Dream of a place where global citizens gather. That place is Bard College Berlin. This private non-profit college began in 1999. It started as ECLA which stood for European College of Liberal Arts. Stephan Gutzeit led its founding. Many scholars and entrepreneurs helped. They wanted a different kind of higher education.
Bard College Berlin offers a unique education. It focuses on the liberal arts. Students come from all over the world. The courses are taught in English. Qualifying students earn both an American and a German B.A. degree. It is one of the only liberal arts colleges in Europe. Bard College Berlin is part of the Open Society University Network.
Initially, Bard College Berlin offered a six-week International Summer University. Later, it added two one-year programs. These were the Academy Year and the Project Year. In 2009, a four-year Bachelor of Arts program began. It focused on Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought. In 2011, ECLA merged with Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, USA. It then became Bard College Berlin. In 2014, a B.A. program in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought was introduced.
Bard College Berlin provides several academic programs. Students can enroll in a B.A. degree. They can also choose a one-semester or one-year program. The college helps with internships and practical training. It has connections with Berlin’s cultural life. Four-year students can choose from three pathways. These include economics, politics, social thought, humanities, the arts, and artistic practice and society.
The college has special programs. One is the Program for International Education and Social Change (PIESC). This program helps students from crisis areas get a liberal arts education. In 2022, Bard College Berlin announced tuition scholarships. These were for sixty displaced Ukrainian students.
Bard College Berlin offers an immersion in intellectual history. It covers ancient Greece to the present. Students concentrate on philosophy, economics, politics, literature, art history, film, theater, and studio arts. Study of German is offered at all levels. Students must reach a B1 level before graduating. Martha Nussbaum says the college makes the liberal arts idea a reality.
Bard College Berlin also offers special programs. These include Arts and Society in Berlin and Begin in Berlin. A Summer Theater Intensive is offered every summer. Students from Bard College and other American colleges study abroad here.
Bard College Berlin is in Pankow-Niederschönhausen. Most buildings were designed in 1966. They used to be embassies of countries in GDR. These included Egypt, Cuba, and Nigeria. Recent campus expansions include Henry Koerner Hall. This is apartment-style student housing. New apartment-style student housing and study facilities were built too.
The college is integrated into its neighborhood. Locals often attend lectures, talks, and exhibitions. Bard College Berlin continues to evolve. It provides a unique educational experience. It prepares students for a global future.