Earn the World’s First B.A. in Liberal Arts & Entrepreneurship.

A Degree That Integrates Wisdom From the Past with Innovation For the Future

From their first semester to their last, Hildegard undergrads explore the questions that make us human.

Explore the world-changing ideas of history’s greatest thinkers while also transforming your own ideas into real ventures. Build a Foundation of Thought by examining the works of Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, the Apostle Paul, Dante, Shakespeare, Newton, and other luminaries. And use this foundation to discover and launch your own big idea in the Incubation Lab. 

read the great works

FOUNDATIONS OF THOUGHT

In Foundations of Thought, students examine 6 questions that are essential to what it means to be human. Each term students examine the greatest works on one of these questions, building fluency in its history in philosophy, literature, theology, economics, mathematics, science, politics, and the arts.

  • What does it mean to be Free?

  • What is the Human Condition? 

  • What makes a society Just?

  • Who is God? 

  • What is the Good? 

  • What is Nature? 

Foundations of Thought classes meet in small discussion seminars and are taught entirely through primary historical sources. Rather than busy work, lectures, and quizzes, Hildegard undergrads learn to ask questions, lead discussion, and present arguments in writing.

hands-on learning

incubation lab

While building their intellectual and spiritual foundation, students join other founders as members of the Hildegard Incubation Lab — a hands-on approach to learning leadership, business, and organizational development.

In the Incubation Lab, students DISCOVER where their passion aligns with a critical problem in the world; DESIGN and research possible solutions to it; PILOT a design in the form of a product, program, or service; and ultimately LAUNCH this solution into the world. The Incubation Lab offers undergrads the opportunity to work and learn alongside real startup founders and to receive mentorship from leaders in their industry of interest.

Students rub shoulders with trailblazers in a variety of industries at Entrepreneurship Workshops, Pitch Nights, Advisor Office Hours, and Founder’s Dinners.

Program Details

4-year sample schedule

Hildegard undergraduates earn a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Entrepreneurship. Students’ time is divided into coursework in Foundations of Thought seminars and in the Incubation Lab. In their 4th year, undergrads devote the majority of their time to the “Launch” phase of the product, program, or service they’ve designed in the Incubation Lab.

YEAR 1 - DISCOVER

Fall

FOT 150 - What is the Human Condition? (6 units)

FOT 251 - Beauty (3 units)

ENT 110 - “Discover”: Leadership, Strategy, Product Development (6 units)

Spring

FOT 140 - What is Nature? (6 units)

FOT 241 - Euclidean Geometry (3 units)

ENT 150 - “Discover”: Business Models, Financial Planning, Org Development (6 units)

YEAR 2 - design

Fall

FOT 210 - Who is God? (6 units)

FOT 211 - Ancient & Modern Logic (3 units)

ENT 210 - “Design”: Leadership, Strategy, Product Development (6 units)

Spring

FOT 220 - What does it mean to be Free? (6 units)

FOT 221 - Knowledge, Education, & Society (3 units)

ENT 250 - “Design”: Business Models, Financial Planning, Org Development (6 units)

YEAR 3 - Pilot

Fall

FOT 330 - What is the Good? (6 units)

FOT 231 - Synoptic Gospels, Acts, & Apostolic Fathers (3 units)

ENT 310 - “Pilot”: Leadership, Strategy, Product Development (6 units)

Spring

FOT 360 - What makes a society Just? (6 units)

FOT 261 - New Testament Letters (3 units)

ENT 350 - “Pilot”: Business Models, Financial Planning, Org Development (6 units)

YEAR 4 - Launch

Fall

ENT 410 - “Launch”: Leadership, Strategy, Product Development (6 units)

PRC 320 - Practicum: Internship (3 units)

ELC 210 - Elective: Plato’s Dialogues (3 units)

ELC 310 - Elective: Modern Fiction (3 units)

Spring

ENT 450 - “Launch”: Business Models, Financial Planning, Org Development (6 units) 

PRC 410 - Practicum: Startup Coaching (6 units)

PRC 420 - Practicum: Investor/Donor Relations (6 units)

ELC 410 - Elective: Modern Ethics (3 units)

  • "At Hildegard, I'm grateful that I can further my faith and my career at the same time."

    Kyle, 2nd-year

  • “My experience here has been transformative — books that stretch me intellectually, and a community where I can test my ideas."

    Lydia, 2nd-year

  • “I crossed the country for college and was warmly welcomed. It's been a deeply enriching experience."

    Xavier, 1st-year

create

boldly