The Gettysburg Approach

The Gettysburg Approach is A Consequential Education in practice: a renewed and intensive focus on how we deliver our signature undergraduate experience. Designed to benefit the whole student, throughout the entirety of their life and career, the Gettysburg Approach builds within every student a breadth and depth of knowledge and set of enduring skills—cultivated both inside and outside of the classroom—that will prepare them for a lifetime of career advancement and personal success.

 

How the Gettysburg Approach Works

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A breadth and depth of knowledge through a rigorous education in the liberal arts and sciences.

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The development and deepening of enduring skills most valued by employers.

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360 degrees of advising from a Personal Advising Team.

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High-impact learning experiences situated within Guided Pathways.

Knowledge

The first anchor in the Gettysburg Approach is to provide students with a breadth and depth of knowledge through a rigorous and contemporary education in the liberal arts and sciences. Our world-class faculty brings to life the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, ensuring that Gettysburg students are exposed to viewpoints across disciplines, and they gain a nuanced understanding of the human experience. Every Gettysburg College student will enhance their capacity for action, grow as effective leaders and socially responsible citizens, and develop the capacity to pursue knowledge throughout their lifetime.

Responding to the Preparedness Gap

In 2021, The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) released a study titled How College Contributes to Workforce Success: Employer Views on What Matters Most. The survey identified a preparedness gap: a divide between the importance employers place on specific skills in the workforce and their assessment of a college graduate’s readiness to effectively execute those skills.

Employers said that while college graduates are prepared to succeed in entry-level positions, only half view today’s college graduates as having the necessary skills to be promoted.

The Gettysburg Approach responds to this preparedness gap by equipping our graduates with the knowledge and skills that are most desired by employers today.

Guaranteed Career-Ready Experience

Through our rigorous curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences and the Guided Pathways, Gettysburg College guarantees every student a Career-Ready Experience, so they can apply the knowledge and skills they’ve gained at Gettysburg out in the world and enhance their effectiveness in the workplace upon graduation.

The Gettysburg Approach empowers students to emerge as career-ready graduates, equipped with a foundation of expansive knowledge and the enduring skills most valued by employers. 

The Gettysburg Approach guarantees our graduates enter the workplace ready for their first job and for every job after, throughout entirety of their careers. This central commitment is why Gettysburg College ranks in the top 1% nationwide among liberal arts colleges for 40-year return on investment, according to The Georgetown University Center on Education & the Workforce ROI Study: ROI of Liberal Arts Colleges.

Gettysburg College is a community of doers—and doers Do Great Work.

A Proven Approach

Our emphasis on enduring skill-building has proven successful for generations of Gettysburgians. For nearly 200 years, Gettysburg College graduates have excelled in a wide range of work and service, and have made positive contributions to organizations and communities worldwide.

Gettysburg graduates outperform peers

A survey of 200 employers said that Gettysburg graduates possess and outperform their peers in what employers define as the must-have career skills:

The Gettysburg Approach in the News

Explore media coverage and stories that illuminate the strengths of the Gettysburg Approach.


A Consequential Education in Practice

The Gettysburg Approach: Live a consequential life

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