This Is Masters

The Masters School is a college preparatory school recognized for its powerful and transformative approach to education. Masters is distinguished by its use of the Harkness method of teaching around a singular, oval table. Our challenging academic program encourages students to take healthy risks and push themselves to reach their full potential.

 

The principle behind teaching around the Harkness table is to engage students in the learning process. They are inspired to prepare thoroughly, participate daily, solve problems collaboratively, explore divergent ideas, and lead class discussions. In this way, students take an active role in and responsibility for their own learning. Masters students develop outstanding skills and the confidence to write and speak with clarity and nuance.

The Masters School faculty have developed a rich and varied curriculum that sets high expectations for independent thought, participatory engagement and careful reflection about the purpose and meaning of student learning. Each discipline is further enhanced by the Harkness method.

 

Masters is proud of its talented faculty — with 77% having advanced degrees, an average tenure exceeding eight years and all serving as student advisors. Sixty percent of the faculty live on campus, serving as dorm parents, dorm directors and members of the weekend team. Masters teachers are approachable and available. Faculty members develop supportive, guiding relationships with their students in the classroom, studio, and dorm as well as on the field, court and stage.

At Masters, boarding is all about choice. Students in our five-day boarding program pair the benefits of boarding during the week — full-time access to faculty and school resources, and an inclusive community of fellow boarders — with the convenience of going home on the weekends. 
 
Students in our seven-day boarding program have a fully immersive experience that includes a variety of weekend activities. Whether it’s heading into New York City for a Broadway show, hiking the Hudson Valley, or taking in a movie at the local theater, weekends at Masters are filled with ways to explore and have fun. 


 

The College Counseling Office takes a personalized approach to helping students make informed educational choices, become experts on the college search process, and advocate for themselves. Counselors recognize the importance of helping students articulate their interests and skills, examine their personality and aspirations, and link these to their choice of colleges and universities. Masters graduates matriculate at a broad range of schools, including the most selective institutions in the nation and abroad.

The Ethical Leadership Program cultivates an environment in which students, faculty and staff engage in activities that develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the impact they have on the world around them. Using a variety of approaches, including self-reflection, current event discussions and team-building activities, students begin the deep work of figuring out who they are, and are empowered to pursue lives of purpose.

The Global and Civic Exchange Program inspires students to engage with and understand the critical issues facing today’s world, as well as prepares them for the wider, more complicated world ahead. Through conversations and experiential travel, students’ current views of the world will be challenged and expanded upon.

The Innovation, Engineering and Computer Science Program aims to cultivate ingenuity by challenging students to think, strategize and problem-solve creatively. We offer programs on Design Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship, Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics and more. Our goal is to encourage students to think, do and make. We foster a cross-disciplinary, entrepreneurial thought process, while developing skills, ideas and character traits.

Both athletes and artists thrive at Masters. 

We believe physical activity should play an important role in one’s health and well-being, and we know that participation in sports teaches students lessons in leadership, teamwork and humility. Whether the goal is to compete at the college level or to try a sport for fun, our experienced and passionate coaches create an environment in which all our students thrive.

Across a variety of mediums and in a wide range of settings, from ensemble pieces to technical art, students can try their hand at performance and/or visual art. Our courses offer students the ability to gain a deep understanding of perspectives in production, theory and history where students develop the creativity, imagination and skill to practice art as a means of self-expression. The faculty are professional artists, and our students take full advantage of New York City’s cultural resources to complement their classroom work.

 

During WinterMission, a schoolwide interdisciplinary program, students and teachers engage in collaborative, experiential learning.

The program’s goal is to give students the opportunity to consider new subjects, skills and ideas that are connected to the School’s mission “to be a power for good in the world.” The four-day program in January takes the place of regularly scheduled classes. Students enroll in one or two of over 50 different offerings.

Located just 12 miles north of Manhattan, and only a short train ride to Grand Central Terminal, we utilize the museums, landmarks, universities and more in New York City to expand students’ educational experience. From enjoying the latest Broadway show and visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art to cheering for the Yankees, there is no limit to what the city has to offer.

Seven days a week, The Masters School’s 96-acre campus overlooking the Hudson River is alive with activity and possibilities. We take full advantage of our proximity to New York City as well as the natural landscapes that surround us — it is indisputably the best of both worlds.