Notable programs
BS Engineering (ABET-accredited)
One of perhaps three US liberal arts colleges with ABET accreditation. Small program of roughly 80 majors per class across electrical, mechanical, civil, and computer engineering tracks. Graduates place into top engineering graduate programs and major firms; the small size means high faculty access and strong undergraduate research opportunities.
Honors Program
Modeled on the Oxford tutorial system. Students take a reduced course load of two double-credit seminars per semester in their final two years, each capped at roughly eight students. Programs culminate in written and oral examinations administered by external examiners — scholars from peer institutions invited specifically to assess Swarthmore students. Roughly 30 percent of students opt in.
BA Economics
Nationally competitive department with strong graduate school and finance placement. Faculty supervise senior theses one-on-one. Students cross-register with Bryn Mawr and Haverford for additional course depth, and Quaker Consortium access permits Wharton coursework when relevant.
BA English Literature
Among the strongest English departments in US liberal arts colleges. Honors seminars in Shakespeare, modernism, and contemporary literature regularly draw external examiners from Princeton, Yale, and Penn. Strong placement into PhD programs and into journalism and publishing careers.
BS Biology
Strong department with active research labs in cell biology, ecology, and neuroscience. Students participate in faculty research from sophomore year. Graduate school placement at top biology and medical PhD programs is among the strongest at any LAC. New computational biology programs launched in 2024-25 expand interdisciplinary opportunities.
Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility
Endowed by Eugene Lang to support engaged scholarship connecting academic work with social impact. Funds student-initiated community projects, summer fellowships in public-interest work, and curricular integration of social-justice themes consistent with Swarthmore's Quaker heritage.