The College of Arts & Sciences, Cornell University

Let curiosity be your guide.

Live, study and grow at the nexus of discovery and impact.

Hannah Master

A home for exploration and discovery

Our research activities and academic programs are remarkably broad, but they share one characteristic: all are curiosity-driven. Exploring the unknown is central to our mission to be the nexus of discovery and impact.

Explore research and discoveries

Read more A&S news

A sketch of a butterfly labeled, "To Véra"
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections/Cornell University Library In first printings of his books, Vladimir Nabokov often inscribed dedications to his wife, Vera, and made drawings of butterflies. For the dedication page of Look at the Harlequins, he drew an imaginary species of butterfly, Arlequinus arlequinus.

Events celebrate Nabokov as butterfly scientist

Arts Unplugged
Cornell Chronicle
>2000

Courses offered in A&S of 4000 courses at Cornell.

Yuval Grossman
Ryan Young/Cornell University Yuval Grossman, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been visiting Arab villages in Israel during academic breaks since 2019 to teach math to school children. His last trip was in January.

Choosing connection: Physics professor teaches Arab youth in Israel

Physics, math and connection
Cornell Chronicle
42

Majors to choose in A&S. Design your education.

trees with pink blossoms in front of a clock tower and a library building

Talk focuses on academic freedom post Oct. 7

Free Expression
Cornell Chronicle
~4,600

Students in A&S, each with an extraordinary journey to tell.

people shaking hands at a table
Provided Alumni meet with students at one of the Asian American Studies Program's Community Breakfasts, held twice a semester.

Asian American studies celebrates new endowment funding

Asian American Studies Program
A&S Communications
65K

A&S alumni in our network. Go Big Red!

A&S Academic Diversity

Uncommon academic diversity abounds here

The innovative undergraduate curriculum at A&S has distribution requirements that range from global citizenship to physical sciences to ethics and the mind. Classes build upon each other and cross the boundaries of traditional academic fields. Extensive work occurs outside of your major and minors, and there are no required core courses. Work closely with inspiring faculty to develop the hallmark skills of a liberal arts and sciences education – the ability to read critically, write persuasively and think broadly.

Beyond Majors & Minors

Research and Scholarship

Research, scholarship and creative works to understand humanity and the cosmos

Curiosity is the driver for research in A&S. From the dendrochronology lab where archaeologists analyze tree-ring growth to understand climate change to the linguistics department where students created a new language for a Captain Marvel movie, our students and faculty take full advantage of all that our world-class research university encompasses.

With opportunities spanning the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, research here takes place in laboratories, museums, field sites, libraries, hospitals, greenhouses, performance spaces and archives.

Explore our research, scholarship and creative works

Public Engagement

Engaging our community and our world

Faculty in the news

New York Times

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BBC

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Astronomy, Carl Sagan Institute

03/12/2024

Salon

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Psychology

03/07/2024

Slate

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Anna Shechtman

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Literatures in English

03/03/2024

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A&S Events

Upcoming Events

Mar 15Friday 1:00 Mann Library: Lobby, CALS Zone, Mann 102 Mar 18Monday 5:00 Warren Hall: 401 Mar 18Monday 5:00 Warren Hall: 401