College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the largest college on campus, with more than 10,000 undergraduate students pursuing a variety of disciplines through its 33 majors and 48 minors. Undergraduate students acquire an intellectual foundation based on a well-rounded and comprehensive education designed for an increasingly technological and rapidly changing society.

Established: 1910

Academic Divisions: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has 21 departments and 28 centers and institutes.

Degrees: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 33 majors, as well as a number of interdisciplinary studies fields.

The college also offers combined-degree (bachelor's-master's) programs in botany, computer science, French and Francophone studies, geography, geology, history, international relations, Latin American studies, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, physics, political science, Portuguese, religion, Russian, sociology, Spanish, statistics and women's studies.

Majors Offered by the College
Explore the majors and career options within CLAS

Minors Offered by the College

Academic Advising: Department advisors assist students with their majors' requirements and options within the major. The Academic Advising Center helps CLAS students understand college and university degree requirements and regulations and the critical-tracking requirements for the first five terms.

Pre-Health and Pre-Law: Students interested in attending professional school in medicine, dentistry, law, optometry, pharmacy or veterinary medicine after completing the bachelor’s degree should seek advising from the Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising in the Academic Advising Center. The AAC offers workshops and individual advising to guide pre-health and pre-law students.

Career Guidance: Students who need to explore majors and careers can find resources on the college's Explore our Majors page and the Academic Advising Center website. Additionally, students are encouraged to utilize the Career Resource Center for career and major exploration as well as other career-related needs.

Computer Requirement: General requirements and CLAS requirements.

Internships: Students should consult their major department regarding internship credit. Additional information is available in 2014 Turlington, 352.392.6800. The Honors Program, 343 Infirmary, 1 Fletcher Drive, provides information on receiving credit for internships not in the major as well as internship programs at the Washington Center in Washington, D.C. and other sites.

Scholarships: For additional information regarding scholarships offered by CLAS, visit 2014 Turlington Hall. The Honors Office also has scholarship information for students in the honors program.

Student Organizations: CLASSC, the college's student council, serves as a resource for CLAS students and as advocate for student issues within the college. In addition, CLASSC provides funding for programs and travel to conferences for more than 25 student organizations specific to CLAS. Phi Beta Kappa is another organization for CLAS student involvement.

Research Experience

In most departments, students can conduct research under the direction of a faculty member. Consult a department advisor for information about faculty research areas or the "Finding a Research Project" page on Center for Undergraduate Research's website. In addition, students in CLAS are eligible to apply for the University Scholars Program. Teamed with faculty mentors, University Scholars identify a topic, initiate research during the summer and continue investigation throughout the following academic year. Students chosen as University Scholars receive a $2,000 stipend.

Special Academic Recognition

Dean's List and President's Honor Roll

Anderson Scholars: Each fall the college honors outstanding juniors as Anderson Scholars. These students receive certificates of distinction, high distinction or highest distinction for maintaining a 3.90, 3.95 or 4.0 overall UF grade point average respectively during their first two years at UF with a minimum 12-credit course load each semester, no drops or withdrawals, and at least 60 credits completed toward an undergraduate degree at UF. Anderson Scholars are named in honor of James N. Anderson, the first dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1910-1930).

Dean's Medal: The college believes that the best preparation for success draws deeply across the full range of the college's offerings. The Dean's Medal recognizes those CLAS graduates who have gone above and beyond in their pursuit of broad study in the liberal arts and sciences. Medal winners have not only undertaken a significant range of courses, but have acquired the range of skills and experiences valued by graduate and professional schools, organizations, employers and communities.

Honors: The college offers a variety of opportunities for independent and seminar honors work to undergraduates who demonstrate appropriate qualifications. Superior students should take initiative in planning undergraduate and graduate programs. They should consult the honors coordinator in their department about requirements for the baccalaureate degree cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude. Postbaccalaureate students are not eligible to receive honors recognition.

Study Abroad

Students in the college are encouraged to participate in study-abroad programs administered by the UF International Center and scholarships are available. Study-abroad programs may satisfy certain requirements, such as general education, CLAS distribution, foreign language, summer term enrollment and UF residency. Some study-abroad courses may also count toward a student's major.

CLAS has many programs overseas for undergraduates for a semester, a summer or an academic year, each providing a wide range of academic and cultural experiences. For more information, contact the UF International Center, 170 Hub, 352.392.5323.

Teacher Preparation: Professional Training Options

A PTO is an alternative certification program meant to prepare students for temporary teacher certification in Florida. Professional teacher certification is attainable with passing scores on relevant teacher certification exams, a clear criminal history background report and one year of successful teaching in a Florida public school. Please review state certification information.

There are three PTO programs at UF: UFTeach Mathematics Teaching minor, UFTeach Science Teaching minor and the Florida Teaching minor.

The UFTeach minor in mathematics teaching, available to students pursuing a major in mathematics, is meant to prepare students to be middle school and high school mathematics teachers in Florida. The UFTeach minor in science teaching, available to students pursuing a major in a science discipline, is meant to prepare students to be middle school general science teachers and high school biology, chemistry, earth/space science or physics teachers. There is a critical shortage of qualified high school mathematics and science teachers in Florida. Students interested in this high-demand profession should see the advisor in their major or the UFTeach advisor for more information.

The Florida Teaching minor is available to non-mathematics and non-science majors (ideally pursuing a major that would build competence in the subject the student wants to teach). It can lead to certification in a variety of subject areas and grade levels. Students interested in pursuing this minor should visit the College of Education Office of Student Services in G416 Norman Hall.

Center for Written and Oral Communication

The William and Grace Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication offers courses focusing on the communication skills students need for their majors and future careers. Students interested in business, education, law, medicine and other fields can develop oral communication skills essential to success in their professions. The center also offers a minor in communication studies, comprised of courses in public speaking, interpersonal communication and a variety of upper-division courses that focus on different communication contexts.

The University Writing Program

The University Writing Program prepares students and faculty to meet their academic and professional writing goals by delivering broad-based instruction in composition and discipline-specific writing courses, by providing a writing studio for individualized help, and by hosting faculty and student workshops.

The UWP houses coursework in First-Year Writing, Second-Year Analytical Thinking and Writing, and Third-Year Professional Writing in the Disciplines. Individual third-year courses focus on writing in specific disciplines (anthropology, communication science and disorders, engineering, law, neurobiological sciences, physical sciences, political science, sociology, etc.). These courses address the form, content, and style of professional and academic writing. Depending on the discipline, students may prepare proposals, scientific research reports, lab reports, professional correspondence, legal briefs and memoranda, analytical essays, applications to graduate programs, applications for employment, and presentations of research.