About the College of Arts and Sciences
At A&S, students take ownership of their future
through top-tier research and customizable
academics, so they can live decisively and make
the world healthier, more hopeful and more humane.
The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) is Syracuse University’s first and largest college. As the home of the liberal arts, our internationally-recognized programs provide the cornerstone of a Syracuse University education with 50+ majors in the natural sciences and mathematics, the humanities and the social sciences (in partnership with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs).
Many of these majors fall organically within A&S' five signature subject areas, longstanding areas of deep academic inquiry, scholarship and research:
- intercultural competency and social justice;
- medicine, health and wellness;
- environment and sustainability;
- origins of the universe and development of the Earth; and
- communication and human expression.
A&S is a primary contributor to the University’s R1 (“Very High Research”) designation, and both undergraduates and graduates can participate in research across the disciplines. Students work alongside top faculty in research that addresses issues such as disease, racial injustice, human behavior and climate change—and examines the world by analyzing the workings of physical phenomena and exploring the reaches of human experience and expression.
Students can also choose to complement their A&S coursework with offerings from the University’s other schools and colleges. This powerful blend produces graduates who are lifetime explorers—people who are professionally and personally adaptable, fearless in their pursuits, and who strive to make the world healthier, more hopeful and more human. Our worldwide network of 70,000+ alumni remain connected to A&S as advisory board members, immersion trip sponsors, student mentors, and financial supporters.
Our intellectual community is guided by a commitment to respond critically to today’s urgent issues. Accordingly, our students cultivate ethical awareness, sensitivity to different perspectives, strong critical reasoning and communication skills and holistic approaches to solving professional and civic challenges. Students develop these strengths through coursework in many disciplines, committed educators and a cutting-edge advising model that integrates academic and career mentorship. They apply their theoretical knowledge in many different settings: study abroad programs; internships; lab work; clinical placements on and near campus; short-term career exploration trips; and community engagement programs at College-supported cultural centers and local organizations.
Mission
The College of Arts and Sciences stands as the intellectual center of Syracuse University and is committed to internationally recognized research and innovative instruction with an emphasis on disciplinary rigor, creative interdisciplinarity, as well as ethical engagement with issues of social justice and global citizenship.
Vision
Internationally recognized faculty and outstanding staff work to engage students in a research-driven, dynamic, innovative liberal arts experience to ensure academic achievement and lifelong success.