Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences at Illinois State University. I invite you to explore on this site the many programs, majors, and minors that we have to offer you. We offer countless exciting academic choices for you to consider in planning your intellectual development and future career path.
You may wish to join our award-winning scientists to earn a combined degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology that will provide the groundwork for study in medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and advanced biology and chemistry. Or study the body’s immune system or search for the causes of strokes and Parkinson's disease. Or accompany local physicians on their rounds as part of the University’s Physician Mentorship Program. Or conduct groundbreaking research in intense laser physics theory with Drs. Grobe and Su, two of the leading researchers in this field.
If you are interested in the social sciences, you may choose as an undergraduate to participate in archeological digs in Ireland, Grand Island, or St. Genevieve, and then go on to earn a master’s degree in Historical Archaeology, one of only a few such programs in the United States. Or earn a master’s degree while also serving in the Peace Corps Fellows Program or the Applied Community and Economic Development Fellows program. Or acquire practical, clinical experience in Communication Sciences and Disorders by working in the Eckelmann-Taylor Speech and Hearing Clinic, one of the largest in the midwest, with more than 12,000 client visits each year.
If you are interested in the humanities, you may choose to study Artificial Intelligence—and the mysteries of minds, computers, brains, and robots—through the Philosophy Department’s federally funded Mind Project. Or earn a doctorate in English Studies at the first such program in the United States. Or join our award-winning Forensics Program, a national powerhouse that in the last 10 years has finished the year 3rd in the nation twice, 2nd in the nation five times, and national champion 3 times. Or spend a summer, a semester, or a year studying abroad in Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, or Spain.
And this is just a sampling of the many choices the College of Arts and Sciences has to offer you. Although we are Illinois State’s largest college, we pride ourselves on the individualized attention we deliver to students. Our outstanding faculty, many of whom are nationally and internationally known experts in their fields, integrate teaching and research to afford their students opportunities to learn the present state of the arts and sciences as well as to develop cutting-edge perspectives that will shape our future. I invite you to browse some of our departments’ most recent accomplishments to see for yourself all the College of Arts and Sciences at Illinois State University has to offer.
Sincerely,
James E. Payne
Interim Dean and Professor
