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The logos and wordmarks of the five colleges in the Five College system

Taking Advantage of the Five Colleges

Students have access to 10 museums and a library system with more than 11 million items. More than 30,000 students take advantage of cross-registration opportunities for 6,000 courses. The Five College Consortium offers more than a dozen specialized certificate programs and four shared majors, as well as numerous collaborative clubs and projects. A free bus system connects the five campuses.

Academic Support

With the Five College Consortium, students have access to a broad and diverse set of courses. To decide on each semester's course load, Amherst students work closely with faculty advisers who are knowledgeable and helpful about Five College courses. Amherst students can take up to half of their courses at the other four colleges.

Programs and Certificates

Amherst students can participate in Five College certificate programs and various shared majors. The consortium also has four centers for specialized study: The Center for Crossroads in the Study of the Americas, the Center for East Asian Studies, the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages and the Five College Women’s Study Research Center.

Building Community

Most clubs, intramural sports and extracurricular activities on the Five College campuses are open to all Five College students. The Five College Calendar of Events includes events from all five campuses that are open to the public. Each campus also has an events calendar. Food is another great way to build community: Amherst students who are taking a course on another campus at mealtime can always arrange to eat on that campus.

Transportation

Anyone who enrolls in a class on another campus, or who just wants to check out another campus, can easily ride the bus. During the academic year, the buses are free and run regularly to each campus, area downtowns and local shopping areas.


Certificates

African Studies 
Asian/Pacific/American Studies
Buddhist Studies
Coastal and Marine Sciences
Culture, Health, and Science
Ethnomusicology
Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice
International Relations
Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies
Logic
Middle Eastern Studies
Native American and Indigenous Studies
Queer and Sexuality Studies
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES)
Sustainability Studies

Two other certificate programs are available to other members of the Five College community, but have not been approved by Amherst College: 

Departments and Shared Majors

In addition, while Amherst does not participate in the Five College Film Studies major, many Amherst students take part in activities of the Five College Film Program, including an annual student film festival and conference.

Also, the Five Colleges share four centers for specialized study:

Centers