ACADEMICS
Our students busy their minds, but also their hands—it’s just what we do.
Experiential learning is fundamental to a Lees-McRae education. We gain knowledge beyond our textbooks. We challenge each other to sharpen our skills. We celebrate shared values but embrace our differences.
Our programs are connected by big ideas and even bigger achievements. And though we are unified within schools, our students collaborate across disciplines and test themselves in new situations. These four distinct schools are home to the academic life of Lees-McRae.
School of Arts and Humanities
School of Business and Management
School of Education and Social Sciences
May School of Natural and Health Sciences
PROGRAMS OF STUDY
Whether on campus, online, or through one of our graduate programs, let's work together to achieve your goals. Learn what makes programs at Lees-McRae College stand out from the rest.
No matter which program you choose, our general education courses will ignite your desire for lifelong learning.
Through exposure to a variety of disciplines our students form thoughtful opinions and learn how to express them to others. Students choose from topics in reasoning, communication, or analysis to those concerning social issues, the environment, or the arts. What we learn and how we approach the learning informs our time here, but the pursuit of knowledge has just begun.
Burton Center for Student Success
There are many pathways to success, but we all need a little help along the way. Freshmen entering Lees-McRae with a major in mind will be linked with a specific academic advisor from your program. With their expertise and your passion, you’ll be on the fast track to reaching your goals. Advisors in the Burton Center for Student Success will guide freshmen without a specific program to explore options that align with their interests.
Regardless of where you are in the journey, the Burton Center can assist in other ways too. Academic mentoring and coaching, writing assistance, and additional support programs are available from your first days on campus to finals during your senior year.
Career and Life Planning
Will you be ready for life after college? It’s no secret that our decisions on campus have a lasting impact on our futures. Setting goals and taking action now can make that move from undergrad to postgrad an easier one.
From your first days here, counselors in Career and Life Planning provide one-on-one coaching to help you deploy your passions, skills, and values—whether you are ready to tackle your first career job or pursue additional education. Sharpen your resume and practice key interview techniques to nail that next exciting internship, job, or graduate school application. Looking for even more? You’ll also attend local and regional workshops and networking events.
Travel Education
By studying away from home, we gain alternative perspectives and act in whole new ways. And when you share these insights upon your return, you build confidence that sets you apart from the crowd. Faculty-led travel education opportunities—domestic and international—will help you experience your field of study through a new lens and earn a degree that can take you around the world.
Shelton Learning Commons
Be it a gathering place for group work, a quiet place for individual study, the location of your next class, or a quick stop for coffee, the Shelton Learning Commons is the heart of campus. We know it takes dedication and focus to achieve your goals, here is a place to make those dreams a reality. We also know it's important to rest and relax. Enjoy a snack or your favorite beverage with friends, or perhaps enjoy some individual time reading with a view.
Honors Program
Honors students are exposed to ideas of many of the greatest thinkers of all time—artists, social scientists, philosophers, theologians, scientists—in a cross-disciplinary curriculum and are given many opportunities to grapple with the central question of what it means to be human. Special lectures, colloquia, service projects, and field trips are all part of the honors experience.
Stephenson Center
We’re proud of our heritage and our home in the mountains. The rich culture of the region is the foundation of our values and instructs our ways of thinking. We recognize our history and turn to it often when making decisions for our future. The Stephenson Center for Appalachia sponsors campus wide events and dedicated course offerings to further these efforts.
As someone who is working in the field, we know your time is limited. Our affordable distance learning programs are designed with you in mind. Our coursework provides the knowledge and practical skills you need to advance in your field, while the flexible course structure allows you to study on a schedule that fits your life—you can even complete your coursework anytime or anywhere. Let us help you finished what you started.
With a per-credit-hour cost structure, our out-of-pocket costs are some of the lowest in the region. Most of our online programs feature start dates every eight weeks so you can start when it’s right for you. No matter what, we’ll have your back. All students can take advantage of our online tutoring and career service programs.
Graduate Studies
Advance your education 100% online with one of our three graduate programs. Our Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and Master of Healthcare Administration programs are designed to build on your knowledge and work experience and prepare you for new career opportunities. Lees-McRae alumni and professionals working in a relevant field are eligible for a 25% tuition discount for the Criminal Justice and Healthcare Administration programs. Students currently enrolled at Lees-McRae can choose to complete the MAT degree as a 4+1 program, completing some of their course work during their undergrad.
Master of Arts in Teaching
Master of Science in Criminal Justice
Master of Healthcare Administration