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.
Italian
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As an Italian major, you’ll have the opportunity to explore in-depth the language, literature and culture of that part of the world, only recently united into a single nation, where Dante wrote his Comedy, Saint Francis roamed the Umbrian hills and directors like Pasolini and Fellini redefined the relationship between cinema and realism. You’ll be encouraged to immerse yourself in Italian literary and cultural history and to question many of the stereotypes that continue to circulate, in America but also in Italy, about that very history.
Details
Linguistics
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As a linguistics major, you’ll explore the fascinating phenomenon of human language. Through your coursework you’ll learn how language is structured, acquired and used in social interactions. You’ll also learn how language changes over time or how it can be modeled computationally. Coursework for the major includes foundation and core courses, leaving you the flexibility to develop programs of study that focus on your areas of special interest. Linguistics combines well with language study and related fields such as philosophy, psychology, computer science and anthropology.
Details
Government
major
graduate
Overview
As a government major, you’ll learn how to think and write rigorously and creatively about issues of public life. You’ll have the choice of courses in four subfields: American politics (the political behavior, policies and institutions of the U.S.), comparative politics (the institutions and political processes of other nations), political theory and philosophy (normative theories of politics and history of political thought) and international relations (transactions between states, international organizations and transnational actors).
Details
Information Science
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As an information 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 Information Science major is ideal for A&S students who wish to explore the human-centered aspects of computing and information, as well as technology’s real-world impact, adoption, and integration into everyday life. This includes the study of ethics, law, and policy, particularly related to artificial intelligence (AI), human-AI interaction and human-robot interaction, networks and markets, social computing, user experience and design, and related topics.
Details
Dance
minor
Overview
With a minor in dance, you’ll engage with the fundamental practices of doing, making and thinking about dance. You can take courses that explore choreography and courses that study dance as an historical and cultural behavior, as well as more familiar dance technique courses. Students with a primary interest in dance can incorporate that into the PMA major.
Details
Astronomy
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As an astronomy major, you’ll gain in-depth knowledge about the nature of the universe, with thorough preparation in physics and mathematics. Like nearly all majors, there are opportunities to engage in research projects in your junior and senior years — faculty and students have played major roles in space exploration, including a heavy involvement in NASA missions such as the Mars Rovers.
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
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
French
major
minor
graduate
Overview
As a French major, you’ll have the opportunity to explore in-depth the languages, literatures and cultures of France and the Francophone world. Whether you’re studying Haiti or Montaigne, classical theater or contemporary sexuality, you’ll have the chance to become a flexible and articulate interpreter of texts and ideas. You’ll be encouraged to study abroad and to make connections, wherever you are, across the boundaries of language, discourse, nation and time.
Details
Biological Sciences
major
Overview
As a biological sciences major, you’ll have novel opportunities to jump into engaging research projects. With more than 300 faculty, our undergraduate program, jointly run by the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is one of the most highly regarded in the country. You can choose a concentration from multiple areas, including animal physiology; biochemistry; computational biology; ecology and evolutionary biology; general biology; genetics, genomics and development; human nutrition; insect biology; marine biology; microbiology; molecular and cell biology; neurobiology and behavior (neuroscience); plant biology; and systematics and biotic diversity.
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
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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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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
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Monday 04:30 PM
Sensory Ethnography
Location: Cornell Cinema
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Monday 07:30 PM
Cornell Voice Program Senior Showcase: Swan Songs (CU Music)
Location: Barnes Hall