College of

LIBERAL ARTS AND
SCIENCES

DISCOVER YOUR PASSION

Two students work together in a Chemistry lab.

The oldest and largest of Villanova’s colleges, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers more than 40 academic programs and cultivates knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life in a challenging and changing world.

CLAS undergraduate and graduate students can find opportunities for collaborative research and learning with faculty who are dedicated teacher-scholars and among the most distinguished in their fields. From pinpointing a protein that could hold a key to cancer screenings, to testing the impact of industry on local waterways, to critiquing creative writing alongside published novelists, each experience elevates learning and yields insights.

The College’s dynamic, integrated curriculum encourages creativity and innovation, developing critical thinkers, strong communicators and ethical leaders well positioned for diverse and interesting careers. With an emphasis on faculty-student engagement, experiential learning and a global perspective, CLAS is where students find their passion, path and purpose.

EXPLORE OUR PROGRAMS

BACHELOR'S

Pursue a degree from among more than 40 programs in the humanities, social sciences, math and sciences.

MASTER'S

Choose from more than 20 degrees, including online options in the humanities, social sciences, math and sciences.

DOCTORAL

Find out about our funded, full-time programs in philosophy and theology, and a part-time option in theology.

CERTIFICATE

Enhance your career with graduate certificates in humanities, social sciences, math and sciences, including online options.

MINOR

Complement your major and enjoy an even more interdisciplinary and diversified academic experience by adding a minor.

CURRICULUM

Prepare for a purposeful career with our undergraduate core curriculum, a foundation emphasizing communication and critical thinking.

THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

STORIES OF DISCOVERY

COLLEGE NEWS

CLAS logo

Villanova Program at SCI Phoenix Receives Mellon Foundation Grant to Expand Program, Develop Statewide Consortium

The Villanova University Program at State Correctional Institution Phoenix (SCI Phoenix) has received a $712,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to support expansion of the program— allowing more students to access a Villanova liberal arts education—and to develop a statewide consortium on higher education prison programs. 

JUNE 7, 2023

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Sophia Pellechia

CLAS Student Chosen for Fulbright-MITACS Globalink Canada

Sophia Pellechia '24 CLAS, an Honors Biochemistry major from Clearwater Beach, Florida, earned a Fulbright-MITACS Globalink award to pursue advanced summer research at Laval University in Québec City.

JUNE 1, 2023

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Samer Abboud

Global Interdisciplinary Studies Professor Receives U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award

Samer Abboud, PhD, has been awarded a prestigious 2023-2024 U.S. Fulbright Scholar grant, and beginning in January 2024, he will serve as a Fulbright Canada Research Chair in North American Politics.

MAY 31, 2023

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Ken Chih-Yan Sun, PhD

Villanova Sociology and Criminology Professor Wins Distinguished Book Award

Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology Ken Chih-Yan Sun, PhD, won the 2023 Outstanding Publication Award by the American Sociological Association Section on Aging and the Life Course for his first book, "Time and Migration: How Long-Term Taiwanese Migrants Negotiate Later Life" (2021).

MAY 24, 2023

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AT A GLANCE

60+

GRADUATE STUDENTS PRESENT AT ACADEMIC CONFERENCES EACH YEAR

  

98.8%

SUCCESSFUL PLACEMENT RATE
FOR CLASS OF 2022

  

17

STUDENTS OR ALUMNI EARN FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2022 – 2023

  

91%

of students seeking an internship participated in at least one

  

200

STUDENTS COMPLETE A LAB OR FIELD RESEARCH PROJECT EACH YEAR

  

92%

of students seeking an international experience participated in at least one

  

WHO WE ARE