The College of Arts & Sciences, Cornell University

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

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Héctor Abruña
Jason Koski/Cornell University Héctor Abruña, the Émile M. Chamot Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Héctor Abruña
Jason Koski/Cornell University Héctor Abruña, the Émile M. Chamot Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Abruña receives 2025 Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences

Cornell Chronicle
>2000

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

41

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

~4,800

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

Six people standing side-by-side
Ryan Young/Cornell University Campus Community Leadership Award winner Netra Shetty ’25 (center-left) poses with (from left) Marla Love, the Robert W. and Elizabeth C. Staley Dean of Students; Alec Brown, program manager of the Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars Program; Monica Yant Kinney, interim vice president for university relations; Sarah Bartlett, volunteer and outreach manager at the Ithaca Free Clinic; and Taili Mugambee, lead program coordinator of Ultimate Reentry Opportunity, outside of Day Hall
Six people standing side-by-side
Ryan Young/Cornell University Campus Community Leadership Award winner Netra Shetty ’25 (center-left) poses with (from left) Marla Love, the Robert W. and Elizabeth C. Staley Dean of Students; Alec Brown, program manager of the Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars Program; Monica Yant Kinney, interim vice president for university relations; Sarah Bartlett, volunteer and outreach manager at the Ithaca Free Clinic; and Taili Mugambee, lead program coordinator of Ultimate Reentry Opportunity, outside of Day Hall
90K

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

Graduating seniors in the A&S Class of 2025

Extraordinary Journeys, the Class of 2025

The Class of 2025 leaves campus at a time of global uncertainty, but they say they feel prepared for the challenges that will come their way. We celebrate their Cornell journeys: their many accomplishments in the classroom, the research labs and beyond; and the treasured relationships they’ve created here that will bolster them throughout their lives.

Explore profiles of our graduating seniors

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.

Explore all the majors and minors

Beyond Majors & Minors

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

Engaging our community and our world

Faculty Commentary on Current Events

Faculty in the news

MSNBC

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Héctor D. Abruña

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Upcoming A&S Events

May 21 10:00 Uris Library: B05 May 23 12:00 Schoellkopf Field May 23 9:00 Baker Lab: Bailey Plaza and Baker Lab 200