Summer Session

Bucknell University provides six and eight-week summer sessions offering regular Bucknell courses and off-campus study courses. The summer session serves both undergraduate and graduate students who choose to take summer courses to enrich their educational experience or to accelerate their degree progress at Bucknell or elsewhere.

Bucknell’s summer session offers courses across the curriculum. Students who are working toward degrees or certification are advised to consult with their advisers to determine which summer courses most appropriately meet their needs. Students also are encouraged to explore new interests and to develop new skills and areas of expertise that will serve them well in any career path or interest pursuit. One of Bucknell’s goals is to provide the means for fostering the growth and development of a lifelong commitment to learning.

College of Arts & Sciences

The College of Arts & Sciences offers courses across its divisions: in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and mathematics. Courses are available at introductory and advanced levels. Many departments also will arrange independent study courses.

College of Engineering

The College of Engineering offers a number of regular courses, including at least one general course in engineering science. Students with specific needs for work in engineering during the summer should consult with their advisers or chairs of the appropriate departments.

Freeman College of Management

The Freeman College of Management offers a number of regular courses, including the Summer Management Institute during the summer term. The Bucknell Summer Management Institute is an immersive residential program where students from the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Engineering explore the basic principles of management. Students who complete the institute and other minor requirements are eligible for a minor in management. 

Independent Study

Most departments in all three colleges offer independent study or special project courses that permit students, in consultation with members of the faculty, to develop a course of study tailored to their individual needs. Arrangements for such courses should be made as early as possible to ensure that a faculty member willing to direct the student’s study will be available during the summer.