The College of Arts and Sciences provides most of the academic components fundamental to a traditional liberal arts college and contains humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences. The outstanding programs in the humanities include English, history, philosophy and foreign languages with graduate degrees in both English and history. The College's excellent programs in the social sciences include anthropology, political science, sociology, psychology, social work and criminal justice with graduate programs in applied criminology, political science and psychology. The highly regarded natural science program includes nursing plus the traditional sciences of biology, chemistry, geology, and physics with graduate programs in biology, chemistry and nursing. The College also houses many successful programs which cross several disciplines.
Environmental science is one example in addition to the many pre-professional programs.
Pre-professional programs prepare students for a professional school to launch careers in fields such as law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, optometry and veterinary medicine. The College has two interdisciplinary degrees designed for adult learners. Research is a fundamental component of the mission of the College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty members in the College are actively engaged in research related to their respective disciplines. In addition, the College maintains several centers or laboratories that are devoted almost exclusively to research activities.