About Fairhaven College

A Small College within a University

two people playing saxaphone and trombone together

Fairhaven College is the interdisciplinary, liberal arts college of Western Washington University. We are a small learning community where students take an uncommon degree of responsibility for the direction of their own education.

Fairhaven students can design their own degrees by drawing from the resources at Fairhaven College and the larger university.

Interdisciplinary Study

In Fairhaven College courses, students develop critical thinking skills while making connections between several academic disciplines.

Read about how the concentration works in The Interdisciplinary Concentration

See interdisciplinary study in action in Current Course Descriptions

Read about how our students design their own education in Student Profiles

Seminar Classes

Students of diverse identities, experiences, and ideologies learn interactively in our seminar-style classes of 15-20 students.

Read about our faculty in Faculty Profiles

Intensive Advising

All full-time faculty members are academic advisors supported by professional staff and supplemented by student peer mentors.

Theory & Practice

Join theory with practice in both local and international contexts. Students apply what they learn through independent study, internships and experientially-based learning activities.

Narrative Evaluation

Faculty respond to student narrative evaluations, replacing letter grades and forming an "academic autobiography" of growth and learning with depth and individuality.

World Issues Forum

Thought provoking educational opportunities that support an informed and engaged global citizenry. See upcoming lectures.

Center for Law, Diversity & Justice

CLDJ supports the work of students, faculty and community members on issues of Law, Diversity & Justice.

American Cultural Studies

Study identities and societies through issues of race/ ethnicity, social and cultural theory, social economic class, gender and sexual orientation through a major or minor in American Cultural Studies.

The Outback Farm

The Outback Farm is five acre student-run site at the south end of Fairhaven College which teaches, develops and implements sustainable growing and land use methods.

Adventure Learning Grant

$25,000 stipend awarded annually to 3 students to travel abroad, enriching their education with intellectual risk, challenge, and adventure.