Upside-Down Curriculum
Champlain emphasizes practical, hands-on learning early and often. Our Upside-Down Curriculum gets you into major-specific classes early in your college career allowing you to practice your skills often through multiple internships and cooperative experiences.
Our academic approach is unconventional. In fact, it’s Upside-Down.
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How does the Upside-Down curriculum work?
At Champlain College, you jump right into classes for your major from day one. This is what we call the “Upside-Down” approach.
If you’re interested in Computer Science, you’ll start coding and building software in your very first year. Or if you choose Business Administration, your first semester will include practical courses like business law, marketing, and entrepreneurship. By your second semester, you’ll already be taking management, economics, and international business classes¡ªplus you’ll complete a business internship over the summer.
Every major at Champlain College works this way. When you look through our different majors, you’ll notice that you begin with career-focused courses right away. As you move through your program, your classes become more specialized¡ªsome are even similar to what you’d normally find in graduate programs.
This “Upside-Down” approach helps you build real skills for your future career from the start of your college experience.
Benefits of the Upside-Down Curriculum
Intern as early as your first year
Imagine having the skills, knowledge, and credentials to land paid internships that most other students wouldn¡¯t qualify for until after their junior year. By the end of your first year at Champlain, you¡¯ll be ready to take on a professional internship experience.
Why stop at one internship?
Many Champlain students complete multiple internships, and some have even finished as many as eight to ten before graduation. This means you¡¯ll be actively building your r¨¦sum¨¦ with real-world experience while gaining a deeper understanding of your chosen field.
Test-drive your interests
Think of this like a “try before you buy” approach. We hope you’ll love your major, of course! But by diving in right away, you’ll know much sooner if it’s really right for you.
Not sure what you want to study yet? Don’t worry. The Upside-Down Curriculum gives you chances to explore different subjects before making your final decision.
of students over the last six years who completed at least one internship during their time at Champlain College.
students who completed an international internship in 2023-24, that’s nearly 25% of all study abroad experiences.
Since 2013, the Freeman Foundation Grant has financially supported approximately 150 Champlain students interning in Asia.
Having business classes from the beginning of my first year helped me gauge pretty quickly how interested I was in each aspect of the business world and ultimately helped me decide what I was interested in pursuing as a minor.
“Champlain is a pioneer of the Upside-Down Curriculum. Undergraduates can take as many as six classes in their majors during their first year [which] allows them to build a resume of professional skills and credentials and obtain work-related internships after their first year. ”
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More Inside Our Learning Approach
Upside-Down Curriculum
Champlain emphasizes practical, hands-on learning early and often. Our Upside-Down Curriculum gets you into major-specific classes early in your college career allowing you to practice your skills often through multiple internships and cooperative experiences.
General Education
Champlain¡¯s applied General Education speaks directly to your degree and career goals while building your worldview through hands-on projects, community partnerships, and real-world problem-solving experiences.
Experiential Learning
Get hands-on experience at Champlain College through internships, co-ops, study abroad, and studio projects. Start your career from day one.
InSight Program
Success is about more than landing a great job. It's also about living your best life! Get ready to cultivate the skills and knowledge you need to grow and thrive for a lifetime.