College of the Atlantic

Percentage of Students Who Graduate   Percentages are for full-time first-time bachelor's (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduate students who entered this institution in the summer or fall of 2013 and completed their degree at this institution by the fall of 2019.

COA students are often independent and self-directed. It is not unusual for a student to seek education, or a career beyond our offerings.

Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded Last Year*   This graphic represents the four majors in which the most bachelor's degrees were awarded between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020. The category of “All Others” is the sum of all the other majors earned at the institution in that year. Students with a double major will only be represented by the category of their first major.

COA offers one major: Human Ecology. But students concentrate in many fields: art, education, marine biology, international policy, climate change, creative writing, ornithology, psychology – more!

Number of Degrees Awarded in 2019   Numbers are for degrees awarded between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019. Bachelor’s: Bachelor’s degrees are any degrees that normally require at least four but not more than five years of full-time equivalent college-level work. This includes ALL bachelor’s degrees awarded in a five-year cooperative (work-study plan) program which provides for alternate class attendance and employment in business, industry, or government and thus allows students to combine actual work experience with their college studies. Also, it includes bachelor’s degrees in which the normal four years of work are completed in three years. Master’s: Master’s degrees require the successful completion of a program of study of at least the full-time equivalent of one but not more than two academic years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree. Some of these degrees, such as those in Theology (ex., M.Div., M.H.L./Rav) that were formerly classified as first-professional degrees, may require more than two full-time equivalent academic years of work. Doctoral Doctoral degrees are the highest award a student can earn for graduate study. There are three categories of Doctoral degrees:

• Doctor's degree-research/scholarship: Requires advanced work beyond the master's level, including the preparation and defense of a dissertation based on original research, or the planning and execution of an original project demonstrating substantial artistic or scholarly achievement.
• Doctor's degree-professional practice: A doctor's degree that is conferred upon completion of a program providing the knowledge and skills for the recognition, credential, or license required for professional practice. The degree is awarded after a period of study such that the total time to the degree, including both pre-professional and professional preparation, equals at least six full-time equivalent academic years. Some of these degrees were formerly classified as first-professional and may include: Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); Dentistry (D.D.S. OR D.M.D.); Law (L.L.B. or J.D.); Medicine (M.D.); Optometry (O.D.); Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.); Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); Podiatry (D.P.M., Pod.D., D.P.); or, Vetrinary Medicine (D.V.M.), and others, as designated by the awarding institution.
• Doctor's degree-other: A doctor's degree that does not meet the definition of a doctor's degree-research/scholarship or a doctor's degree-professional practice.

Faculty Information   Student Faculty Ratio: Ratios are for full-time equivalent students to full-time equivalent instructional faculty for the fall of 2019. Full-time equivalent equals all the full-time individuals plus one-third of the part-time individuals. Faculty and students in stand-alone graduate programs such as medicine, law, veterinary, dentistry, social work, business, or public health in which faculty teach virtually only graduate level students are not included in the ratio calculations. Undergraduate or graduate student teaching assistants are not included as faculty. Full-Time Faculty with Highest Degree: Full-time instructional faculty in the fall of 2019 who held a doctorate, first professional, or the highest degree available in their field. Instructional faculty is defined as those members of the instructional-research staff whose major regular assignment is instruction, including those with released time for research.

Undergraduate Class Size   Undergraduate Class Size:This table reports on the number of classes by class size that was offered in the fall of 2019. Number of Classes:This is the number of classes per semester. A class is an organized course offered for credit, and not a subsection such as a laboratory or discussion section. Not included in this table is distance learning classes, noncredit classes, individual instruction such as thesis research and music instruction, independent studies, co-operative programs, internships, foreign language taped tutor sessions, practicums, and all students in one-on-one classes.