Arts & Sciences Academic Programs

We offer 11 graduate programs, dozens of majors and minors in our undergraduate program, and two post-baccalaureate programs. Follow the links below to learn more about specific subject areas.

Africana Studies (major, minor)

Africana Studies Program

Major | Minor

The Africana Studies Program offers a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. This is an interdisciplinary major with a global focus that explores scholarship on the history, cultural traditions, and political and economic circumstances that together define more than 1.2 billion people of African descent.

American Studies (major, minor) (Master's, Ph.D.)

Department of American Studies

Major | Minor | M.A. | Ph.D.

The American Studies Program offers a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D in American Studies. The program explores the histories of cultural, racial, and national encounters that have come to shape the past and present of the United States and the Americas. Working with a wide array of methods, themes, and materials, students discover first-hand our society's rich and often conflicted history of cultural, racial, and sexual diversity.

Anthropology (major, minor) (Master's, Ph.D.)

Department of Anthropology

Major | Minor | M.A. | Ph.D.

Anthropology is the study of human culture – all humans, at all times and places. Anthropological study places markets, representative governments, legal and religious belief systems, social inequalities, sexual orientations, families, and general human capacities in a broad comparative framework. Students gain a broad background in all four subfields: Socio-cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Linguistics. We offer minors in Anthropology and Native Studies.

Applied Science (minor) (Ph.D.)

Department of Applied Science

Minor | M.S. | Ph.D.

The Department of Applied Science offers an M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Science. The program uses the tools, the techniques, and the understanding involved in a wide range of scientific disciplines in order to solve complex scientific and technical problems. Faculty are active in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, and nearby research facilities.

Art & Art History (major, minor)

Department of Art & Art History

Major | Minor

The Department of Art & Art History offers a B.A. in Fine Arts in two areas of study:

Studio Art introduces and cultivates proficiency in the practices of the artist and the creative process. The program offers training in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and architecture within the context of a liberal arts education.

Art History focuses on how to look at works of art and develop methods of critical inquiry and analysis.

Art & Art History website

Undergraduate Catalog: Art & Art History listing

Biology (major, minor) (Master's)

Department of Biology

Major | Minor | M.S.

The Department of Biology offers a B.S., M.S. and M.A. in Biology by providing a sound introduction to the principles of biology. Students gain an understanding of the diversity and complexity of living things, studied through behavioral, developmental, ecology and evolutionary, and molecular and cell biology.

Biochemistry (minor)

Biochemistry

Minor

Biochemistry is a formalized minor within the Interdisciplinary Studies program. A Biochemistry minor is especially appropriate for those interested in advanced studies in Biology, Chemistry, or Neuroscience.

Chemistry (major, minor) (Master's)

Department of Chemistry

Major | Minor | M.S.

The Department of Chemistry offers a B.S., M.S. and M.A. in Chemistry. The program begins with the general principles of chemistry and then elaborates these principles with courses in organic, physical, inorganic, and analytical chemistry.

Classical Studies (major, minor, post-baccalaureate program)

Department of Classical Studies

Major | Minor | Post-baccalaureate Program

The Department of Classical Studies offers a B.A. and Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Classical Studies. The faculty provides language instruction in Ancient Greek, Latin, and Biblical Hebrew; and courses in all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization, including literature, history, religion, society, art, and archaeology. Choose among four concentrations: Greek, Latin, Classical Civilization, or Classical Archaeology.

Computational & Applied Mathematics & Statistics (major, minor)

Computational & Applied Mathematics & Statistics Program (CAMS)

Major | Minor

The Computational & Applied Mathematics & Statistics (CAMS) program offers a B.S. in Computational & Applied Mathematics and Statistics. It is an interdisciplinary program that teaches skills in mathematical modeling, data analysis, and computer simulation. Two tracks are offered: Applied Statistics and Mathematical Biology.

Computer Science (major, minor) (Master's, Ph.D.)

Department of Computer Science

Major | Minor | M.S. | Ph.D.

The Department of Computer Science explores the fundamental question: What can be (efficiently) automated? Students explore the development of algorithms and data structures for representing and processing information, as well as the logical organization of computers themselves.

Data Science (major, minor)

Data Science

Major | Minor | Ph.D.*

The Data Science Program offers a B.S. in Data Science. Data Science is the study and discovery of methods that extract knowledge from frequently large, diverse sets of data.

*Data Science is a concentration area within the Ph.D. in Applied Science.

Economics (major, minor)

Department of Economics

Major | Minor

The Department of Economics offers a B.A. in Economics. Economics students explore how consumers and firms respond to incentives, how they interact through trade in markets, and how the whole economy works, in terms of productivity, unemployment, and growth. Students focus their studies by choosing from a large, diverse set of electives.

Educational Studies (minor)

Educational Studies

Minor

The minor in Educational Studies is an interdisciplinary program focusing on domestic or global educational issues. Students may choose from two distinct concentrations within the minor: Global Education concentration, Policy and Equity concentration

The program is jointly offered by the School of Education and Arts & Sciences.

English (major, minor)

Department of English

Major | Minor

The Department of English offers a B.A. in English. Students of English explore the aesthetic, rhetorical, historical, philosophical, cultural, and ideological dimensions of the ways in which men and women have represented their worlds, real or imagined, in literature. Minors are offered in English and Creative Writing.

Environment & Sustainability (secondary major, minor)

Environment & Sustainability (ENSP)

Secondary Major | Minor

The major in Environment & Sustainability is a secondary major, intended to supplement and complement the primary major. Students integrate knowledge and skills from the natural, physical, and social sciences and the humanities to solve current environmental problems within ethical and realistic frameworks. Students choose from three tracks: Environmental Science, Environmental Policy or Environmental Humanities.

Film and Media Studies (major, minor)

Film and Media Studies (FMST) Program

Major | Minor

The Film and Media Studies Program offers a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. Most of us approach human communications as content seen through a window. Film and Media Studies insists on looking at - describing, analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating - the window.

Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies (major, minor)

Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies (GSWS) Program

Major | Minor

The Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies Program offers a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. Students enroll in an organized series of courses, starting with small seminars that introduce gender, sexuality, and women's studies issues in disciplines that span the humanities and social sciences. Many courses are discussion-centered, and all are interdisciplinary, so that students become agile thinkers who can move beyond static thinking and restrictive boundaries.

Geology (major, minor)

Department of Geology

Major | Minor

The Geology department takes a broad view on the Earth, offering courses that focus on the workings and history of the Earth's interior, surface, and atmosphere. The geology curriculum is designed to be flexible enough to allow students to explore their own interests. Two concentrations are offered: Geology and Environmental Geology.

Geographic Information Science (certificate program)

Center for Geospatial Analysis
Certificate Program

The Certificate in Geographic Information Science provides students with a post-baccalaureate level academic credential in geospatial technologies.

Global Studies (major, minor)

Global Studies Program

Major | Minor

The Global Studies Program offers a B.A. in International Studies with several majors. Through coursework on the culture, history, languages, literature, politics, and religions of major world regions, students of Global Studies explore the ways in which global forces are realized in and through local contexts, and the interconnections between global regions. Concentrations are offered in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies, European Studies, Latin American Studies, and Russian and Post-Soviet Studies.

Government (major)

Department of Government

Major

Government is the study of politics and governance, including the moral and ethical implications of political action. Courses fall into one of political science's four broad subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, or Political Theory. Non-majors are welcome to take courses as part of their electives or to inform other majors.

History (major, minor) (Master's, Ph.D.)

Department of History

Major | Minor | M.A. | Ph.D.

The History Department offers a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in History. The diverse History curriculum explores the human experience across the globe, from the end of the ancient world to the dawn of the twenty-first century. Students of history read intelligently, think critically, and write effectively.

Integrative Conservation (major, minor)

Integrative Conservation
Major | Minor

The Integrative Conservation major leads to a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. Students of Integrative Conservation explore integrative approaches that balance the conservation and preservation of wildlife and their ecosystems with human wellbeing and in co-design with local communities.

International Relations (major, minor)

International Relations Program

Major | Minor

The International Relations Program offers a B.A. in International Relations. It promotes the systematic study of political, economic, and historic relations among states and other actors in the international system. Students address the interactions among states, markets, and non-state actors.

Judaic Studies (minor)

Judaic Studies

Minor

Judaic Studies affords students an exceptional and unusual educational opportunity to cultivate an appreciation of the historic role played by Jewish culture and the Jewish religion in the development of human civilization.

Kinesiology (major, minor)

Department of Kinesiology

Major | Minor

The Department of Kinesiology offers a B.A. and a B.S. in Kinesiology & Health Sciences. The faculty explores human health and movement at the cellular level, the human level, and the population level. The department offers multiple paths of study in health sciences, pre-medicine, and public health.

Linguistics (major, minor)

Linguistics Program

Major | Minor

The Linguistics Program offers a B.A. in Linguistics. Linguistics is the study of language both as a faculty of mind and as a social institution. Courses approach language from a variety of perspectives, including in the subfields of history, grammar, syntax, phonology, phonetics, sociolinguistics, culture, and geography.

Marine Science (minor)

Marine Science

Minor

The program in Marine Science introduces students to the global importance of marine ecosystems and their significance to society as a source of food and energy and in regulating climate. The minor is jointly offered and administered by Arts & Sciences and the W&M School of Marine Science/Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences.

Mathematics (major, minor)

Department of Mathematics

Major | Minor

The study of mathematics is motivated by its wide applicability and its intrinsic beauty. Students may concentrate in Standard Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or Pre-College Mathematics Teaching.

Medieval and Renaissance Studies (major, minor)

Medieval and Renaissance Studies (Med-Ren) Program

Major | Minor

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program offers a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. It encourages the interdisciplinary study of Europe between 300 CE and 1700 CE - what Francesco Petrarca (d. 1374) called "the gap of time."

Military Science (ROTC)

Military Science

Courses in Military Science also serve as the cornerstone of the United States Army's Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), the fundamental training program for the nation's future military officers.

Modern Languages & Literatures (major, minor)

Department of Modern Languages & Literatures

Major | Minor

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers several undergraduate majors leading to a B.A.. Faculty teach eight languages in areas of study that encompass cultural activities across the globe: Arabic Studies, Chinese Language and Culture (B.A.), French and Francophone Studies (B.A.), German Studies (Minor), Hispanic Studies (B.A. in Spanish), Italian Studies, Japanese Studies (B.A.), and Russian Studies.

Music (major, minor)

Department of Music

Major | Minor

The Department of Music offers a B.A. in Music. The faculty of scholars, composers, and performers in the department teach interrelated subdisciplines: music history, ethnomusicology, music theory, composition, and performance. The department collectively values the contributions of all musical cultures and styles, and in any given semester offers courses that reflect this diversity.

Neuroscience (major)

Neuroscience Program

Major

The Neuroscience Program offers a B.S. in Neuroscience. Neuroscience is a rigorous interdisciplinary study of the nervous system. It integrates the function of molecules, cells, and networks as they give rise to fully formed behavioral and cognitive processes.

Philosophy (major, minor)

Department of Philosophy

Major | Minor

The Department of Philosophy offers a B.A. in Philosophy. Students of Philosophy learn to think critically and reflectively about fundamental questions of knowledge and value. Students explore topics including moral psychology, social justice, practical rationality, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, philosophy of art, free will, moral responsibility, and ethics.

Physics (major, minor) (Master's, Ph.D.)

Department of Physics

Major | Minor | Ph.D.

The Department of Physics offers a B.S., M.S., M.A. and Ph.D. in Physics. Physicis is the study the physical nature of the universe and how it works. Research areas in the department include atomic, molecular, and optical physics, computational physics, condensed matter physics, nuclear and hadronic physics, high energy physics, and plasma and non-linear physics. Majors may choose from several tracks: Standard Physics, Pre-Med Physics, and Engineering Physics and Applied Design.

Psychological Sciences (major, minor) (Master's)

Department of Psychological Sciences

Major | Minor | M.S.

The Department of Psychological Sciences offers a B.A. and B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Psychological Sciences. Psychological Sciences describes the connected disciplines that study mental processes and behaviors: Why and how do people act, think, and feel as they do? Students take classes that cover topics such as human development, psychopathology, learning, personality and motivation, physiology, social behavior, community and health psychology, statistics, and research methods.

Public Health (minor)

Public Health

Minor

Public Health minors seek an understanding of the interdisciplinary relationships between disease processes and the social and biological environment of the community.

Public Policy (major, minor) (Master's)

Public Policy Program

Major | Minor | M.P.P.

The Public Policy program offers a B.A. in Public Policy and a Master's of Public Policy (M.P.P.). Public Policy is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on analytical decision-making. It emphasizes quantitative and economic analysis, the study of political institutions that produce policy, and the examination of specific policy areas such as environment and health.

Religious Studies (major, minor)

Department of Religious Studies

Major | Minor

The Department of Religious Studies offers a B.A. in Religion. Religious Studies faculty feel that religion forms a basic and essential element of all cultures, including our own. If one is to understand a society, it is vital to study its religious writings and beliefs. Students of religious studies gain an understanding of religious traditions across the globe.

Self-Designed (major)

Self-designed Interdisciplinary

The curriculum of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences provides for a B.A. or B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies whereby a student, working in consultation with a faculty advisor, may formulate an interdisciplinary major that is uniquely tailored to his or her interest.

Sociology (major, minor)

Department of Sociology

Major | Minor

The Department of Sociology offers a B.A. in Sociology. Sociologists study many of the major issues of the day: crime, immigration, globalization, sexuality, families. Students of sociology gain the empirical and theoretical tools to make sense of these topics. Majors choose from five concentrations: Generalist Sociology, Globalization, Health, Medicine, & Well-Being, Criminology, Law, & Society, Social Problems, Policy, & Justice.

Theatre, Speech & Dance (major, minor)

Department of Theatre, Speech & Dance

Major | Minor

The Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance offers a B.A. in Theatre and Speech. It is committed to preserving, transmitting, and expanding our understanding of these disciplines within the larger context of a liberal arts education. Students participate in extensive original work in the form of direction, design, production, playwriting, dramaturgy, choreography, and performing as well as research and publication.

All Majors and Minors

The W&M School of Education and School of Business also offer undergraduate degrees. See complete list of majors and minors.