“Our graduates are only limited by their own
imagination, creativity, vision and desires.
Dedicated to the total growth of the individual,
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
prepares students to make significant, vital
and lasting contributions to society through
a vast array of career options.”
College of
liberal arts & sciences
From the study of environmental chemistry and
Shakespeare to a deeper understanding of world cultures
and history, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
at Villanova University spans the universe of human
knowledge and experience.
The oldest and largest of Villanova’s four undergraduate
colleges, it offers tremendous breadth and depth with
32 undergraduate majors, 16 interdisciplinary
concentrations and more than 50 graduate programs.
Across all majors, students develop the critical-thinking,
analytical and communication abilities necessary for a
successful life. The College actively encourages the notion
of inquiry from multiple perspectives, and intellectual
curiosity and rigor are coupled with an emphasis on ethics
and values in decision making.
A central resource for the entire University, the College
provides the core of Villanova’s philosophy that a liberal
arts curriculum supports all academic programs. A business
major has the opportunity to take courses in theology and
writing, and an engineering student to learn about ethics
and philosophy.
Students become immersed in history, literature, science,
ethics, fine arts, philosophy and theology —the building
blocks of literacy, discourse and an informed point of view.
They gain the tools to understand culture and society
within a larger historical and intellectual context, and are
prepared to become responsible and thoughtful citizens
of the world community.
In 2008, as part of the 80th anniversary of the Mendel
Medal, the College co-sponsored the exhibit, “Gregor
Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics,” at the Academy
of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Mendel, a 19th-
century Augustinian friar now known as the “Father of
Modern Genetics,” grew 28,000 pea plants over an eight-year period to discover some of the most celebrated laws
of heredity. Mendel is the namesake of the state-of-the-art
Mendel Science Center on Villanova’s campus.
Each year brings a new vibrancy and sense of excitement
to all aspects of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
This extends far beyond the classroom to learning
opportunities such as internships, service learning and
study abroad experiences.
On campus or off, whether discussing the properties of
subatomic particles or the implications of meaning and
faith in a global economy, students are constantly
challenged in an atmosphere of reflection, reason and
scientific inquiry.
