Students in the Big Red Band march past Klarman Hall
The nexus of discovery and impact

The College

Home to the liberal arts at Cornell

The College of Arts & Sciences is reimagining the liberal arts model of education. Our diverse and expansive academic community embraces collaboration, active and experiential learning models and a commitment to research and scholarly excellence.


Join us at the nexus of Cornell — where imagination, the pursuit of knowledge, and a global perspective create the foundation for discovery, success and a life well-lived.

42

Established majors to choose from, and countless others you can dream up

50

Fifty Nobel laureates have been affiliated with Cornell as faculty or alumni

510

Tenured and tenure-track faculty members.

~4,600

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

The A&S Mission

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 & impact.

With an understanding of our remarkable strengths and our greatest opportunities for impact, The College of Arts & Sciences remains focused on four essential priorities.

They are:

  • Research and scholarly excellence
  • Academic innovation and student experience
  • Faculty renewal and support
  • Public engagement, both locally and globally

Around the College

The College of Arts & Sciences' departments and academic programs are the engines that drive our research and scholarly excellence. Our faculty lead these departments and programs, defining myriad academic pathways available to students and building collaborative research communities across the humanities, the social sciences, and natural sciences. These departments are foundational to Cornell University's status as a world-class research university.

Departments and Programs

China and Asia-Pacific Studies Program

Levinson Program in China and Asia-Pacific Studies

American Studies Program

American Studies Program

Environment & Sustainability Program

Environment & Sustainability Program

Drawing of exoplanet

Carl Sagan Institute

Anthropology

Anthropology

French Studies Program

French Studies Program

A.D. White House

School of Criticism and Theory

Science and Technology Studies

Science and Technology Studies

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Students in classroom sitting around table discussing a paper.

CDER

See all departments and programs
Close-up of a plaque engraved with the Cornell University motto.
A Commitment to Equity

Toward an equitable campus and world

A commitment to equity

But a diverse student body and a breadth of academic pathways is not enough – all students also need to feel valued, respected, heard, intellectually challenged and encouraged to grow once they arrive at Cornell. This requires a commitment to an equitable and just institution that encompasses our entire community of students, faculty and staff.

How A&S is working toward equity.

2 years

You have until the end of your sophomore year to declare your major.

10

Students per faculty advisor (avg)

Unparalleled academic support

Academic support

As you settle into life as an Arts & Sciences student, you will discover that Cornell is special -- that its location, its diverse student body and our campus environment create a community where everyone can find a niche, an activity, an organization or a lab where you feel right at home.

Learn more about academic support

Students walking through the Klarman Hall atrium

The space for you to grow

Our buildings and spaces

The bricks and mortar of a world class university offers space and resources to nurture curiosity and imagination. The College of Arts & Sciences is situated physically at the center of Cornell University, surrounding and expanding from the Arts Quad, representing the intellectual heart of campus.

Explore the facilities and resources of the College.

Discover more of Arts & Sciences

An Innovative Curriculum Majors and Minors A Community of Support Curiosity-driven Research

Upcoming A&S Events

See all Arts & Sciences events