Mission
Arts and Sciences is the intellectual heart of Columbia University. Home to five schools, more than 1,000 faculty, 60 research centers and institutes, and 28 academic departments, we provide a transformative educational experience to more than 16,000 undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students at Columbia - nearly half the student body. Our field-defining research - anchored in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences - engages fundamental questions about our society and our world, and supports Columbia’s broader mission to advance knowledge, learning, and impact at the highest levels.
Some of Columbia’s most revered institutions are within Arts and Sciences: Columbia College, the School of General Studies, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of the Arts, and the School of Professional Studies. We are also home to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, a unified faculty body that serves as a focal point for innovative teaching, curricular development, and academic governance. The Office of the Dean and Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences coordinates these efforts, providing academic, policy, and budgetary oversight of A&S schools, faculty, departments, centers and institutes.
Our intellectual community is committed to advancing human understanding and enabling students from all walks of life to build essential skills and knowledge at one of the world’s most dynamic urban campuses, in the heart of New York City.