Colleges and Departments
College of Liberal Arts
- Africana Studies Department
Africana studies documents and disseminates a specialized body of knowledge about Africa, the West Indies, and especially the United States. We focus on the experiences of the African diaspora – the global dispersion of peoples of African descent – its literature, culture, society, and contributions worldwide. Students are prepared for careers relevant to the development of the African world community and to the rectification of worldwide social ills created by individual and institutional racism.
Give Now - American Studies Department
American studies invites students to explore the rich diversity of the United States, its peoples and cultures. Students develop the kinds of broad historic and intercultural perspectives from which they can understand their own experiences, as well as those of Americans past and present, by studying literature and history; media, such as music, TV, and film; institutions, such as religion, family, politics, and government; and social and scientific thought and belief systems. Our interdisciplinary program prepares students for careers in teaching, law, government, communication, and business.
Give Now - Anthropology Department
Anthropology studies people, and is holistic and interdisciplinary in its approach. The field is located partly in the social sciences, partly in the natural sciences, and partly in the humanities. People are complex, and anthropology offers powerful analytic tools for understanding why humans behave the way they do, whether we are talking about today or about the past, about people here in Boston or people in other parts of the world. In our courses, we ask questions about why people do, think, and believe what they do, and try to explain and interpret them culturally and historically. We seek to find the order in the amazing cultural and social diversity that characterizes people all over the globe, and even in our own society.
Give Now - Applied Linguistics Department
The UMass Boston Applied Linguistics Department introduces students to the theoretical, empirical, and practical dimensions of applied linguistics. It offers courses in basic theoretical linguistics, applied linguistics, and the interdisciplinary areas of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. The program enables students to understand the diversity of issues inherent in the study of language so they are well prepared to teach and to do research.
Give Now - Art Department
The UMass Boston Art Department offers a general major in art leading to a BA, as well as a BA in studio art.
Give Now - Arts on the Point
From monumental works to larger-than-life portraits to folk art, the University of Massachusetts Boston's Arts on the Point collection includes works by some of the most important sculptors of the 20th and 21st centuries. Sculptures are situated throughout the campus in dynamic relationship to their environment. Sculptures are on long-term loan to the university; private donors fund the initiative. The exhibition is open seven days a week, free of charge. more>
Give Now - Asian American Studies Program
UMass Boston's Asian American Studies Program offers culturally responsive instruction in the classroom with holistic practices of mentoring, community building, service-learning, and advocacy to address the social and academic needs of students as well as the critical capacity-building needs of local Asian American communities.
Give Now - Asian Studies Department
Asian Studies aims to give students a broad knowledge of specific regions of Asia, treating each area from a number of different academic perspectives (language, art, history, etc.). UMass Boston currently offers an extensive program--as well as a major and two minors--that covers the cultural region of East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam).
Give Now - Classics Department
Classics is concerned with all aspects of the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome -- linguistic, literary, historical, religious, and archaeological. The Department of Classics offers several graduate degrees designed to prepare Latin teachers for secondary school teaching in Massachusetts. An undergraduate program leads to initial licensure and graduate tracks for Latin and Classical Humanities in the MEd are overseen by the Graduate College of Education and Human Development. In addition, UMass Boston offers a Latin track in the MA in Applied Linguistics with special focus on linguistics and language acquisition.
Give Now - Clinical Psychology Program
The Clinical Psychology PhD program adopts the “scientist-practitioner” model, balancing research and clinical practice training. Our program prepares academics, researchers, and clinicians who have a strong theoretical background in scientific psychology and essential skills in research and clinical practice. The program places special emphasis on educating students to serve underserved populations by ensuring that they are knowledgeable about and skilled in developmentally and culturally competent research and clinical practice.
Give Now - College of Liberal Arts General Support
Your gift strengthens programs throughout the College of Liberal Arts.
Give Now - Communication Studies Program
Communication Studies is a six-course program that offers students the opportunity to build their understanding and skills in several aspects of the communications field, including the history and theory of communication and mass media analysis and criticism; interpersonal communication; information technology; cultural aspects; politics; psychology; creative and professional writing; art; and theater.
Give Now - Creative Writing Program
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a selective program that admits approximately five applicants in fiction and five in poetry each academic year. It offers an intense and focused opportunity for students to further their commitment to writing as the center of their professional life.
Give Now - Criminal Justice Program
The criminal justice major provides a social scientific grounding in issues of crime and criminal justice. Through classes, internships, and special projects, students explore the nature of criminal behavior, its causes, and society’s responses.
Give Now - Dean’s Innovation Fund at the College of Liberal Arts
The Dean’s Innovation Fund supports the cutting-edge teaching and research efforts of our faculty, with a special emphasis on younger faculty.
Give Now - Developmental and Brain Sciences
Developmental and Brain Sciences (DBS) at the University of Massachusetts Boston is a research-intensive program focused on understanding cognition, perception, and behavior when underlying neural and hormonal mechanisms are developing. Through disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and teaching, we seek to create improved understanding of mechanisms influencing social and cognitive behavior and development.
Give Now - Economics Department
Economics as an academic discipline attempts to answer questions about individual and collective behavior related to the production, distribution, and exchange of goods and services. Courses in theoretical and quantitative analysis prepare students for careers in the financial world, law, and public service, or for graduate studies in economics.
Give Now - English Department
The study of English puts students in touch with works of power, beauty, and imagination that speak across the centuries, from the Middle Ages to the day before yesterday. In discussing and writing about the ways in which language and literature explore the human condition, expose social issues, shape our emotional life, and give expression to timeless problems, hopes, and desires, students in the English classroom deepen their skills in interpretation, communication, and critical perception. One of the most versatile liberal arts degrees, English enables students to pursue careers in law, publishing, broadcasting, writing, public relations, education, and many other fields.
Give Now - Hispanic Studies Department
The field of Hispanic studies explores the rich and varied languages, literature, and histories of Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. Insight into these cultures trains students to think critically from different perspectives – an important skill in a world where communication and understanding across boundaries are essential. Hispanic studies graduates are prepared for careers in international affairs, government, education, and many other fields.
Give Now - History Department
Learning about people and cultures, and the debates and controversies of the past, helps us understand our world today. Courses in history teach us to think critically about complex issues, understand how history is constructed, and learn how to make a convincing argument. UMass Boston's History Department offers programs in archives, public history, and Asian and European Studies, along with a solid foundation in the history of our region and the world.
Give Now - Infant Parent Mental Health Program
Sponsored by the Department of Psychology and University College, the Infant Parent Mental Health Certificate Program (IPMHPCP)is a 10-month intensive interdisciplinary learning experience designed for licensed and/or credentialed professionals working with children birth to five and their families. The goal of the IPMHPCP is train professionals to understand relationship-oriented therapies and to focus therapeutic efforts on the child-parent relationship. The program’s past and future graduates are among a small group of providers in the U.S. who are formally trained in this important field.
Give Now - Latino Studies Program
The Latino Studies Program is home to a vibrant community of students, faculty, and staff committed to sustaining the relationship between Latino Studies and the lived realities of Latino communities in greater Boston, New England, and across the United States.
Give Now - Modern Languages Department
The Department of Modern Languages is the home of eight different programs in language instruction. Its faculty consists of almost twenty members, who teach courses ranging from the introductory level to studies in literature, culture, and film. The department offers full programs leading to a major and a minor in French and in Italian; a minor in Chinese and, soon, one in Japanese; a variety of language and culture courses in German and Russian; and introductory language courses in Arabic and in Vietnamese.
Give Now - Orville Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Orville Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established at the University of Massachusetts Boston by Orville’s devoted family to celebrate his love of music, dedication to students, and legacy of superior teaching. To that end, the fund will provide annual scholarship support for one or more students majoring in music, to be known as Orville Wright Scholars. Please consider supporting future Orville Wright Scholars through a gift to UMass Boston, which can be made here at GIVE NOW or by contacting Vanessa DiCarlo at 617.287.5328.
Give Now
- Performing Arts Department
The performing arts, which include music, theatre arts, and dance, offer students the opportunity to acquire skills essential in any career path. For example, students of music learn to communicate, interpret, empathize, and be inquisitive, whereas theatre students develop creativity, confidence, spontaneity, and teamwork skills.
Give Now - Philosophy Department
The Philosophy Department helps students gain insight into, and a critical understanding of, persistent and fundamental philosophical problems; appreciate the ongoing importance of philosophical investigation and study; and become reflective, responsible citizens. Broadly stated, the department’s mission is to contribute to maximum human awareness, critical understanding, and rational action.
Give Now - Political Science Department
The study of political science touches on virtually every aspect of a person’s existence – from your local town hall to the United Nations. In political science we explore current affairs, historical studies, and theoretical approaches to formulate standards for judging the quality of political life and the performance of institutions.
Give Now - Psychology Department
Psychology is a diverse field, united by the goals of understanding how people think and behave and how various environmental and biological forces shape behavior.
Give Now - Sociology Department
From its very beginning, the field of sociology has been concerned with urban life, with the forces of social change, and with understanding and addressing social problems. The Sociology Department at UMass Boston reflects these long-standing interests.
Give Now - Women's Studies Department
Women’s studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines critically and in global perspective the role of women and gender in society. Students analyze the history and perspectives of women of different cultures and nationalities and investigate women’s artistic, intellectual, and political accomplishments.
Give Now
