Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private, four-year liberal arts college located in the beautiful Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania. The College took its present name in 1867 from Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, patriarch of the Lutheran Church in the American Colonies. Muhlenberg aims to help students become independent critical thinkers who are intellectually agile, characterized by a zest for reasoned and civil debate, knowledgeable about the achievements and traditions of diverse civilizations and cultures, able to express ideas with clarity and grace, committed to life-long learning, equipped with ethical and civic values and prepared for lives of leadership and service. The College offers 40 majors in the humanities, fine arts, social sciences and natural sciences, in addition to strong pre-professional programs in such areas as pre-health, pre-law, pre-theology, business and education. Muhlenberg affords its students an unusual degree of freedom and responsibility, both within the academic program and in campus life. The Muhlenberg experience is characterized by a deep sense of community and connection, intense student-faculty relationships and collaboration; small classes; passionate teaching and active learning; and powerful outcomes in terms of graduate school and entry-level career placement.