‘Heritage Forensics’ investigates cultural heritage caught up in war
A&S Communications
Let curiosity be your guide.
Live, study and grow at the nexus of discovery and impact.
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
Cultural heritage
New students
A&S Dean to new students: ‘Ithaca isn’t the end of your journey, only the beginning’
A&S Communications
>2000
Courses offered in A&S of 4000 courses at Cornell.
42
Majors to choose in A&S. Design your education.
Performing and media arts
Professor, students produce films for Obama Presidential Center
A&S Communications
~4,600
Students in A&S, each with an extraordinary journey to tell.
Cornell Cinema
From high school hijinks to film noir: Cornell Cinema unveils Fall 2026 season
A&S Communications
>90K
A&S alumni in our network. Go Big Red!
Popular Destinations
Extraordinary Journeys, the Class of 2026
Across disciplines—from physics to philosophy, economics to environmental science—our graduating seniors have learned to listen deeply, engage diverse perspectives and adapt their knowledge to a rapidly changing world. They embrace innovation and technology not just as tools, but as opportunities to build connection and progress.
Their stories reflect a hopeful truth: that thoughtful, flexible thinkers are ready to lead no matter what comes next.
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.
Inequality Studies
minor
Overview
Through its core requirements, the Minor in Inequality Studies exposes students to the breadth of the social scientific literature on inequalities in many different social and economic goods (e.g., income, wealth, education, health, political power, social status, job security) and across many sources of difference (e.g., class, race and ethnicity, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation and identity, age, geographic location, or political and economic systems). Electives, which are offered across 30 departments in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, allow students to tailor their studies to their particular interests. The Minor in Inequality Studies is open to any student in any major.
The Minor’s Health Equity Track allows interested students to focus their studies further on the social causes and consequences of inequalities in life expectancy, health outcomes, health-promoting behaviors, and access to health care. The Health Equity Track offers excellent preparation for students who are interested in careers in medicine, public health, social science research, or public policy.
The institutional home for the minor is the Center for the Study of Inequality.
Details
Biology & Society
major
Overview
The Biology & Society major is an interdisciplinary major that allows students to combine the study of the biological sciences with courses that explore the social and ethical aspects of modern biology. In addition to gaining a foundation in biology, students in the major acquire background in the social dimensions of modern biology and in the biological dimensions of contemporary social issues. The major is open to students in two colleges: Arts & Sciences and Agriculture and Life Sciences. The major is suitable for students seeking careers in law, medicine, public health, public policy, business, research and academia.
Details
Statistical Science
major
graduate
Overview
As a statistical science major, you’ll have a home in two colleges: Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.
Statistical Science combines modern statistical methodology and computing with data science to solve problems through the science of learning from data and from measuring, controlling, and communicating uncertainty. The major is ideal for students interested in actuarial science, applied and mathematical statistics, data mining and visualization, machine learning, quantitative reasoning, statistical programming, and more.
Details
Classics
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As a Classics major, you can immerse yourself in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome through four different tracks (Classics, Greek, Latin, Classical Civilization) taking programs in ancient languages, literature, history, archaeology, history of art, science, linguistics and philosophy. Classics majors work closely with individual professors in their areas of expertise, often in small classes, and have many opportunities for independent research and travel. The rigorous analytical training characteristic of a Classics degree helps to develop skills that are valued in a wide variety of careers, as well as giving students a firm foundation for understanding the history of Western culture. With a minor in classics, you’ll conduct your own odyssey through the ancient Mediterranean world by taking any five coherent classics courses (above 1000-level) from one of four different tracks, acquiring proficiency in either Greek or Latin along the way: Classical literature Ancient history (with emphasis on either Greek or Roman) Ancient philosophy Classical art and archaeology
Details
Classical Civilization
minor
Overview
With a minor in classical civilization, you’ll uncover the mysteries of ancient Greece and Rome. You’ll have the choice of any six classics courses (above 1000-level), which chart a coherent path through our offerings in ancient literature (in translation), history, philosophy, art history and archaeology. This minor does not include a language requirement.
Details
Public History
minor
Overview
Public history is any form of historical engagement that moves beyond the traditional classroom and scholarly publication, including monuments, museums, oral history, historical preservation, walking tours, as well as historically-engaged performance and documentary film. The Public History minor provides students opportunities to think critically about diverse modes of historical learning and storytelling and the many ways historical knowledge circulates in public life: Whose histories are privileged and silenced? What strategies can we use to uncover and share knowledge of the past? How does history shape experiences of identity and community? And how can public and community-engaged history help us to better understand society and politics today? Courses in the Public History minor also emphasize applied forms of historical engagement—archival research, community-based oral history projects, and curation.
Details
Public Policy
major
minor
Overview
The study of public policy is a comprehensive exploration of the politics and mechanisms that shape policy formulation and execution, coupled with an assessment of their effects on society’s welfare and quality of life. Students who choose to major in public policy engage with a broad range of topics, including governmental policies impacting areas such as children and families, crime prevention, democratic processes, educational systems, environmental conservation, financial sectors, social inequality, public health initiatives, market regulations, and workplace dynamics, among others.
The major’s distinctive strength lies in its cultivation of robust theoretical frameworks, rigorous quantitative analysis skills, critical analytical thinking, strategic planning abilities, and the application of these skills to address real-world policy challenges. These competencies are highly sought after in both government and private sector settings, and our graduates are equipped to navigate complex policy landscapes and drive positive social change.
The public policy major is administered through the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, while the public policy minor is administered through the Department of Government.
Details
Computer Science
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As a computer science major, you’ll have a home in two colleges: Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.
The Computer Science major is ideal for A&S students who wish to connect their liberal arts education with their computing interests. In Computer Science you can study algorithms and complexity, application development, artificial intelligence, computer graphics and animation, game design, machine learning, programming languages, robotics, security, software engineering, systems and networking, and more.
The major’s foundation is an engaging and rigorous set of core courses, and the department offers an unrivaled breadth of undergraduate elective offerings. Every CS major completes required coursework in artificial intelligence or machine learning, and the department offers over 60 courses at undergraduate and graduate levels related to artificial intelligence. Many students take a graduate-level course or two as part of completing their bachelor’s degree.
Details
Religious Studies
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As a religious studies major, you’ll take an interdisciplinary approach to the academic study of religion, drawing upon humanities and social scientific disciplines and situating religious traditions within historically and theoretically critical contexts. You won’t be asked to adhere to nor explain away particular religious stances; instead, you’ll develop the intellectual tools to understand how normative claims about religious beliefs and practices are implicated in constructing and contesting various social identities, and how these claims help shape historical events.
Details
Asian American Studies
minor
Overview
With a minor in Asian American studies, you’ll examine the histories and experiences, identities, social and community formations, politics and contemporary concerns of people of Asian ancestry in the U.S. and other parts of the Americas.
DetailsBeyond Majors & Minors
The pinnacle of the liberal arts experience
Robert S. Harrison College Scholar Program
Students design their own interdisciplinary major, organized around a question or issue of interest, and pursue a course of study that cannot be found in an established major. Harrison College Scholars explore subjects with a broader integration of related disciplines than most students would attempt.
A deep dive into the humanities
Humanities Scholars Program
This program offers a signature learning, research and collaboration opportunity for undergraduate students across the university who are interested in the humanities.
Shaping the future
Milstein Program
Students in the Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity combine Cornell’s renowned liberal arts and sciences classes in Ithaca with the 21st century tech curriculum at Cornell Tech in NYC.
Funding your summer experience
Summer Experience Grants
Summer opportunities are crucial to student career success, but these life-changing experiences frequently offer little to no funding. That’s a critical barrier for many of our students – and one that the College of Arts and Sciences feels is vital to overcome.
The Summer Experiences Grants (SEG) do just that. They support students with living expenses, transportation, and travel so that these essential experiences are available to all of our students, who may otherwise not be able to afford them.
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.
Premier postdocs
Klarman Fellowships
This premier postdoctoral fellowship program offers opportunities for early-career scholars of outstanding talent, initiative and promise to devote themselves to frontline, innovative research without being tied to specific outcomes.
Undergraduate research opportunities
Nexus Scholars Program
The Nexus Scholars Program in the College of Arts & Sciences provides undergraduate students with summer opportunities to work side by side with faculty from all across the college (humanities, social sciences, and STEM) on their research projects.
Engaging our community and our world
Open your mind
Arts Unplugged series
The College of Arts & Sciences’ Arts Unplugged series brings research and creative works into the public sphere for discussion and inspiration. These outreach events invite a broad audience to explore the work of scholars and faculty from all disciplines, all backgrounds and all time periods and to celebrate the impact that work continues to have on our daily lives.
Engagement for an informed society
Distinguished Visiting Journalist Program
The College of Arts & Sciences' Distinguished Visiting Journalist Program brings accomplished journalists to Cornell for extended visits. The program aims to recognize excellence in journalism and to provide opportunities for select journalists and the university community to engage with each other.
Faculty Commentary on Current Events
History
Foreign frigate competition highlights Navy's struggles with fleet expansion, modernization
A&S Communications
Sociology
California tax bill would likely be an ‘orphan’ with ‘surprising’ financial and political consequences
A&S Communications
International politics
Cornell military historian: South Korea drill cuts may have been ‘inevitable’
A&S Communications
Africana studies
Violence against African migrants tests South Africa’s ‘Ubuntu’ ideal
A&S Communications
Classics
Cornell classicist: White House UFC event mirrors Imperial Rome’s spectacles
A&S Communications
Artificial Intelligence
Cornell Holocaust scholar echoes Pope Leo’s concerns about AI and human dignity
A&S Communications
Faculty in the news
CNN
Related people
Sarah Kreps
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Government
09/02/2026
Wall Street Journal
Related people
Allen R. Carlson
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Government, China and Asia-Pacific Studies Program
09/02/2026
The Economist
Related people
Dmitry Savransky
Related Departments
Astronomy, Carl Sagan Institute
09/02/2026
Associated Press
Related people
Nicholas Mulder
Related Departments
History
08/31/2026
Upcoming A&S Events
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Monday 07:30 PM
Cornell Jazz Faculty Social (CU Music)
Location: Klarman Hall, Klarman Auditorium
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Thursday 07:30 PM
Matías de Roux DMA Recital (CU Music)
Location: Sage Chapel
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Friday 05:00 PM
CCHK Salon: Commedia dell’arte, Pantomime, and Embodied Musical Meaning (CU Music)
Location: A. D. White House
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Saturday 07:30 PM
Cuban Chamber Music Concert (CU Music)
Location: Lincoln Hall, B20