Read a message of welcome to new Arts & Sciences students from the Dean.

welcome message

The role of majors in our arts and sciences curriculum is to ensure that all graduates have experienced the challenges and rewards of studying an academic discipline or interdisciplinary subject in considerable depth. With the help of an advisor, each student in the College of Arts & Sciences chooses and completes one of the majors described here. Some students elect to double-major, or to supplement their major with a minor in a second field of strong personal interest.

majors and minors

Learn more about the degree requirements for the College of Arts & Sciences in the current edition of the Boston University Undergraduate Programs Bulletin. Specific questions should be directed to a faculty advisor or to an academic advisor in CAS Academic Advising, 100 Bay State Road, Room 401; 617-353-2400; casadv@bu.edu.

degree requirements

CAS Academic Advising is the hub of student activity at the College of Arts & Sciences, offering academic advising, degree planning, registration guidance, and all the information you need to build an undergraduate degree that satisfies graduation requirements and reflects your interests and aspirations.


more information

The CAS Core Curriculum is designed for first- and second-year students who place a high value on liberal education, intellectual friendship, and close contact with faculty. A wide-ranging interdisciplinary program based on the classics of the humanities and social sciences and the important ideas, methods, and discoveries of the natural sciences, Core concentrates on what the greatest works throughout the ages say to us here, right now. Its goal is to empower the mind and sharpen what Confucius called “human-heartedness.”

Core Curriculum

The Writing Program at Boston University’s College of Arts & Sciences offers a year-long sequence of freshman writing seminars on a wide range of engaging topics and questions. These seminars are taught by BU faculty members and an experienced staff of full-time writing instructors. A comprehensive Writing Center, where students can have one-on-one conversations about their writing with seasoned tutors, supports and augments classroom work.

Writing Program

View an abbreviated list of academic and co-curricular opportunities for students at the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS).

student organizations

The College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) at Boston University was founded in 1873 as the College of Liberal Arts. The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) was founded in 1874 as the School of All Sciences.

college facts