Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Weinberg College Of Arts And Sciences

The Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (WCAS or Weinberg) is the largest of the eleven schools comprising Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois and downtown Chicago, Illinois. It was established in 1851 and today comprises 25 departments and many specialty programs.

WCAS enrolls students in its classes from all of Northwestern's undergraduate schools, including the Medill School of Journalism, School of Music, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Communication, and School of Education and Social Policy. All faculty members at Weinberg teach undergraduate students.

About 3 percent of student enrollments are in courses taught exclusively by teaching assistants, mostly in small introductory courses in foreign languages; all other courses are taught by professors. The number of men and women at Weinberg is about equal; 30 percent of undergraduates belong to racial or ethnic minorities. Students also come from all 50 states; Illinois is the home of the largest number of students, followed by California, Ohio, and New York. Seven percent of Weinberg students are from foreign countries.

WCAS has 15 interdisciplinary programs that offer minors or majors. These include American studies, European studies, Integrated Science (ISP), Legal Studies, Mathematical Experience for Northwestern Undergraduates (MENU), Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS), and the Writing Major. Each of these programs has special admissions requirements.

Each freshman at WCAS is required to take two "Freshman Seminars," 15 or 16 students in each, focused on the development of writing and discussion skills. A freshman's typical schedule each quarter includes a small class of 15 students, a class of 20-25 students, and two larger lecture courses. Last year fewer than 10 of more than 2000 courses in Weinberg College enrolled over 300 students.

Each year, faculty members associated with several of Northwestern's graduate programs teach undergraduates. Professors from the Kellogg School of Management offer courses in accounting, finance, and marketing especially designed for Weinberg students. Law School faculty each year teach several undergraduate courses in Weinberg as well. WCAS also has special agreements with Chicago's major cultural institutions, including the Field Museum, Art Institute, Adler Planetarium, Chicago Botanic Garden, and American Bar Foundation, to offer courses taught by Chicago-area experts.