Questions about values—what we consider good, beautiful, just, or true—have a claim on all of us. ECLA of Bard seeks to put such questions at the heart of its programmes. They are centered on core courses in intellectual history, which explore the key texts, debates and interconnections of the disciplines of the humanities, and the social and natural sciences. Concentration seminars and elective courses allow greater specialization in particular fields, and offer an introduction to the foundational methods and historical overviews relevant for specific disciplines.

ECLA of Bard programmes and courses are based on the awareness that fundamental problems in human history (the question of how to build a better society; the issue of aims and uses of scientific research; the function of art and its future) have recurred in a variety of forms and contexts, and involve all areas of intellectual and creative endeavor. The core courses explore the links between mathematics and philosophy, political economy and literature, scientific inquiry and political theory, painting and music, as well as providing a comprehensive examination of some of the most important cultural legacies of Europe and the world.

The ECLA of Bard educational experience is concerned to foster the total development of individual knowledge: the capacity to perceive the links between distinctive manifestations of intellectual activity, and to understand the meanings and purposes that have guided its progress. Learning at ECLA of Bard takes place in an international community on a residential campus, and is organized around small-group teaching formats.  It includes a rich variety of extra-curricular elements, from events and projects organized by students, to conversations with guest speakers, and lectures and excursions in the city of Berlin. Overall, the programmes and their related social and cultural components aim to cultivate excellent communication skills, in speaking and writing, preparedness for specialist training in any field or career, and to create citizens who are engaged with the environment around them, equipped to ask critical questions about its shape and norms, and to contribute productively to its transformation.