Welcome to the Web site for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University. In seeking information about the College, I’d like to direct you specifically to two of our site’s Web pages: Why a Liberal Education and the About the College. Both will give you an overview of the mission, purpose, and goals of the College.

Academic Program Offerings
By visiting the Academics link, you will learn about all of the College’s programs of study. As you will see, our offerings in the traditional disciplines are quite strong. For example, we are one of the few colleges in the country that offers an undergraduate degree in astronomy and astrophysics. In fact, our astronomy students and faculty recently received national recognition for their discoveries. Also, I’d like to direct you to our interdisciplinary majors in the humanities, international studies, comprehensive science, and environmental science. Interdisciplinary programs allow students to integrate knowledge and draw connections between and among various disciplines.

"Parents and students frequently ask: 'What can I do with a degree in the liberal arts?' Quite simply, the answer is almost anything you can dream; you are limited only by your imagination, vision, and desires."
— Rev. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D.
Dean
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

However, the foundation of all of our endeavors remains the core curriculum. Many colleges have moved away from an intensive, integrated, and comprehensive intellectual component required of all students no matter what program of study they are pursuing. We have not and are constantly seeking ways to refine and strengthen our core curriculum.

As a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, you will develop the critical-thinking, analytical, and communication skills necessary to succeed in all facets of life. Our robust core, one of the largest in the nation, treats a broad range of disciplines using a variety of approaches and different modes of inquiry, while striving to ensure depth of study and intellectual sophistication. This holistic approach allows our students to specialize in a particular area of study while exploring other areas of interest, thereby enriching and broadening the educational experience.

What Can You Do With a Liberal Education?
Parents and students frequently ask: “What can I do with a degree in the liberal arts?” Quite simply, the answer is almost anything you can dream; you are limited only by your imagination, vision, and desires.

Employers in the 21st century seek to hire bright, ambitious, and ethically-conscious individuals with superb reading, writing, and thinking abilities. A degree in the liberal arts and sciences from the College makes you a desirable job applicant and candidate for admission to graduate school. Our alumni have gone on to pursue meaningful post-graduate work at other fine universities across the country and fulfilling careers in business, education, journalism, law, medicine, and many, many more fields of professional endeavor.

When we ask our alumni to what do they attribute success, their response is inevitably the skills acquired through the liberal arts and the knowledge and wisdom gained from a liberal education. Dedicated to the total growth of the individual, the College prepares students to make significant, vital, and lasting contributions to society through a vast array of different career options.

So what can you do with a liberal arts degree? I invite you to join the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and discover what opportunities await.

Sincerely yours,
Rev. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D.
Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences