in physical education. Randolph–Macon is considered to be the first college in the South to offer English as a full discipline and to develop biology as a distinct study. Its computer science department is one of the oldest in the country associated with a liberal arts school; in the 1960s, when the program was established, many academics believed computer science to be more appropriate for a commercial trade or secretarial school than a traditional four-year institution.
Since 1923, the college has been home to the Zeta of Virginia chapter of Phi Beta Kappa society, the nation's oldest academic honor society. Chi Beta Phi, the national science honorary society, was founded at Randolph–Macon in 1916.
== Academics ==
Randolph–Macon offers two undergraduate degrees: the bachelor of arts and the bachelor of science. All students must satisfy the general collegiate curriculum, which requires them to take courses in each of the college's "Areas of Knowledge": civilizations, arts and literature, natural and social …
