College of Arts and Science

What are liberal arts?

To tackle the world’s biggest problems, you need to be able to think creatively, communicate effectively, explore deeply, and question critically. The College of Arts and Science offers a quality liberal arts education that trains you in these essential skills across a range of subject areas.

The College of Arts and Science provides an education with both breadth and depth. Our students achieve breadth of knowledge by exploring courses across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Courses in each of these divisions and from seven different departments are required for the degree. More than sixty unique majors and minors encourage students also to engage deeply in the ideas and methods that define a discipline.

The College of Arts and Science attracts a diverse student body who have different backgrounds, experiences, interests, and opinions. Whatever their chosen path, students of the College of Arts and Science have a liberal arts education that prepares them to succeed after graduation, using a versatile and valuable degree to help them make a difference in the world.

Explore Our Majors

There are 49 majors in the College of Arts and Science.

Support & Resources

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Vanderbilt Career Center offers workshops, mock interviews, and one-on-one career advising that will help you prepare for all aspects of your future, including securing jobs and internships, exploring graduate and professional study, and applying for prestigious scholarships and fellowships.

Internships play a pivotal role in today’s competitive job market. Through the Career Center, students have access to a variety of tools to engage in internships and postgraduate employment. Resources range from a custom internal database, a job board, and industry-specific job fairs, to the Vanderbilt alumni network and focused listservs.

ADVISING

Faculty advisers take an active interest in guiding undergraduate students. Before you even arrive at Vanderbilt, you will be assigned a pre-major adviser who will offer advice and support to help you meet your academic needs. Once you declare a major, you’ll choose a department adviser with whom you’ll work until you graduate.

TUTORING

Many students rely on Vanderbilt’s robust tutoring services to keep up with their course work, or just to get ahead. The free services are offered one-on-one, in pairs, or as group study. The talented staff of tutors are undergraduate or graduate students who have achieved a certain level of academic success and are committed to helping their fellow students do the same.