We are a work college.
We are a liberal arts college.
We are a leadership college.
Monticello College has combined the ethics of a work college (or manual arts) with a liberal arts education. This means that while books are very important (you will read about 30 a year) a good pair of boots, a warm beanie, a ferrous rod, and a sharp knife are also important elements of an MC education.
We stand on the belief that the original American Founder leadership was the product of a particular educational system, known to the great leaders of the past, but mostly lost to modern academia.
It is a principle-centered process grounded in the belief in God and immutable moral law, framed on the classics, and crowned in the discipline of real-work and self-reliance under the guidance of committed and caring mentors.
Subjects Covered in Our Undergraduate Degree of Liber Education:
- History
- Political Science
- Political Economy
- Fine Arts/Performing Arts
- Debate/Public Speaking
- Comparative Religious Studies
- Constitutional Law
- Current Events
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Science
- Foreign Language
- Mathematics
- Entrepreneurship
- Permaculture
- Biodynamics
- Manual Arts
- Construction Science
- Animal Science
- Wilderness Survival
We begin our studies at Monticello College in the Spring. At our elevation, we are still covered in snow in April, a post-winter wonderland that encourages intense study. Perfect for wrapping up in a blanket, holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate, and settling down for a long day with Newton or Mill or Euclid.
With on campus studies beginning in April and ending in November, our students spend the entire academic year watching nature grow and develop—as they do. By June much of our classroom discussions and lectures are being held out-of-doors in uniquely designed “natural classrooms.” Students excel in this environment.
Our program is simple but intense, essentially it is comprised of 4 elements:
- Reading (average 25-30 hours a week)
- Discussion or colloquium (6-9 hours a week)
- Writing Lab (takes the place of regular classes and can last for several days)
- Work (20 to 30 hours a week)
Interspersed are oral and written examinations, wilderness hikes, field trips, and service projects.
*Found in the Great Books of the Western World – 1st edition