The liberal education we offer at the college is not for the faint of heart: the journey to freedom— intellectual and spiritual freedom—is a high calling. But no one at the college undertakes this journey alone. We support one another within and beyond the classroom as we seek to become fully human and fully free.
Dialogue is a key animating principle of community life at Magdalen College. Together, students and teachers are engaged in a common search for wisdom. Students enter into a dialogue with the books they read and with each other within a curriculum oriented toward the fundamental questions of life. As a community we seek wisdom in solidarity.
At the beginning of the junior year, each student declares a major – theology, philosophy, literature, political science or great books. While continuing the humanities sequence of courses, students focus on a particular discipline, extending their enquiry through dialogue and the close reading of primary sources within their majors.
Through the Junior Project students have the opportunity to spend one academic year reading the works of a single author of their choosing from within their major discipline. As Juniors consider key critical works about these authors and their writings, they share this deeper knowledge with their peers.
During their final year at the college, seniors have the opportunity to write a thesis and introduce the fruit of their labor to their peers and members of the faculty through a sustained presentation and discussion of their work.
Beauty is experienced in and out of the classroom at Magdalen College. The “Arts of the Beautiful” program encourages students to visit museums, attend plays and concerts, and enjoy the arts as a community. Trips are planned throughout each semester with free or reduced ticket prices.
Students at Magdalen College also have the opportunity to grow in their personal ability to sing while participating in the beauty of sacred music. The all-college choir unifies students across years while bringing glory to God. Studio art and iconography are also available to students.
Within the Philosophy and Humanities sequence, students take up the philosophy of art as it is expressed through Josef Pieper’s Leisure the Basis of Culture and Etienne Gilson’s The Arts of the Beautiful. In turn, they bring this understanding to bear on musical and visual works from the early medieval period through the twentieth century, integrating this knowledge with their studies of literature, philosophy, theology, and politics. Students who wish to pursue these studies further may adopt the Fine Arts Concentration and take a course devoted to the Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics.
Happy Michaelmas! In honor of the Feast of the Archangels, we are pleased to share the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, sung by the Magdalen community at today’s Mass.

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Wednesday evenings are for Adoration at Magdalen.
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Several Magdalen students met Bishop Barron during his recent trip to Harvard University! They resonated deeply with his appreciation of the Catholic intellectual tradition, the subject of his address at Harvard‘s Memorial Church.
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What a gift he is to our Catholic Church! I am happy for you, Mary Grace🙏🏻🕊
What is a Catholic approach to alcohol? Listen to the latest episode of Magdalen‘s “From the Summit” podcast for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Jared Staudt on fasting, feasting, friendship … and drinking for the glory of God. Listen at magdalen.edu/about/podcast.
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Magdalen students welcomed students from Dartmouth College for a brunch and hike up Mt. Kearsarge. Thanks to Fr. Timothy Danaher (Director of Aquinas House at Dartmouth) and Fr. Ethan Moore for celebrating Mass on top of the mountain. 
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That’s cool
Magdalen celebrated its first Oxford-style Formal Hall of the year. With a purple/pink sunset decorating the sky outside, students sang Palestrina’s “Sicut Cervus” and listened to a fascinating presentation on Galileo’s trial. A truly stimulating evening!

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Students will have the opportunity to take one of the following courses for college credit. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and consider whether they might like to pursue that academic discipline as a potential college major. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Theology of the Body: The Deeper Meaning of Love, Sex, and Marriage (1 credit) – Dr. Ryan Messmore
THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL
When it comes to romantic relationships and marriage, today’s culture is awash in confusion. The Church calls people to see a deeper meaning to sexual desire and marriage. But what is that, and how can it be pursued in modern times? Saint Pope John Paul II has provided valuable teaching in this area. Along with his “Theology of the Body,” this course will explore the nature of love, the meaning of betrothal and marriage, and sexual ethics from a Christian perspective. Class discussions will be theological and philosophical as well as practical.
Philosophy & Humanities: Friendship in Western Culture (1 credit) – Dr. Brian FitzGerald and Dr. Erik Van Versendaal
THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL
One of the most important features of human experience is friendship. Drawing on the great books of Western culture in literature, history, philosophy, and theology, from Aristotle and St. Augustine to Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis, this course will reflect on the nature of friendship across the centuries. Why do we need friends? What makes a good one? What are some obstacles to friendship? What happens as friends grow and mature in different ways?
Christ in Scripture (1 credit) – Deacon Karl Cooper
THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” In this course we will seek to meet and understand Christ as he presents himself in all the Scriptures. We will read, discuss, enjoy, and pray through the most crucial texts, and focus our work on the living and present Christ.
$395.00 USD
Tuition includes room and board. The purchase of a book may be required for some classes. Students should bring spending money for off-campus trips.
Students will have the opportunity to take one of the following courses for college credit. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and consider whether they might like to pursue that academic discipline as a potential college major. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Physics: Understanding Boomerangs, Billiard Balls, and Balance Beam Routines (1 credit) – Mr. John Klucinec
THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL
This course explores the laws of motion as described by Galileo and Newton by reading and discussing these authors and through classroom experiments. Students will gain an understanding of physics in concrete phenomena through studying air flight, fluid dynamics, the aerodynamics of the boomerang, the motion of billiard balls, and the physics of gymnastics and diving.
Poetry and Politics in the Western Tradition (1 credit) – Dr. Mary Mumbach
THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL
This course will examine poetic form and political form in the tradition of the West. Students will explore, in particular, how the Incarnation shapes the roles of imagination, prudence, and the heroic in literature and political philosophy. Readings in poetry, fiction, and American Founding documents will be considered.
Moral Philosophy: How Do We Make the Right Decisions? (1 credit) – Rev. Fr. Stephen Rocker
THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL
Natural law morality and utilitarianism are incompatible frameworks of moral reasoning, yet elements of both are mixed in the public mind. Catholic moral teaching and the Western system of law are grounded in natural law. This course will present these two moral frameworks and apply them to moral issues.
$395.00 USD
Tuition includes room and board. The purchase of a book may be required for some classes. Students should bring spending money for off-campus trips.