Instead, the Integral Liberal Arts Curriculum asks students to pursue fundamental questions in diverse areas of human thought. Classes are small and proceed by conversation, by question and answer, hypothesis and demonstration, conjecture and refutation, argument and counter-argument.
Students are active and engaged within the discussion.
There are no lectures by professors. The Integral students also take the College's January Term electives all four years. Sophomore, Junior and Senior courses similarly include Seminar, Mathematics, Language and Laboratory courses, one or two Music courses, and further electives chosen by the student. In its systematic lower division, the Two-Year program, the Integral Program completes virtually all of Saint Mary's general education requirements for those students who wish to major in a specific field in their upper division coursework, but also want a coherent general education. The Two-Year program is a clear opportunity.