For students who wish to deepen their understanding of European civilization and strengthen their command of cultural interpretation through interdisciplinary investigation, the Program in European Cultural Studies offers innovative seminars, excursions, and a senior thesis colloquium.
ECS welcomes students with a concentration in any department and does not place any restrictions on independent work. Our current students and recent graduates have concentrated in engineering, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We encourage our certificate students to pursue significant international experiences over the summers and for a semester or more of an academic year. Many ECS students study abroad and receive credit towards the certificate for courses taken during their time away from Princeton.
There are no formal pre-requisites for enrollment in any ECS course or for admission to the certificate program. Students normally join the program by the fall of the junior year, but it is possible to complete the certificate with relative ease beginning in the spring of the junior year. Early application during the sophomore year is an especially good idea for those planning to study abroad during the junior year. Students wishing to join the program in the fall semester of the senior year should contact the director before the end of that semester’s add/drop period.
