Knox College

We come from all walks of life, from all parts of the globe, bringing radically different stories and experiences and ideas to a handsome campus in Western Illinois. Our talented faculty—97% hold terminal degrees in their field—are committed to your education, beginning with First-Year Preceptorial. Our students come from 48 states and 51 countries, making Knox more diverse in more ways than nearly any college campus in the country. We're exceptionally active, effective, and engaged in the world.

A Knox education is not something you sit and watch—it's something you do. Our students test their knowledge by applying theory to practice both in and out of the classroom. That can take the form of advanced research and creative work, internships, off-campus(sometimes way off-campus) programs, community service, or some combination of your own devising. We help make these experiences possible with a $2,000 Power of Experience Grant available to all incoming students during their junior and senior years.

Our students take the knowledge they gain in the classroom and apply it to real-world experiences. And these experiences, combined with opportunities to live and learn with students from different backgrounds and to develop leadership skills in clubs and organizations, all empower graduates to find success after Knox. They run Fortune 500 companies and grassroots nonprofits, they conduct major research at sites around the world, they found startups and music festivals, they see a human need and they meet it.

With five new minors in arts administration, astronomy, design, health studies, and statistics, we now offer more than 60 courses of study, including 39 majors and 49 minors in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. We also have nine pre-professional and cooperative programs, including business, engineering, and law.

Knox also offers our science students a choice between either a bachelor of arts degree (B.A.) or a bachelor of science degree (B.S.) in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, neuroscience, psychology, and physics. It's a great option for students who are considering a professional career or planning to attend graduate school in the sciences.

We believe that beauty and sweat go together, that hard work is a beautiful thing, that every experience is an education, that every new venture, every fantastic idea, every great journey, is human-powered. And so: We make good things happen.We do good work that powers the world.We use our hands (and our eyes, ears, voices, and hearts). You won't just practice what you learn in a lab class or on problem sets. You'll have the opportunity—nay, the obligation—to apply that knowledge in unfamiliar and unpredictable situations. We live and work among people who are wildly unlike us. This is a proudly, radically open community. When we were founded, we were one of the first colleges in America to admit women and students of color. Today, we're more diverse in more ways than nearly any other college campus in the country. We learn from each other's experiences and perspectives, and it prepares us to be successful in a global, multicultural world.We are a human-powered community, at work in the world. Our alumni include India's leading comedian (Vir Das '02), an aerospace entrepreneur working with NASA on manned space flight (Carol Craig '89), and a guy Time has called "one of the most influential people in the world" (Matt Berg '00). They also work at leading companies, earn advanced degrees at frankly astonishing rates, and, overwhelmingly, report feeling personally fulfilled by their lives.

We're not trying to be the flashiest, most deluxe campus in the world. We're trying to be a campus where smart, interesting people from every possible background feel safe and inspired and capable of doing amazing work.
Or a single step. Or a single bright, brilliant idea. Our study abroad and off-campus study programs are designed to work with the Knox experience. You take what you've studied here out into the world; you gather new information, new ideas, new experiences; and you come back with a new way of seeing yourself, your education, and your future.

Our immersion terms are a Knox-only experience—a focused, hands-on exploration of a single field of study over the course of an entire term.Clinical Psychology Term is a unique opportunity for students to understand the functioning of the human mind and to explore careers as clinical psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Students take two psychology courses while simultaneously completing an internship at a local agency that provides psychological services.Green Oaks Term features interdisciplinary coursework, hands-on research, and the art of building a community; students live and work at our Green Oaks biological field station, 20 miles from campus.

Japan Term includes courses in Japanese language, history, and Buddhism, and a two-week trip to Japan, where students explore Japan's cities, meet with Knox alumni and local leaders, and complete research or creative projects.Open Studio Term allows students to assemble an exhibition in studio art, working exclusively on their own projects and consulting with faculty and peers.

Repertory Theatre Term is the most comprehensive undergraduate theatre experience in the country. Students research, design, construct, rehearse, and perform two full-length plays.

StartUp Term brings together students from every academic discipline to transform their original business ideas into real companies. Participants develop a business plan, analyze potential markets, create a product, and sometimes even start earning revenue.Knox also offers Short-Term Immersive Experiences that combine on-campus study with a trip to another city or country during the next term break.