Major/Minor
Pre-Law
Many majors support legal fields, including (but not limited to) Political Science, History, and Psychology. Courses cultivate problem-solving proficiency, critical reading, articulate writing, and effective oral communication. Gustavus's strong academics and faculty mentorship have launched generations of lawyers and legal careers.
Signature Experience
It’s time to reimagine higher education and refocus on building the skills and understanding you’ll need to take on whatever challenges lie ahead. The Gustavus Signature Experience (SigX) is that change.
- Guaranteed experiential learning chosen by you
- The edge you’ll need for your résumé
- Personalized guidance and mentorship
- Up to $3,000 in additional aid for your SigX
Transfer Student Admission
Gustavus transfer admission is free and holistic. Test‑optional applicants with ≥2.4 GPA are accepted with up to 64 credits, with merit scholarships up to $40,000 per year. Learn more here.
Our People
Sarah Erickson-Lume
Sarah Erickson Lume grew up near Ann Arbor, MI and had the privilege of spending summers at the international music camp, Interlochen Center for the Arts. This experience instilled in her the love of music making and she began to cultivate the artistic discipline of practicing, rehearsing, and performing within the context of a supportive community. Valuing a liberal arts education, she attended Sarah Lawrence College, outside of New York City while continuing to study oboe with Laura Ahlbeck (Metropolitan Opera) and Randall Wolfgang (New York City Ballet).
Sarah worked at NYC’s Carnegie Hall before entering graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University, where she was the student of her most influential teacher, Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida (Principal Oboist of the Pittsburgh Symphony). While pursuing a master’s degree in music performance, her momentum flourished both as a musician and as a reed maker. The Philadelphia style of reed making, and the resulting benefits to the oboist, is a specialty she now passes on to her own students. During this time, Sarah also attended Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, and Orford Music Festival, in Quebec.
Her work in the Twin Cities includes chamber music and freelance performances as well as previous work with the Duluth Symphony Orchestra, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, and Minnesota Waldorf School. Having been an oboe instructor at Gustavus Adolphus College for more than twenty years, Sarah has found teaching to be one of the most fulfilling jobs of her career. She maintains a private home studio and teaches as an adjunct faculty member at other area colleges. Her interests include Alexander Technique, optimal performance psychology, practicing the piano, and recorder, as well as running. Sarah and her husband, a visual artist and professor, have two daughters.
Major/Minor
Sport Management
Majors/minors in Sport Management learn the business of professional, international, collegiate, youth, and community sport while developing the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the sport industry. Students consider questions related to ethics, diversity, equity, and inclusion in sport. Sample courses and career paths here.
Major/Minor
Physics
Physics is the foundation of everything from space exploration to robotics. In this nationally recognized program, majors/minors study matter, motion, and energy. Check out sample courses and career paths—including engineering and other physical sciences—here.
Major/Minor
Pre-Actuarial Science
Future actuaries major in Mathematics, Statistics, and/or Economics for careers managing risk in finance, insurance, retirement planning, and economics. You pursue actuarial science at Gustavus with a faculty advisor from the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics Department who assists you in selecting courses and professional experiences. Sample courses and career paths here.
Our People
Mary Westby
Mary Westby is the Program Director for the Master of Athletic Training (MAT) program. She is responsible for the oversight of MAT, including working with the Clinical Education Coordinator and Research Coordinator to ensure curricular and clinical development, and implementation of the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) standards and ensuring the preparedness of students to practice independently upon graduation. She serves as one of the primary advisors for MAT current students and prospective students interested in athletic training. She teaches Foundations in Athletic Training (ATP 500), Clinical Pharmacology (NUR 337 and ATP 537 – a joint course between MAT and Nursing students), and Therapeutic Interventions in Athletic Training I and II (ATP 511 and 512). Her favorite topic to teach is therapeutic modalities – the application of physical agents and manual therapy to treat musculoskeletal injuries. This is also a research interest of hers along with assessment of student learning in athletic training programs.
She is also an Instructor and Instructor Trainer for the American Red Cross, regularly certifying current MAT students, undergraduate students, and campus faculty and staff in various levels of CPR training. As the advisor for the Gustavus Athletic Trainers' Association and Iota Tau Alpha, the national honor society for athletic training, Mary gets the opportunity to encourage community and professional service among the students in the ATP. She enjoys her opportunities to interact with students and other faculty inside and out of the classroom.
Mary is originally from Waconia, MN. She enjoys spending time with her family who are still in the area, including her niece and twin nephews. Mary, her husband and their son enjoy spending summers up north, fishing, and boating. During the long winter months Mary enjoys snowshoeing.
She is a BOC-certified athletic trainer, licensed in the state of Minnesota and a member of the National Athletic Training Association. She is involved in the athletic training profession at the national and state level as a peer reviewer for the CAATE and a member of the Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association (MATA) Governmental Affairs Committee. She is also the co-advisor of the MATA student senate.
Our People
Yumiko Oshima-Ryan
Dr. Yumiko Oshima-Ryan began teaching at Gustavus in 2004. She enjoys teaching private piano lessons and establishing relationships with her students that focuses on trust and integrity. At her piano studio, students cultivate musical, technical, historical, and theoretical features of piano repertoire which they select to perform for their recital. Students focus on developing piano skills which are vital for artistic self-expression. Dr. Oshima-Ryan values mentoring students as they face their challenges, find new perspectives, and most of all, promote self-belief. All of these things ultimately provide deeper meaning and joy to their performance and creativity.
A native of Japan, Yumiko also teaches keyboard courses to students of all levels, including total beginners. Along with keyboard skills courses for music majors and minors, she offers courses on how to practice and prepare performances, as well as on wellness for musicians.
Dr. Oshima-Ryan believes musical performance is one of the most valuable opportunities students can have, and that it represents a core value in the music department of a liberal arts college. As an instructor, she also values sharing the experience of her own performances with students.
Her recordings, "Piano Works for the Left Hand - Takashi Yoshimatsu" and “From Afar,” are published by the Naxos Records label and available to stream on major digital platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon. "Piano Works for the Left Hand" was selected as a special edition in the August 2022 issue of Record Geijutsu, a top music review magazine in Japan. Dr. Oshima-Ryan hopes this album inspires and encourages people rehabilitating after injury or fighting a major illness, such as cancer. The album includes pieces which were written for the composer’s respected friend, Izumi Tateno, who lost the use of his right hand after a cerebral hemorrhage. She wants the listeners to get past the idea of the left hand as the overlooked partner of the dominant right. She wants them to see, instead, that through courage, compassion, and creativity, the limitations of human frailty can be overcome.
Recently, Dr. Oshima-Ryan started collaborating with the Department of Theatre and Dance at Gustavus by creating original music for dance performances. Performances, recordings, and lectures are available online.
Major/Minor
Master of Athletic Training
The master of athletic training program provides two routes for application and entrance to the graduate program. A 4+2 year for those who have finished a baccalaureate degree and an accelerated 3+2 year program for Gustavus students.