University of Connecticut College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

As of 2021, there are 250+ faculty presentations to community groups, government agencies, and the CT Legislature; 63% of total credit hours at UConn are taught in CLAS; 51% of full-time faculty at UConn are housed in CLAS; 3,245 CLAS courses are taught on the Storrs campus and 865 at regional campuses; 44% of UConn undergraduates are CLAS majors; 27% of UConn graduate students are in CLAS programs; 49% of undergraduate degrees at UConn are awarded by CLAS.

On May 26, 1939, Governor Raymond E. Baldwin signed the bill that allowed Connecticut State College to have its name changed to the University of Connecticut. The following year, trustees organized and developed a plan to change the divisions of the university into four schools and colleges which resulted in: Schools of Business, Education, Home Economics, and Colleges of Arts and Sciences, and Agriculture. Master's degrees had been awarded since 1920, but the Graduate School was established after the reorganization of the schools in 1940, as well as the Doctoral Program for graduates which was authorized in 1943.[2] Homer Daniels Babbidge Jr. was the eighth president of UConn from 1962 - 1972. During his presidency, he led the university towards a more liberal arts and humanities focus, rather than only agricultural.[3] The Homer D. Babbidge Library at UConn's Storrs campus was opened and named after President Babbidge in 1978.[4]

CLAS is located inside the Philip E. Austin building on the University of Connecticut's Storrs campus. On February 15, 1961, The Board of Trustees approved the recommendation that the College of Arts and Sciences should become The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The formerly known College of Liberal Arts and Sciences building was renamed was renamed in October, 2012 to honor the university's 10th emeritus president, Philip E. Austin.[5] Austin served as UConn's 13th President from October 1, 1996, to September 14, 2007. Students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences can earn either a BA or BS.

Anthropology - The department of Anthropology is a part of the Higher Education Opportunities Act. Their faculty concentrates its teachings on Cultural Anthropology; Experimental Anthropology; Human Rights; Medical Anthropology; New World Archaeology; and Old World Archaeology.  Specifically, in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, North America, and Southwest Asia. Department head: Natalie Munro.

Chemistry - UConn's Chemistry building opened in the spring of 1999 featuring state-of-the-art laboratories, a high tech lecture hall, and a special demonstration laboratory for visiting elementary and secondary school students.[6]

The 30 member faculty at the department of Chemistry, are active leaders in research programs. Faculty and students are involved in groundbreaking research based on aspects of analytical, biological, environmental, inorganic, organic, physical, and polymer chemistry. The chemistry facilities are composed of 65 cutting-edge research and teaching laboratories located on the Storrs campus.

Communication - UConn's Department of Communication is ranked #1 in New England.[7] The department focuses on teaching methods of communication with areas of specialization such as interpersonal, public speaking, media effects, media literacy, persuasion, and more. Department head: Kenneth Lachlan (2015-current).

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - Established in 1985, the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department is one of three departments of UConn's Biological Sciences. EBB students will have the opportunity to explore research and education areas such as Ecology, Evolution, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Conservation Biology, Plants, and Animals. Department Head: Pamela Diggle

Economics - The Department of Economics offers both B.A. and B.S. degrees and its undergraduate students have graduated and worked in a variety of fields such as careers in insurance, banking and government both at the state and federal level. Bachelor of Arts in Economics is geared towards students who are interested in social science and prepares them for graduate studies (pre-law and MBA).

English - The Department of English is the only undergraduate major that is available at all five of UConn's campuses.[8] The historical specialty areas covered are the following: African American Literature and Culture; American Literature Origins; American Literature 20th century to present; Asian and Asian American Literature and Culture, British Literature-19th century; British Literature-19th century to present; Ethnic American Literature; Irish Literature; Medieval; Postcolonial/World Literature in English; Renaissance; Restoration and 18th Century. Other specializations include: Children's Literature; Creative Writing; Digital Humanities; Drama; Film/Media Studies; LGBT Literature/Queer Theory; Literary/Critical Theory; Nature/Environment; Creative; Nonfiction; The Novel; Poetry & Poetics; Rhetoric & Composition; Women's Writing/Feminist Literary Theory. Interim Department Head: Clare Costley King'oo

Geography - The Department of Geography offers an interdisciplinary with emphasis on spatial thinking and fields ranging from geosciences, GIS, to social & cultural geography. The faculty focuses on four main areas of specialization: GIS, spatial analysis of social issue, earth-environment interactions, and human dimensions of climate change. The department offers  BA and BS in geography, two minors, and three graduate programs, and a GIS Certificate Program. Department Head: Cindy Zhang

Geosciences - The Department of Geosciences was established in July, 2019 and is also known as Earth and Environmental Science or Earth System Science. The department is a STEM discipline and covers information and research of the Earth as a whole. The Undergraduate students can earn a BA or BS degree and follow three different paths of interest: GIS, spatial analysis of social issue, earth-environment interactions, and human dimensions of climate change. The Graduate Student program consists of students who will strive for either a MA or Ph.D. Department Head: Tracy Frank

History - The department has active researchers who have won major honors, fellowships, and awards on a national and international level. They are also committed educators. Historians use a number of methodologies to investigate the past, including statistical analysis, oral history, and sociology, archeology, anthropology, and other social science fields. History courses allow students to develop abilities in written communication, investigation, and problem-solving analysis. History expects its students to be able to comprehend a complicated world with many cultures and customs. Department Head: Mark Healey

Human Development and Family Sciences - The Department of Human Development & Family Sciences specializes in three main counterparts. They focus over the lifespan on the healthy development and well-being of individuals and families, interactions and processes within families, and societal and cultural contexts such as individuals and families. Department Head: Eva S. Lefkowitz

Journalism - The department of journalism is committed to the belief that the ideal journalism education combines a strong professional program with a full liberal arts and sciences education. Within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the department holds a distinctive role. It is the only department with the sole goal of preparing students for a certain career. The department also benefits the college by teaching a large number of non-majors who want to enhance their writing, interviewing, and research abilities, as well as learn about the news media. The Journalism Department is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism & Mass Communications. It is the only nationally accredited program in New England. Department head: Marie K. Shanahan

Linguistics - The University of Connecticut's Department of Linguistics is a center for generative grammar theory and experimental research on child language acquisition. The Department of Linguistics offers graduate coursework leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree, and is known for its excellent standards in graduate teaching as well as its high job placement success. Department Head: Diane C. Lillo-Martin

Literatures, Cultures, and Languages - The Department of LCL offers majors and minors to explore the following programs: Arabic, Chinese, Classical and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, French and Francophone Studies, German Studies, Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Italian Literary and Cultural Studies, Spanish Studies, and more. The department offers Ma and PhD programs in Literatures, Cultures, and Languages and focuses its graduate programs in six specialized areas: Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies; French and Francophone Studies; German Studies; Hebrew and Judaic Studies; Italian Literary and Cultural Studies, Spanish Studies, and Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies. Department Head: Jennifer Terni

Marine Sciences - Faculty, staff, and students in the department perform cutting-edge research in biological, chemical, physical, and geological oceanography and marine meteorology, employing observations and numerical models to conduct cross-disciplinary investigations. These studies take place all around the world, from coastal New England to the seven seas. Uconn offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees with an interdisciplinary foundation, a high faculty-to-student ratio, and personalized study and research plans.Department Head: J. Evan Ward, Ph.D.

Mathematics -

March 20, 1968, The Social Sciences building at the time, was renamed in honor of Henry R. Monteith, a professor of English and History who played a major role in the development of the liberal studies at the university. The Monteith building is now home to the Department of Mathematics.

The University of Connecticut's Department of Mathematics has courses on all 5 UConn campuses. Students conduct research in actuarial science, algebra and number theory, analysis and probability, geometry, logic and foundations, and mathematics education, among other areas. The department also participates in a variety of community outreach programs and special events such as Geometry Day, Number Theory Day, research workshops, and a program of Special Semesters focused on certain study topics are just a few examples. Department Head: Ambar Sengupta

Molecular and Cell Biology - The University of Connecticut's Department of Molecular and Cell Biology was founded in 1986 and provides a broad and interdisciplinary research program as well as cutting-edge courses in a variety of molecular biosciences. MCB's objective is to uncover fundamental biological processes at the molecular and cellular level in all domains of life. This is accomplished through research, classroom instruction, and laboratory training aimed at encouraging intellectual curiosity and critical thinking in people at all levels of their careers, including undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, research staff, and faculty. Department Head: Michael Lynes

Philosophy - The University of Connecticut's Department of Philosophy is well known for its research and innovation in a wide range of philosophical fields which include, Africana Philosophy, Philosophical Logic, the Philosophies of Mind and Language, Philosophy of Race and Racism, History of Philosophy, Aesthetics, Existentialism and Phenomenology, Metaphysics, Social Epistemology, Virtue Theory, Social and Political Philosophy, and more. Department Head: Lewis Gordon

Physics - The first Physical Review article published by the university was in 1899, and the first physics course was presented in 1918. In 1954, the Department of Physics awarded its first Ph.D. and one of the department's graduate students, David M. Lee received a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1996.[9] Department Head: Barrett Wells

Physiology and Neurobiology - The University of Connecticut's Department of Physiology and Neurobiology carries out cutting-edge science-based research and teaching. They bring together researchers and educators interested in the molecular, cellular, and circuit-based mechanisms that underpin the brain's and body's various functions. Uconn hopes to increase their understanding of brain-body activities and interactions under normal and pathological situations by combining work from several fields of physiology and neurobiology.

Political Science - The University of Connecticut's Department of Political Science focuses on the theory and practice of government and politics at the local, state, national, and international levels. The Department of Political Science is an important aspect of UConn's five campuses and beyond. Their professors conduct cutting-edge research and employ cutting-edge teaching techniques in the classroom. Their undergraduate curriculum prepares students to be engaged and constructive citizens by giving them hands-on experiences that show how their degree may be applied in the real world. They teach future researchers and professionals how to use the tools of their trade through their graduate degree. Department Head: David Yalof

Psychological Sciences - Established in 1945, the Department of Psychological Sciences is the largest major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and offers B.A. and B.S. undergraduate degrees, eight Ph.D. programs, and three Graduate Certificate Programs at five campus locations: Storrs, Hartford, Stamford, Avery Point and Waterbury. The primary department location is on the main Storrs campus in the Weston A. Bousfield Psychology building which was founded in 1974 and named in honor of experimental psychologist and department head Weston A. Bousfield.[10] The remodeled version of the building was completed in 2013 and the complex earned a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver designation for various performances.[11] Department Head: James A. Green (Current)

Public policy - Located at the University of Connecticut's Hartford campus, the Department of Public Policy prepares students to be leaders in the disciplines of public policy, public management, nonprofit management, and survey research. It offers an Undergraduate Fast-Track Master's Program, Individualized Major in Public Policy, and Minor in Public Policy as well as Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) graduate programs. The MPA program is the only NASPAA-accredited MPA program in Connecticut.[12] Department Head: Mohamad Alkadry

Sociology - The department offers majors and minors in Sociology and a 4+1 Master's degree program which allows graduates to complete a bachelor's degree and a Master of Arts in Sociology focused on social justice in five years. UConn's Sociology majors will research how people may challenge, resist, alter, or preserve and protect their social world as well as learn the core principles such as “race” and ethnicity, class, gender, age, and sexual orientation. Department Head: Manisha Desai

Speech, Language, and hearing sciences - The Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) promotes Interprofessional Education and Interprofessional and Collaborative Practice to students interested in Interprofessional Healthcare. The department offers an undergraduate program in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences as well as three graduate programs: M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology; Au.D. in Audiology; Ph.D. with five areas of emphasis. The M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology program and the Doctor of Audiology education program in audiology is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Department Head: Kathleen Cienkowski

Statistics - The Department of Statistics was established in 1962 and is a member of the American Statistical Association (ASA).[13] Statistics students will be prepared for academia, industry, or government. The department offers five undergraduate and three graduate programs: The “3+1(+X)” Program; Statistics Major; Mathematics-Statistics Major; Statistics Minor; Individualized Data Science Major; M.S. in Statistics; M.S. in Biostatistics; Doctoral Program. Department Heads: Ming Hui Chen (Current) and Robert H. Riffenburgh (1962)

Africana Studies Institute - UConn's African American Cultural Center and Black Studies Program began in 1969 and the university worked since then to recruit more minority students.[14] UConn's current Africana Studies Institute was originally called the Institute for African American Studies and was founded in 1989. The goal of this institute is to inform students about national world history, culture, and experiences of all people of African descent by promoting African American experiences through a wide variety of courses. This institute offers an undergraduate major and minor.

American Studies Program - The American Studies Program focuses on U.S. culture and connections outside of its borders. This program offers an undergraduate major and minor, as well as a graduate certificate.

Asian and Asian American Studies Institute - The Asian and Asian American Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut has research output and course offerings which engage Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas not as static, monolithic sites rather as sets of shifting historical, geographic, and geopolitical zone of interaction, struggle, and cooperation. Students will research and learn about historical and contemporary experiences of people of Asian descent from around the world. The institute offers an undergraduate major and minor, and an Indian Studies Minor.

Biological Sciences Program - As one of the largest majors for undergraduates at the University of Connecticut, the Biological Sciences Program shares faculty and research interests amongst three other departments:  ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular and cell biology, and physiology and neurobiology. Undergraduate students study all forms of life on Earth and research current, pressing issues, such as human health, the brain, genetics, microbiology, evolution, and the environment.

Brain Imaging Research Center - The Brain Imaging Research Center was founded in June, 2015 and is located in David C. Phillips Communication Sciences Building at UConn's Storrs campus which houses a 3T Siemens Prisma MRI scanner alongside equipment for collecting data with high-density EEG systems, eye tracking, and a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) system. The center facilitates scientific discovery and theoretical innovation in cognitive neuroscience and supports both brain and whole-body imaging and research.

Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life - The Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life was established in 1979 and its current goals are the pursuit of empirical, historical, literary, philosophical, and theoretical approaches to the field of Judaic Studies through creative scholarship, undergraduate and graduate courses, scholarly lectures, and community events. The center is located in the Thomas J. Dodd building at UConn's Storrs campus and offers an undergraduate major and minor as well as a Graduate MA and PhD in Judaic Studies.

Connecticut Institute for Brain and Cognitive Science - Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences promotes the interdisciplinary science of the mind and its realization in biological and artificial systems, and offers educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty. Specifically, undergraduate students can receive laboratory-based training in neuroscientific, behavioral, and theoretical research in the brain and cognitive sciences.

Cognitive Science Program - The Cognitive Science Program offers an undergraduate major and minor, and a Graduate Certificate for both UConn and Non-degree Students.

El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies - The Institute teaches its students about the lives of Latinx people in Connecticut and all around the world, and focuses on connecting the centrality of the Puerto Rican community to Connecticut's history and cultural wealth. The Institute provides an undergraduate major and minor and an MA in International Studies with a Concentration in LLAS (Latino and Latin American Studies). Overall, the Center facilitates more research on minority people, as well as seeks to undo anti-Latino biases and stereotypes commonly displayed in mainstream academia. Director: Samuel Martinez

Environmental Studies Program - The EVST Program can lead to either a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources and offers an undergraduate major or minor. The Program specializes in a few core areas such as environmental sustainability, issues concerning public policy and environmental justice, issues concerning the global and local food systems, and the literary and philosophical legacy of human encounters with the non-human world etc.

Maritime Studies Program - The Maritime Studies Program is located on the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus and is in collaboration with Avery Point's Marine Sciences Department. Both programs emphasize the social and cultural side of the human/water relationship.

Urban and Community Studies Program - The Urban and Community studies program offers an interdisciplinary major for undergraduate students which focuses on three areas: broad education in the study of cities, suburbs, neighborhoods and communities; acquire a solid foundation in analytical techniques such as quantitative methods; taking additional courses in related specialized disciplines.

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program - The WGSS program was established at the University of Connecticut in 1974 and was founded as an academic program of the knowledge of women and history of gender. Currently, the program explore the construction of women, gender, and sexuality in different social, cultural, political, economic, aesthetic, and historical contexts and offers an undergraduate minor and major as well as a graduate certificate in Feminist Studies.