New York University College of Arts and Science - 21st Century

21st Century

Today, the academic program at the NYU College of Arts & Science is administered by the Faculty of Arts & Science and incorporates several Centers and Institutes as part of NYU undergraduate liberal arts education. In 2002, Main Building was renamed the "Silver Center" after Julius Silver, B.A. 1922, bequeathed $150 million to the College. The Silver Center is connected to adjacent Brown and Waverly buildings. Brown Building contains numerous scientific laboratories and Waverly Building contains additional classroom space.

Academics

The Faculty of Arts & Science is the intellectual core of the College and has 650 members that are organized into 29 departments, 23 programs and centers and 14 research centers. Among the faculty, there are many Guggenheim Fellowship, Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize, National Medal of Science and MacArthur Fellowship winners.

The Dean of the College of Arts & Science along with the Faculty of Arts & Science bears primary responsibility for the undergraduate liberal arts academic program. The Faculty of Arts & Science is divided into divisions for Humanities, Science and Social Science and has many prominent departments. The Philosophy Department which is ranked #1 among 50 Philosophy Departments in the English-speaking world. The Economics Department is considered top 5-10. The Politics Department is ranked in the top 20 annually, and the International Relations program is ranked 10th nationwide. The Mathematics Department which is part of the Courant Institute is also considered to be one of the best in the world, ranking #5 in citation impact, #1 in applied mathematics and having more Abel prize winners than any other university.

Students in the college usually have two advisors: one advisor in the Department of their major and one Faculty mentor. Many CAS students complete a thesis or independent study project. The Dean's Undergraduate Research Fund provides grants for the research of CAS students. The college also offers Freshman Honors Seminars and Collegiate Seminars for incoming students and Honors Lectures for upperclassmen. These seminars are small courses taught by senior faculty in their respective areas of expertise. In addition to senior faculty, NYU's president John Sexton, several university deans, and various leaders from government and businesses around New York City are among those who teach Freshman Honors and Collegiate seminars.

Core Curriculum

In order be awarded the B.A. of B.S. degree, all CAS students must complete the requirements of the Morse Academic Plan commonly referred to as "MAP", the undergraduate liberal arts core curriculum. The core curriculum is designed to foster analytical thinking and includes courses in western civilization, social policy, scientific inquiry, non-Western societies and expressive culture. The curriculum also requires a foreign language proficiency and an expository writing course. Although not required, MAP courses are typically taken in the Freshman and Sophomore years and students have the option to take several MAP courses at NYU's foreign campuses.

CAS courses are traditionally either seminars or weekly and semi-weekly lectures with larger lectures being divided into recitations.

Deans of the College

University College - 1832 to 1973

Washington Square College - 1913 to 1973

College of Arts & Science - 1973 to Present

• Jill N. Claster, Ph.D
• Matthew S. Santirocco, Ph.D