The University of Massachusetts Amherst is part of the Five Colleges Consortium, with Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, and Hampshire colleges. The Consortium’s governing body, Five Colleges, Incorporated, fosters cooperation among the institutions, including sharing faculty and facilities, and running educational programs.
Classes, clubs, concerts, and dining available to students on their home campus are often open to students from the other Five College campuses.
- If a class on another campus is perfect for your major or simply sounds intriguing, chances are, it's available for you to enroll in; just talk to your advisor.
- If you're enrolled in a class on another campus, or just want to check another campus out—ride the bus! The PVTA is free, and runs regularly to each campus, to area downtowns, and the mall.
- If you're on a meal plan at your home campus and are taking a course on another campus at mealtime, you can arrange to eat at that campus as part of your plan.
- Most clubs and extracurriculars open to students on their home campuses are open to all Five College students. Just check with the group you're interested in joining.
Since 2012, the Five College Consortium has sponsored an Advanced Studio Seminar. All five Art Departments collaborate to bring students this specialized and intensive course. Three art students, nominated by faculty, from each of the colleges, participate in the yearly class. Each year, the rotating host institution appoints an instructor, who works with the students, utilizing a predetermined set of concepts and ideas to be realized in all possible media. The course culminates in an exhibition hosted by one of the institutions each fall semester.