The College of Arts & Sciences is the central undergraduate unit of the University with 387 tenured and tenure-track faculty, 158 non-tenure track faculty (including lecturers, artists-in-residence, and visiting faculty), and 70 research scientists, serving about 4,000 undergraduates in 40 academic departments and programs divided into divisions of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest undergraduate unit at Washington University, which is ranked 13th among national Universities by U.S. News & World Report.
Undergraduates in the other schools meet general education requirements by taking courses in the College of Arts & Sciences. Many of these students have double majors or minors in an Arts & Sciences discipline as well as in their professional field.
Beginning with the freshmen of 2001, Arts & Sciences students are required to satisfy the new Discovery Curriculum requirements. Based on the Bowen Commission Report approved by the faculty in 1999, the Discovery Curriculum requires students to demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge across four discipline areas (Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, Textual and Historical Studies, and Language and the Arts), as well as satisfy requirements in Quantitative Analysis, Social Differentiation, Cultural Diversity, and writing.
Undergraduates at the University are encouraged to participate in faculty research. Research is available in all areas of study in Arts & Sciences, and is available to students as early as their freshman year. An Undergraduate Research Journal is published semesterly, featuring the most outstanding projects from undergraduates. The Office of Undergraduate Research helps students find research opportunities that match their interests. Undergraduates can also apply for grants and awards from the University, which may be used towards their research endeavors.
Leading the College of Arts & Sciences from 1992 to 2011 was Dean James E. McLeod, who died Sept 7, 2011, of cancer. McLeod (b. 1944) had also served the University as Vice Chancellor for Students since 1995.
Read more about this topic: Arts And Sciences At Washington University In St. Louis
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