College of
LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
DISCOVER YOUR PASSION
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the intellectual heart of Villanova since the University’s founding in 1842. With more than 40 academic departments and programs offering undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as doctoral programs in Philosophy and Theology, CLAS provides a rich, rigorous and diverse educational experience.
Faculty in the College are teacher-scholars. They are thought leaders in their fields, pursuing research at the forefront of knowledge creation, and are equally committed to excellence in teaching—integrating their research into the classroom and inviting students to partner with them on studies and publications.
The College’s multidisciplinary curriculum encourages creativity and innovation. Students develop critical thinking and strong communication skills, preparing them to be ethical leaders with a passion for making a positive impact on the world.
EXPLORE OUR PROGRAMS
THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
STORIES OF DISCOVERY
Villanova’s world-renowned lizard expert has built a scientific family tree —one discovery, and one student, at a time. Aaron Bauer, PhD, has described 320 new species of reptiles, more than any other living scientist and fifth-most of all time and mentored generations of students. MORE...
Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, PhD, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and Anthony Lagalante, PhD, Chemistry and Biochemistry, gained rare access to the Catacombs of Priscilla. With grant support from Villanova and permission from the Vatican, the researchers were able to collect data on two frescoes within the catacombs’ third-century Greek Chapel. MORE...
Ireland’s prime minister, the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, was met with céad míle fáilte—a hundred thousand welcomes—as he arrived on Villanova’s campus on March 14 as a guest of the Center for Irish Studies. MORE...
COLLEGE NEWS
Villanova Biology Professor Receives NSF Grant to Study Chemical Communication in Lizards
Stephanie Campos, PhD, assistant professor of Biology, has been awarded a $423,192 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate how hormones and humidity influence chemical signaling in lizards.
October 26, 2026
In Rome, CLAS Scholars Explore Sustainability Across Disciplines and Through Community
What does it mean to care for the planet and the people who depend on it? Faculty, students and alumni from Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences joined scholars, leaders and practitioners from around the world in Rome in October 2026 to explore that question at the University’s International Sustainability Conference.
October 26, 2026
Villanova Biology Researchers Awarded More than $2.3 Million from NIH to Study How Parasites Navigate Insect Hosts and Prepare for Transmission
Megan Povelones, PhD, and Michael Povelones, PhD, associate professors of Biology, have been awarded a $2,319,953 National Institutes of Health R01 research grant to investigate how certain parasitic organisms—including pathogenic agents for human diseases—sense their environment, attach to insect tissue and transition between developmental stages critical for disease transmission.
October 20, 2026
Villanova Professors Named to Endowed Chairs in Biology and English
Professor of Biology Samantha Chapman, PhD, and Professor of English Megan Quigley, PhD, have been appointed to endowed chair positions in recognition of their scholarly contributions to their fields and in support of their continued research and teaching.
October 09, 2026
AT A GLANCE
60+
GRADUATE STUDENTS PRESENT AT ACADEMIC CONFERENCES EACH YEAR
92%
OF THE CLASS OF 2025
SECURED OPPORTUNITIES
8
STUDENTS OR ALUMNI EARN FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2026 – 2027
83%
OF STUDENTS FROM THE CLASS OF 2025 SEEKING A RESEARCH EXPERIENCE PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE
86%
OF STUDENTS FROM THE CLASS OF 2025 SEEKING AN INTERNSHIP PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE
93%
of students from the class of 2025 seeking a service experience participated in at least one