UMass Boston

A liberal arts education helps develop the skills essential for a career or for graduate study: critical and creative thinking, written and oral communication, inquiry and analysis, intercultural knowledge and competence, skills for lifelong learning and the ability to adapt to new situations quickly.

The College of Liberal Arts offers students the opportunity to study a variety of fields in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts—from English to Economics, Africana Studies to Women’s Studies, Performing Arts to Psychology—as well as in interdisciplinary programs such as Asian Studies that span two or more fields of study. 

College of Liberal Arts alumni have gone on to become physicians, writers, TV producers, architects, teachers, elected officials, CEOs, sculptors, police officers, and more.

More than 5,000 students—close to 50% of UMass Boston’s undergraduates—are currently working toward degrees in the 27 majors offered by the college’s 19 departments. At the graduate level, the College of Liberal Arts currently offers nine masters programs (in American studies, applied economics, applied linguistics, applied sociology, critical ethnic & community studies, English, historical archaeology, history, and Latin and classical humanities), a master of fine arts in creative writing, a PhD in clinical psychology, a PhD in sociology, and a PhD in developmental and brain sciences.

Faculty in the college are strongly committed to teaching and to their students’ learning. Faculty members mentor students in honors work, independent study projects, and internships. Faculty in the college produce research at the cutting edge of their disciplines, as well as participate in 15 university research centers and institutes that bring research and creative achievements to the local community and global audiences.