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"I enter into conversation and argument with great freedom and ease, inasmuch as opinion finds in me a soil into which it cannot readily penetrate and take root. No propositions astonish me, no belief offends me, however contrary it may be to my own."

~ Michel de Montaigne


"The goods of the mind are information, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. We seek these goods not just in order to live, but in order to live well."

~ Mortimer J. Adler

Our Degree Programs…

Harrison Middleton University believes that students should be able to study the subjects that interest them. In applying this philosophy to all degree programs, the university has found that students tend to stay interested and become more successful in their studies because they are invested in the outcome of their personally designed program of study.

Students are encouraged to be creative in the design of the program of study for their chosen degree program. When students design their program of study, they are asked to carefully review the 102 Great Ideas listed in the Syntopicons of the Great Books of the Western World. By perusing the Great Ideas, and skimming the Great Idea(s) introductory essay(s), students can begin to explore those topics that interest them. In the two volumes of the Syntopicon, there are nearly 3,000 topics parceled out among 102 Great Ideas. In addition, the Inventory of Terms contains about 2,000 topic suggestions and concepts.

A core student designed program consists of twenty-four (24) to thirty (30) credit hours in the concentrations of imaginative literature, natural science, philosophy and religion, or social science. The general education requirements for the associate degree program and bachelor's degree programs are identical.

Students design their program of study as the culminating assignment in their first course, The Great Conversation: The Cornerstone Course, with the guidance of their Mentor. Students at Harrison Middleton University are enrolled in and complete one course at a time. Each course needs to be completed within sixteen weeks. Student courses will each consist of a series of telephone discussions and an end of course essay.

The university understands that learning comes from life experiences as well as academic studies and students are encouraged to be creative in the design of their Capstone Course, which is the culminating experience at the university. The Capstone Course allows a student to demonstrate her or his knowledge of the authors, ideas, topics, and subtopics studies in the degree program. A student is encouraged to design a unique project which might include writing a novel or series of short stories, creating a form of artwork, pedagogical training, or writing a substantial essay based on fieldwork.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of a degree program at Harrison Middleton University, graduates will have designed, implemented, and completed a self-directed liberal arts program of study. They will have achieved the ability to think critically about major ideas in western thought and to engage in discussion about fundamental questions of human existence. All degree programs at the university are designed to help the student develop lifelong critical, analytical, synthetic, and problem solving skills through discussion and essay writing. Specifically, university graduates will be able to construct logical, coherent, and well supported verbal and written arguments; to engage analytically and critically with issues and ideas; and to recognize textual ambiguity and theoretical complexity.