Cornell University 1987 Commencement arts and sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS or A&S) is a division of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

. It has been part of the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

since its founding, although its name has changed over time. It grants bachelor's degrees, and masters and doctorates through affiliation with the Cornell University Graduate School. Its major academic buildings are located on the Arts Quad and include some of the university's oldest buildings. The college offers courses in many fields of study and is the largest college at Cornell by undergraduate enrollment.

History

Originally, the university's

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division) A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject ...

was undifferentiated, but with the founding of the

Cornell Law School Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, it offers four law degree programs, JD, LLM, MSLS and JSD, along with several dual-deg ...

in 1886 and the concomitant self-segregation of the school's

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

s, different departments and colleges formed. Initially, the division that would become the College of Arts and Sciences was known as the Academic Department, but it was formally renamed in 1903. The College endowed the first professorships in

American history The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densel ...

musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

, and

American literature American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...

. Currently, the college teaches 4,100 undergraduates, with 600 full-time faculty members (and an unspecified number of lecturers) teaching 2,200 courses. Professor

Robert Morris Ogden Robert Morris Ogden (1877–1959) was an American psychologist and academic. He served as the dean of the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences from 1923 to 1945. He was the first proponent of Gestalt psychology in the United States. E ...

, a Professor of Psychology and expert on Gestalt psychology, served as the Dean from 1923 to 1945.

The Arts Quadrangle

The Arts Quad is the site of Cornell's original academic buildings and is home to many of the college's programs. On the western side of the

quad Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...

, at the top of Libe Slope, are Morrill Hall (completed in 1866), McGraw Hall (1872) and White Hall (1868). These simple but elegant buildings, built with native

Cayuga Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada * Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinoi ...

bluestone Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including: * basalt in Victoria, Australia, and in New Zealand * dolerites in Tasmania, Australia; and in Britain (including Stonehenge) * felds ...

, reflect

Ezra Cornell Ezra Cornell (; January 11, 1807 – December 9, 1874) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University. He also served as President of the New York Agricul ...

utilitarianism In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different chara ...

and are known as Stone Row. The

statue of Ezra Cornell ''Ezra Cornell'' is a monumental statue in Ithaca, New York, United States. Located on the Arts Quad of the Cornell Central Campus, the monument honors Ezra Cornell, the co-founder and namesake of Cornell University. The statue, designed by H ...

, dating back to 1919, stands between Morrill and McGraw Halls. Across from this statue, in front of Goldwin Smith Hall, sits the statue of Andrew Dickson White, Cornell's other co-founder and its first president. Lincoln Hall (1888) also stands on the eastern face of the quad next to Goldwin Smith Hall. On the northern face are the

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

d Sibley Hall and Tjaden Hall (1883). Just off of the quad on the Slope, next to Tjaden, stands the

Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art ("The Johnson Museum") is an art museum located on the northwest corner of the Arts Quad on the main campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its collection includes two windows from Frank Lloyd W ...

, designed by I. M. Pei. Stimson Hall (1902),

Olin Library Olin Library may refer to: Libraries named after Stephen Olin: * Olin Library at Wesleyan University Libraries named after John M. Olin: * Olin Library at Cornell University Library * Olin Library at Washington University Libraries Libraries nam ...

(1959) and Uris Library (1892), with Cornell's landmark clocktower, McGraw Tower, stand on the southern end of the quad. Olin Library replaced Boardman Hall (1892), the original location of the

. In 1992, an underground addition was made to the quad with Kroch Library, an extension of Olin Library that houses several special collections of the

Cornell University Library The Cornell University Library is the library system of Cornell University. As of 2014, it holds over 8 million printed volumes and over a million ebooks. More than 90 percent of its current 120,000 periodical titles are available online. It ...

, including the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. Klarman Hall, the first new humanities building at Cornell in over 100 years, opened in 2016. Klarman houses the offices of Comparative Literature and Romance Studies. The building is connected to, and surrounded on three sides by, Goldwin Smith Hall and fronts East Avenue. Legends and lore about the Arts Quad and its statues can be found at Cornelliana.

Academics

Majors

The College of Arts and Sciences offers both

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

and graduate (through the

Graduate School Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

) degrees. The only undergraduate degree is the

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

. However, students may enroll in the dual-degree program, which allows them to pursue programs of study in two colleges and receive two different degrees. The faculties within the college are: * Africana Studies and Research Center* * American Studies * Anthropology * Archaeology * Asian-American Studies * Asian Studies * Astronomy/Astrophysics * Biology (with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) * Biology & Society Major (with the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and

Human Ecology Human ecology is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The philosophy and study of human ecology has a diffuse history with advancements in ecolog ...

) * Chemistry and Chemical Biology * China and Asia-pacific Studies * Classics * Cognitive Studies * College Scholar Program (frees up to 40 selected students in each class from all degree requirements and allows them to fashion a plan of study conducive to achieving their ultimate intellectual goals; a senior thesis is required) * Comparative Literature * Computer Science (with the

College of Engineering Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education (bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations that ...

) * Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (with the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

) * Economics * Department of Literatures in English* * Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies * German Studies * Government *

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

* History of Art * Human Biology * Independent Major * Information Science (with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and

) * Jewish Studies * John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines * Latin American Studies * Latino Studies * Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies * Linguistics * Mathematics * Medieval Studies * Modern European Studies Concentration * Music * Near Eastern Studies * Philosophy * Physics * Psychology * Religious Studies * Romance Studies * Russian * Science and Technology Studies * Society for the Humanities * Sociology * Theatre, Film, and Dance * Visual Studies Undergraduate Concentration *Africana Studies was an independent center reporting directly to the Provost until July 1, 2011. *The English department was renamed the Department of Literatures in English in October 2020 in response to national anti-racism movements.

Admissions

Admission into the college is extremely competitive. The undergraduate program's 7.9% acceptance rate is below Cornell's 8.7% overall undergraduate acceptance rate. Furthermore, Arts and Sciences has the second lowest acceptance rate of any Cornell college, behind the Dyson School (2.9%).

Gallery

File:Morrill Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.jpg, Morrill Hall with McGraw hall behind it Image:Arts Quad and Goldwin Smith Hall.jpg, Goldwin Smith Hall File:Inside Klarman Hall, Cornell University.jpg, The rounded former exterior of Goldwin Smith Hall is integrated into the cafe inside Klarman Hall

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arts and Sciences Colleges and schools of Cornell University 1865 establishments in New York (state) Liberal arts colleges at universities in the United States