Osita Achufusi: Environment & Sustainability
'I feel equipped to handle whatever uncertainties lie ahead'
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
Comparative literature
Nabokov’s Judeo-Christian values informed his creative universe
A&S Communications
>2000
Courses offered in A&S of 4000 courses at Cornell.
Student experiences
Ask an ambassador: How my first-year writing seminar enriched my four years
A&S Student Ambassador
42
Majors to choose in A&S. Design your education.
Milstein Program
Ask an ambassador: Memories of the Milstein Program summer in NYC
A&S Student Ambassador
~4,600
Students in A&S, each with an extraordinary journey to tell.
>90K
A&S alumni in our network. Go Big Red!
Popular Destinations
Congratulations to the Class of 2030!
Welcome to the Big Red community.
Get ready to expand your life and experience beyond the classroom, and to let your curiosity drive your ambitions. The College of Arts & Sciences embodies Ezra Cornell’s founding vision where "any person can find instruction in any study."
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.
Latina/o Studies
minor
graduate
Overview
With a Latina/o studies minor, you’ll be able to explore the rich histories and contemporary life of Latino communities in the United States. You will learn about Latina/o political and labor participation, creative expression and literature, and issues of immigration, education, language and health. Faculty members from history, sociology, anthropology, literature, language, government, performance studies and more, give you an opportunity to develop an interdisciplinary field of study of Latina/os in the U.S., with an emphasis on a transnational and comparative perspective.
Details
Music
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As a music major, you’ll carry the study of music to an advanced level through the integration of performance, history, music theory and composition. Whether oriented toward eventual graduate or professional work in music or a more general approach, you can choose among courses from medieval chant to hip-hop, from classical-era European music to the musics of Latin America and Africa, from electroacoustic music to musical systems from around the globe. We also offer opportunities for performers through individual instruction in piano, violin, voice, percussion and other instruments, as well as through participation in our diverse instrumental ensembles.
Details
Cognitive Science
major
minor
graduate
Overview
Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary field that studies the fundamental workings of cognition and the mind. It investigates perception, action, language, knowledge, development, and thinking from multiple perspectives—theoretical, experimental, and computational—with the aim of gaining a better understanding of human cognition and the nature of intelligent systems. The nature of mental representations and their acquisition and use are important themes, as are the comparison between human and artificial intelligence, and the relation between human cognition and its biological foundations.
The major will make it possible for students to cultivate unique interests within cognitive science by allowing them to create novel course combinations that transcend the typical departmental boundaries.
Details
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
European Studies
minor
Overview
As a European Studies minor, you will have the opportunity to explore Europe’s past, present, and future and to demonstrate a knowledge of European languages, culture, history, politics, and international relations. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum that you can mold to your interests, the minor offers you the chance to take courses across colleges and subjects that exemplify your understanding of a globalizing world, while also providing you with an area of expertise. You will gain invaluable critical thinking skills, language abilities, and helpful frameworks for assessing today’s most pressing issues in Europe and around the world.
This multifaceted minor is provided through the Institute for European Studies at the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, and is available to all Cornell undergraduates. Sample Courses: Modern European Politics Introduction to Spanish Urban Design, Architecture, and Art in Renaissance and Baroque Rome German in Business Culture
Details
East Asian Studies
minor
Overview
With a minor in Asian studies, you can focus on East Asia, South Asia or Southeast Asia. Your courses can include the study of language, literature, religion and culture in the Department of Asian Studies, as well as courses on Asian history, politics, anthropology, sociology and economics offered in other departments.
Details
Latin American Studies
minor
Overview
With a minor in Latin American studies, you’ll explore issues and topics pertaining to Latin America with courses from various fields of study including music, politics, economics, feminist studies, archeology, theatre, art history, language, literature, architecture, agriculture, science and history.
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
Russian
minor
Overview
With a minor in Russian through the Department of Comparative Literature, you can explore Russian language, literature and culture. Translate your interest in politics, books, history or foreign travel (or your Russian heritage) into a broad and satisfying academic program that will introduce you to new ideas and new people across centuries and across campus.
Details
Portuguese & Brazilian Studies
minor
graduate
Overview
With a Portuguese and Brazilian studies minor, you’ll gain a linguistic and cultural understanding of Brazil, including recent cultural, political, economic and social trends, as well as familiarity with cinema, music, literature, issues of race, class, and gender, and twentieth-century Brazilian history.
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
Sending Afghan allies to Congo sets ‘terrible precedent," says Cornell expert
A&S Communications
Government
Israel–Lebanon talks reflect wider U.S. strategy to manage Iran fallout
A&S Communications
Government
Taiwan’s opposition leader visits Nanjing, but US and China call the shots
A&S Communications
Faculty in the news
BBC World Service
Related people
Sarah Kreps
Related Departments
Government
04/21/2026
The Economist
Related people
Barry Stuart Strauss
Related Departments
History, Classics
04/23/2026
Wall Street Journal
Related people
Lisa Kaltenegger
Related Departments
Astronomy, Carl Sagan Institute
04/23/2026
USA Today
Related people
Landon Schnabel
Related Departments
Sociology
04/19/2026
Upcoming A&S Events
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Saturday 03:00 PM
Cornell Percussion Ensemble Concert (CU Music)
Location: Lincoln Hall, B20
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Saturday 07:30 PM
Cornell Chorus and Glee Club Major Works Concert (CU Music)
Location: Bailey Hall
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Sunday 03:00 PM
Cornell Chamber Orchestra Concert (CU Music)
Location: Barnes Hall
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Sunday 07:30 PM
Cornell Gamelan Ensemble: A Siamese Melody (CU Music)
Location: Klarman Hall, Klarman Hall Atrium