after their arrival on campus.

Under a feature of Washington University in St. Louis’ dual-degree program, each year the Pomona College faculty liaison is authorized to award one two-year merit scholarship, covering half-tuition at Washington University, to a suitably qualified Pomona College candidate about to enter the dual-degree program with a Pomona GPA of at least 10.5 (i.e., equivalent to 3.5 on a 4.0-point scale).

3-2 Program students must satisfy the General Education requirements of Pomona College. In addition, the following lower-division courses must be completed:

In addition to completing the requirements and prerequisites as noted above, students who participate in the Combined 3-2 Plan in Engineering must make satisfactory progress toward a Pomona major in their third year. Although a science major is not required, it is difficult to satisfy both the Pomona General Education requirements, the pre-engineering requirements and the requirements for a non-science major in the three years at Pomona. Normally, “satisfactory progress” implies that by the end of the junior year the student has taken at least five other upper-division courses in physical science and mathematics, selected in close consultation with the faculty advisor, from among those courses normally required for a major in physics, chemistry or computer science. The requirements of the second institution should also be carefully considered during the three years at Pomona in consultation with the advisor.

The work completed at Pomona College and successful completion of the required two years for the engineering major at the second institution are considered fulfillment of the requirements for both the bachelor of arts degree at Pomona College and the corresponding bachelor’s degree at the partner school. The student’s Pomona major is labeled as “pre-engineering” and can only be awarded upon fulfillment of the requirements at both schools as described above.

Interested students should contact Professor of Physics Alma Zook.

Combined 2-1-1-1 Plan in Engineering: Dartmouth College

Alternatively, qualified students may receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College and a Bachelor of Science degree from Dartmouth College after a combined five-year program, which could be a 3-2 program similar to those with Caltech and Washington University or a 2-1-1-1 program. In the 2-1-1-1 program, the first two years are taken at Pomona, the third year at Dartmouth, the fourth year back at Pomona and the fifth year at Dartmouth. For admission to this program, a student must complete the following courses by the end of the sophomore year. It is highly recommended to satisfy General Education requirements by the end of the sophomore year as well.

Interested students should contact Professor of Physics Alma Zook.

Teacher Education Program

The Teacher Education Program, offered by Claremont Graduate University, is an accelerated, combined Credential and Master of Arts in Education program. Claremont Colleges’ students are allowed to transfer up to eight units of their undergraduate coursework into the program towards their credential and MA in Education. Specific classes are required; please contact TeacherEducation@cgu.edu or call (909) 621-8076.

After a summer of instruction and clinical experience, candidates engage in a clinical experience where they work in schools Monday through Friday as either fully-paid and fully responsible teachers (called “interns”) or work as “residents” under the tutelage of a CGU Master Teacher. During this phase, which spans the fall and spring, candidates take classes at CGU on select Saturdays. The final phase of the program is in the second summer when the candidates finish their requirements for the credential and the Master of Arts Degree in Education.

Credentials offered include multiple subject (for candidates wanting to teach in elementary settings), single subject (for candidates wanting to teach math, science, social studies, Spanish, or English in middle or high schools) and special education (for candidates wanting to work with students who have either mild/moderate or moderate/severe disabilities).

CGU’s Teacher Education Program is committed to providing high-level scholarships to Claremont Colleges students and has a variety of fellowship opportunities, including opportunities for full tuition coverage.

Complete details about the Teacher Education Program are provided in a brochure available from the Office of Teacher Education at Claremont Graduate University at (909) 621-8076. You can also visit our website. A directory listing credential requirements for every state is available in the Career Development Office.

Teacher Education Courses (Claremont Graduate University)

170G. Introduction to Public School Teaching. Staff. This course examines the foundations of teaching and learning in public schools from various perspectives. These include but are not limited to philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, politics and economics. A primary aim of this course is to explore habitually unexamined attitudes and assumptions that bear on teaching practices in public schools. Another goal is to ground our readings and discussions in the realities of contemporary public school classrooms. The course requirements include nine hours of public classroom observation. Offered every fall.

300G. Teaching/Learning Process I. Staff.  This course is for seniors only and is designed to prepare interns for their first semester of supervised teaching and first year of independent classroom teaching. The focus is on practical skills that provide both teachers and students with a sense of positive classroom environment, and active rather than passive learning activities. It helps students be aware of the special challenges and rewards of teaching in a multicultural environment, and the planning required for optimal learning. Course requirements and expectations will be handed out at the beginning of the class. This class is limited to students who intend to apply for the CGU Teacher Education Internship Program. Offered every spring.