About the College of Arts & Sciences

Professor Kuhn teaching Italian Studies

Bucknell's College of Arts & Sciences is one of the largest and most diverse of the highly ranked national liberal arts colleges. Encompassing the arts and humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences and mathematics, it provides a strong liberal arts base — including both breadth of learning and depth of specialization — for the 66 percent of Bucknell students who major in these disciplines. In addition, the college provides the basic mathematics, science and liberal arts courses for students in the College of Engineering and the Freeman College of Management.

Headshot of Karl Voss

Welcome from the Dean

Welcome to the College of Arts & Sciences, the academic heart of Bucknell. We are proud of both our long tradition of liberal arts education and the ways we embrace new opportunities to prepare students for success in any path they choose. Our students are passionate, curious and eager to explore the open-ended and complicated questions at boundary of human knowledge. They're seeking knowledge at the intersections of academic disciplines, combining their interests in innovative ways that will equip them to adapt and thrive in a fast-paced, constantly changing world. And they are succeeding, as evidenced by our excellent career outcomes.

The faculty and staff of the College of Arts & Sciences are dedicated to the intellectual and personal development of every student. Please feel free to contact any of us for further information about our academic programs — we are eager to answer your questions about the college.

Karl Voss
113 Marts Hall
570-577-3293
kvoss@bucknell.edu

Meet the College of Arts & Sciences team

Bertrand Library roof and tower

Applying to the College of Arts & Sciences

To apply, select your intended major within the College of Arts & Sciences. If you have not decided which major to pursue, select "Undecided Arts & Sciences" within the College of Arts & Sciences.

The opportunities for students enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences to transfer into the College of Engineering are quite limited, and enrollment in the Freeman College of Management is limited to students who were admitted directly into the Freeman College of Management at the time of their initial application to Bucknell. You should apply directly to your preferred college.

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Structure of the College

The College of Arts & Sciences comprises the three traditional liberal arts divisions:

The College Core Curriculum

The College of Arts & Sciences has designed a College Core Curriculum that:

  • Provides students with the foundational preparation for a lifetime of critical thinking and civic engagement.
  • Offers students opportunities for intellectual exploration and in-depth study in an academic discipline.
  • Prepares students for meaningful involvement with a rapidly changing world characterized by diverse individual perspectives, globalization and multicultural interactions, and scientific/technological innovation.
  • Provides students with opportunities to build and enhance their abilities to understand the social and natural worlds around them; to analyze, evaluate and integrate the information available to them; and to synthesize and communicate thought effectively.

Learn more about the College Core Curriculum

Degrees Offered

Strategic Plan

The strategic plan for the College of Arts & Sciences is the outcome of an inclusive process, whereby faculty, staff, students and other stakeholders came together to shape a common vision for our identity as a liberal arts college within Bucknell University. It is built upon a mission statement that articulates our identity — who we are and what we do. Our mission serves as a guidepost for our four major commitments to our community; transformative education; advising and encouraging our students; and scholarship.

As indicated in our mission statement, the College of Arts & Sciences is the core of Bucknell University. Together, faculty, staff and students in the college generate and disseminate knowledge in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, affirming the liberal arts as the foundation for success in professional, personal and public endeavors.

We are committed and creative scholars and artists working across disciplines. We foster intellectual and ethical growth by providing a diverse, equitable and inclusive learning environment in which we can realize our full potential regardless of our differences. Within a safe and supportive community, we challenge ourselves and each other to analyze and synthesize our insights on knowledge, beauty and justice.

Our Four Commitments

Contact Details

College of Arts & Sciences