The College of Liberal Arts is the second largest college at Temple University, and is home to 33 undergraduate majors, 32 minors, 23 certificate programs, as well as 15 graduate degree programs. With our vibrant and diverse array of educational programs, the College of Liberal Arts plays a tremendous role in the university’s academic success.

The College of Liberal Arts also houses the School of Environmental Design (SED), located on Temple University’s Ambler Campus.

African American Studies (BA, MA, PhD)

The mission of the Department of African American Studies is to provide an intellectual arena in which students learn to critically examine, analyze, interpret and affect the experiences, traditions, and dynamics of people of African descent and by extension, develop a fuller understanding of humankind. Temple University’s Department of African-American Studies is home to the first Ph.D-granting program in the world.

American Studies (BA)

Founded in 1974, American Studies at Temple University focuses on the examination of American culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. The American Studies program offers an exciting approach to understanding the ever-changing and contested values and nature of American life.

Anthropology (BA, MA, PhD)

The Anthropology Department explores humanity’s origins, development, activities, and experiences, throughout time and throughout the world. In its undergraduate and graduate programs, the department focuses on the sub-disciplines of archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, and visual anthropology.

Asian Studies (BA, Minor, Certificate)

Drawing upon the resources of many departments, Asian Studies provides a comprehensive program of study on Asia for undergraduate students. The program develops key analytical writing and communication skills in both English and Asian languages, as well as giving students a strong foundation of knowledge for living and working in Asia.

Creative Writing (MFA)

Since 1984, Temple University’s Creative Writing Program awards a two-year Master’s of Fine Arts degree in English-Creative Writing, with a focus in either fiction or poetry.

Criminal Justice (BA, MA, PhD)

Committed to deepening our understanding of crime, governance, and social justice, the Department of Criminal Justice offers a multi-disciplinary policy-relevant research programs and community outreach. The department is also home to the Temple University Criminal Justice Training Program that supports local and state law enforcement.

Critical Languages (Minor, Certificate)

Critical Languages offers minor and certificate courses in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Hindi, Modern Greek, Vietnamese, and Hebrew.

Economics (BA, MA, PhD)

Economics is the study of how we allocate resources among alternative uses to satisfy our wants. The department offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses upon which students can draw, depending on their academic and career interests.

English (BA, MA, PhD)

Home to a thriving undergraduate major, a rich MFA program in Creative Writing, and a selective PhD program, department is home to an extraordinary, prize-winning faculty, recognized for research and teaching, excellent students, and a diverse curriculum. The English Department oversees the First Year Writing Program, a year-long sequence designed to introduce Temple University students to academic discourse.

Environmental Studies (BA)

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary degree granted by the Department of Geography and Urban Studies. Environmental Studies students will be equipped with the scholarly background and intellectual skills to understand a wide range of pressing environmental issues.

French, German, Italian and Slavic (BA, Minor, Certificate)

The Department of French, German, Italian and Slavic (FGIS) provides programs leading to an undergraduate major, minor, or certificate of language proficiency. Programs are designed to provide comprehensive functional language skills, special preparation for the business and professional arenas, and a comprehensive understanding of literature and culture as a preparation for graduate studies.

Geography and Urban Studies (BA, MA, PhD)

The Department of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University offers undergraduate and graduate students to explore the analytical frameworks of the discipline of geography. Our programs focus on the themes of globalization, sustainability, and social justice — areas that increasingly are central to understanding such challenges and opportunities.

Greek and Roman Classics (BA, Minor)

The study of Greek and Roman Classics gives students a rigorous education in the nature of Ancient Greek and Latin languages, in the skills of close reading and textual analysis, and in historical reasoning.

History (BA, MA, PhD)

The History Department is a community of faculty and students working in all fields of historical inquiry. Our particular areas of strength include recent U.S. history, the colonial period, 19th Century United States, urban history, public history, gender, race and ethnicity, military history, the Cold War, and 20th century international history.

Intellectual Heritage / Mosaic

The Intellectual Heritage Program offers courses that allow students to engage with complex and historically-significant texts in order to build strong communication skills and intellectual curiosity. The programs offered in IH — Mosaic I and II — are part of Temple University’s General Education Curriculum.

Jewish Studies (BA)

Temple University’s Jewish Studies Program offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Jews, Jewishness, and Judaism. Our faculty are culled from across the Liberal Arts curriculum and, together, represent the diversity of approaches to and topics within the field of Jewish Studies.

Latin American Studies (BA, Minor, Certificate)

Latin American Studies is a diverse, interdisciplinary curriculum that includes several programs and is open to all matriculated students. We offer programs that focus on developing language skills, research about Latin American life and culture, as well as certificate programs that focus on Latino- and Spanish-owned businesses.

Master of Liberal Arts (MLA)

The core of the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) degree entails a broad range of interdisciplinary courses that draw from such areas as cultural studies, philosophy, American studies, media/film studies, sociology, women’s studies, psychology, journalism, and political science. Students also have the opportunity to take courses from a variety of graduate programs across the College of Liberal Arts and elsewhere in the University. The great strength of the MLA program is that it can be tailored to the student’s own particular interests, and students are encouraged to develop an individual focus, based on their personal, academic, and professional objectives.

Neuroscience: Systems, Behavior and Plasticity (BS, Minor, PhD Certificate)

The scope of the Neuroscience: Systems, Behavior and Plasticity program and the Center for Neuroscience span a variety of disciplinary approaches — from brain and nervous system structure, function, evolutionary history, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and pathology to brain and nervous system relationships to cognition, emotion and other behaviors and to the cultural, social, and environmental forces that shape brain function.

Philosophy (BA, MA, PhD)

The Philosophy Department focuses on the fields of aesthetics, the philosophy of the arts, and the philosophy of culture. Members of the department have made significant contributions in the diverse areas of the discipline.

Political Science (BA, MA, PhD)

The Political Science Department at Temple offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to understand politics and policy in the United States and abroad. Our faculty have expertise in a variety of fields, from American Politics to Political Theory, to Political Economy.

Psychology (BA, MA, PhD)

The Psychology Department offers a vast array of undergraduate courses and research opportunities. There are full time graduate training programs leading to the Ph.D. in 4 major areas: Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Brain and Behavioral Sciences, and Social Psychology.

Religion (BA, MA, PhD)

Founded in 1962 as one of the first religion departments ever established at a public university, the department’s mission has always been global and culturally pluralistic in its scope, and so our faculty consists of scholars with expertise in a wide range of religious traditions and methodological approaches to the study of religion.

Sociology (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.)

The sociology major prepares students for many careers and graduate programs by providing them with a broad sociological perspective and specific research, statistical, and analytical skills. Sociology students study human group interaction, institutions, and societal values and norms through courses in contemporary social issues, social movements, family, urban life, health and health care, organizations, political life, law, race, class, and gender.

Spanish and Portuguese (BA, MA, PhD)

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is engaged in teaching, research, and service in diverse areas. The faculty is greatly interested in a broad array of theoretical, cultural and practical subjects in the fields of Peninsular Literature, Latin American Literature, and Hispanic Linguistics.

Women’s Studies (BA, Minor, Undergraduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate)

At the core of Temple University’s Women’s Studies program is an interdisciplinary examination of the social, historical, and cultural roots of gender identity and gender equality and inequality. The department is also home to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies Program, which analyzes gender, sexuality, and sexual orientation as they are understood by various disciplines and in cross-cultural perspectives.