LAS Majors

The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Columbia currently offers six undergraduate degrees (including the newly created BA in Art and Materials Conservation), preparing students for successful careers, graduate school, and beyond.

Here are the Bachelor of Arts degrees currently available in our departments:

Art and Materials Conservation
Department of Science and Mathematics

Until fairly recently, a career in the field of art and materials conservation and preservation was generally attained through an apprenticeship with a master conservator. Now, such a career requires intensive, formal education.

The BA in Art and Materials Conservation in the Department of Science and Mathematics is steeped in science as well as the arts. Developed with the guidelines of the American Institute for Conservation, it also provides the kind of hands-on education one would expect in a degree at Columbia. The first such undergraduate program in the Midwest, and one of only three in the U.S., the program in Art and Materials Conservation offers students intense training in chemistry, materials science, studio art, and the humanities, as well as a year of study and hands-on practice at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Italian International Institute in Florence, Italy.

Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared for advanced study, for work in the field, and they also will have gained a solid foundation in the philosophy and ethics of conservation and preservation. Further, students will have gained a deep understanding of the scientific basis of art and materials conservation.

ASL-English Interpretation
Department of ASL-English Interpretation

Students working toward a BA in ASL-English Interpretation study in a close-knit, multicultural environment in which they can pursue and contribute directly to the advancement of meaningful human communication and effective interpersonal interaction. We've assembled a core of both Deaf and hearing teachers who possess broad experience as interpreters, educators, and advocates—teachers who have also developed extensive relationships with Chicago's Deaf and interpreting communities.

Our graduates are in high demand as sign language interpreters in such fields as the performing arts, education, business, media, health care, and many others. More importantly, however, graduates of the Department of ASL-English Interpretation are educated professionals whose broad understanding of social and theoretical issues helps frame the public's understanding of the challenges and vibrancy of the Deaf community.

Creative Writing - Nonfiction
Department of English

In the Creative Writing - Nonfiction major, students learn to employ the elements of fiction writing in nonfiction settings, allowing them to express their personal, social, ethical, and political ideas. Students develop skills that enable them to write from a personal ethos and with an authentic voice. While working toward completing the degree, students also read from the many subgenres of creative nonfiction: the personal essay, memoir, travelogue, political argument, and cultural critique. The major also prepares students to work in a variety of writing-based professions.

Creative Writing - Poetry
Department of English

The Department of English's major in Poetry helps students discover their own voices as poets and to develop the knowledge and craft necessary to write and publish poetry of power and sophistication. Students acquire the skills in editing, critical writing, and professional writing necessary to find employment upon graduation. They also are prepared for entry into distinguished MFA programs, such as those at Brown University, Bard College, and the University of Iowa.

Cultural Studies
Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences

Cultural Studies at Columbia College explores culture in its richly varied forms and processes from an interdisciplinary perspective. The program seeks to help students understand aesthetic, political, social, and economic relationships between cultural production and reception. It also considers the civic dimension of cultural practice by viewing these practices from the standpoints of ethics and social justice. Finally, the program strongly emphasizes the active involvement of all forms of cultural knowledge and social action in the everyday life of local and global communities.

Early Childhood Education
Education Department

The Harris Center for Early Childhood Education's unique, arts-infused program is at the forefront of preparing the next generation of teachers. The curriculum was created from the belief that both a liberal education, which embraces the arts as central to the human experience, and professional preparation are essential in training those who work with children. The program combines an arts-integrated professional education core with an emphasis on the Reggio Emilia approach, as well as focused study in the visual arts, performing arts, or language and culture.

To learn more about Columbia and how to apply, please visit our Admissions page.