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Since the arrival of President Harry V. Masters at Albright there has been an overwhelming academic growth. In the fall of 1939, with war in Europe, the Civil Aeronautics authority sponsored an aviation school among the Albright students. With America at war, Albright College was the site of the Seventh College Training Detachment (Air Crew) of the Army Air Corps. In March 1943 there were 200 enlisted men on campus who were instructed in military training by members of the army staff, and in mathematics, physics, history, geography, and English by the college faculty. Due to the decreased enrollment of the college and the loss of instructors to military service there were few major changes in Albright's academic program. However, at the close of the war, a program was initiated in conjunction with Reading Hospital School of Nursing whereby a young woman could earn both a bachelor's degree and her R.N. in five years. The first two years were to be spent at the college and the last three years at the hospital. Survey Courses Now there was a tendency toward survey courses in the Albright curriculum. The first is Natural Science Fundamentals, a general introduction (without laboratory work) in the natural sciences, open to all non-science majors. The second is Social Science Fundamentals, which does the same thing for sociology, political science, and economics; it is required of nearly all students. The third is History of Western Civilization offered in place of the traditional European History course. Engineers Introduced In 1953 two new cooperative programs were announced. One was a five year liberal arts engineering program in which a student spends his first three years at Albright and two more years at Bucknell University, the University of Pennsylvania, or Pennsylvania State University. He receives his liberal arts degree from Albright and the appropriate engineering degree from the other institution at teh end of the five years. Similar to this is a five year program in forestry with Duke University which leads to a liberal arts degree from Albright and the mastery of forestry from Duke. In the same year, a curriculum in Christian Education was announced, designed for those who wish to serve as parish workers, pastors' secretaries, or directors of Christian Education. Social work has been added to the sociology curriculum giving the student practical experience and training by working in a public or private agency. Seminars Two relatively new ideas which have been added to the long list of Albright advantages are seminars and honors work; the former constitutes outside research and work meeting with the professor once a week to present articles which have been done. The latter constitutes the student working alone then meeting one hour a week with his professor. Off Campus Study Off campus study is offered the junior year student through two programs the first is an opportunity to study during the spring semester at the American University in Washington, D. C. and the second is an opportunity to spend the entire Junior year abroad in study under a program administered by an accredited American college or university.
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