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.
Ryan Young/Cornell University
Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
Ryan Young/Cornell University
Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
Students in A&S, each with an extraordinary journey to tell.
Levan Ramishvili/Public Domain
William F. Buckley (right) with then-President Richard Nixon at the White House in 1969.
Levan Ramishvili/Public Domain
William F. Buckley (right) with then-President Richard Nixon at the White House in 1969.
This year, 27 new faculty have joined the College of Arts & Sciences, enriching 17 departments and programs with their excellence in an impressive range of topics, including moral psychology, gravitational waves, Black contemporary art and more.
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.
With a minor in minority, indigenous and third world studies, you’ll learn how the literatures of U.S. minority groups and third world (especially postcolonial) societies share and reflect similar histories of imperial conquest, slavery and colonial rule. You’ll think about literature and culture in a global context, analyzing imaginative responses to history, politics and ideology in a wide range of courses that explore African American, Asian American, American Indian, U.S. Latino/a, South Asian, Pacific, Caribbean and African literatures, as well as other sub-fields in colonial/postcolonial, diaspora and cultural studies.
As a mathematics major, you can focus on the study of the theoretical aspects of mathematics or explore applications to other fields. You can choose one of seven different concentrations and take a rich variety of courses in analysis, algebra, topology, geometry, probability, statistics and logic to tailor a program that meets your individual needs and interests.
The Sanskrit Studies minor is intended for students who wish to broaden and deepen their competence in the Sanskrit language and traditional Indian religious, literary, and philosophical culture.
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.
As a computer science major, you’ll learn algorithmic ways of thinking and study the elements of computing and information technology such as system design, problem specification, programming, and the modeling, analysis and evaluation of complex systems. You’ll also learn the many applications of computing in science, engineering and business, and have the opportunity to take classes and do research in such areas as artificial intelligence, robotics, computational logic, computer architecture, computer graphics, computer vision, computing systems, databases and digital libraries, machine learning, natural language processing, networks, programming languages and compilation, scientific computing, security and theory of computation.
With a minor in film, you’ll gain a fundamental understanding of the formal, industrial, aesthetic and political aspects of cinema and media from the 19th century to the present. You can focus on national cinemas, genres or modes (narrative cinema, for example) or critical issues (such as digital platforms or global media); you may also pursue some work in film and digital media production, including animation and screenwriting. Students with a primary interest in film can incorporate that into the PMA major.
As a philosophy major, you can choose among courses in epistemology, metaphysics, history of philosophy, logic, ethics, social and political philosophy, Continental philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, aesthetics and philosophy of science. You’ll participate each year in events that range from informal reading groups and workshops to formal conferences and large public lectures by visiting philosophers. The Sage School's small classes and collegial atmosphere support vibrant philosophical exchange among undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and visiting philosophers.
With a minor in theatre, you can focus on areas that interest you within the theory and practice of live performance: acting and directing for stage production; theatre history, theory and criticism; and theatre design and technologies. Students with a primary interest in theatre can incorporate that into the PMA major.
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.
Media are the technological means through which societies are reflected, tested, challenged, and transformed. Cornell Media Studies is unique for its broad cultural scope and historical reach which fosters collaborative interaction among the disciplines, from Classics to Information Science.
The Media Studies minor presents undergraduates with the opportunity for interdisciplinary engagement with diverse modes of communication, from the hieroglyph to the algorithm, encompassing the myriad technologies, forms, and practices by which information circulates amongst a now digitally-networked global population.
An ancient concept that remains cutting edge in its applications, Media Studies identifies the transformation of every discipline by new formations of knowledge — digital, textual, visual, aural, tactile — and by corresponding requirements for the evaluation, interpretation, critique, and production of media. It is relevant to every college student. The undergraduate minor in Media Studies is open to students enrolled in any college at Cornell.
Michael Goldstein/Provided
College Scholars Program students from the College of Arts & Sciences visit the Johnson Museum.
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.
Jesse Winter
Louise Wang outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where she worked this summer, in New York City.
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.
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.
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.
Chris Kitchen
Alexa Easley is working to develop materials for low-energy carbon capture that are organic and easy to make on large scales and in realistic conditions.
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.
Chris Kitchen
Students Sneah Singhi ’26, left, and David Behdad ’25 work in the observation room at the B.A.B.Y Lab, which studies infant language acquisition.
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.
Chris Kitchen
Anderson, left, and Peraino, right traced the arc of Anderson's multi-decade career.
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.
Noël Heaney/Cornell University
Natalie Wolchover speaks March 15 in Lewis Auditorium.
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.
Touch Of Light/CC BY-SA 4.0
The Pentagon, the Headquarters of the US Department of Defense
Touch Of Light/CC BY-SA 4.0
The Pentagon, the Headquarters of the US Department of Defense
President of Russia//Creative Commons license 4.0
General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Chinese Communist Party and world leaders attending the 2025 China Victory Day Parade in Beijing.
President of Russia//Creative Commons license 4.0
General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Chinese Communist Party and world leaders attending the 2025 China Victory Day Parade in Beijing.