Sweet Briar recognized for excellent business, education and engineering programs with solid liberal arts foundation

A business seminar at Sweet Briar


Sweet Briar College has been recognized by Colleges of Distinction for its excellent programming in business, education and engineering — while enhancing those programs with a strong liberal arts foundation.

“Sweet Briar College continues to be an outstanding representation of the teaching-centered colleges that we believe provide the elements crucial for student development and an effective undergraduate education,” wrote Wes Creel, founder of Colleges of Distinction. “As a College of Distinction, Sweet Briar College is actively preparing the next generation of young adults with a successful delivery of our four distinctions — engagement, teaching, community and outcomes.

“In addition to such an impressive implementation of high-impact practices, Sweet Briar College has enriched professional programs with a stellar foundation in the liberal arts. Sweet Briar College not only engages competent future employees in business, education and engineering, but also inspires them to be critical thinkers with unique, well-rounded insight.”

Sweet Briar is among a select group of colleges and universities profiled on the college finder website. Since 2000, Colleges of Distinction has been a trusted resource for more than 40,000 guidance counselors across the United States, thousands of parents and students, and hundreds of colleges and universities. In evaluating schools, Colleges of Distinction asks the question, “What colleges are the best places to learn, to grow, and to succeed?”

To be designated a “college of distinction,” a school’s curriculum must emphasize core competencies such as critical thinking, writing, oral skills, research and global perspectives. Dynamic out-of-classroom learning and study-abroad programs also have to be part of a school’s offerings. While Colleges of Distinction’s process is objective, in-depth and qualitative, quantitative data such as class-size statistics and faculty-to-student ratio, as well as retention and four-year graduation rates, are also taken into account.