College of Arts & Sciences
Brian Vanden Heuvel, Dean
Andrew Darien, Interim Associate Dean
Michelle Pierce, Associate Dean & Director of Early College
Mission
As the largest and most academically diverse college at Salem State University, the College of Arts & Sciences provides students a rigorous dynamic and creative liberal arts education leading to personal and professional development in a diverse, local, and global environment.
Vision
As a liberal Arts and Sciences College in a Regional Public University, we seek to:
- Foster the next generation of rigorous and empathetic thinkers, creators, and contributors to the North Shore and beyond.
- Push the boundaries of what is understood about human experience and the natural world.
- Instill the critical knowledge, skills, and values that enable graduates to become professional and community leaders in a diverse and global environment.
Values
Teaching Excellence: Commitment to new and dynamic methods of teaching and learning. Commitment to faculty-student collaboration and mentoring, providing a foundation for the success of a diverse community of learners.
Purposeful Scholarship: Excellence in faculty scholarship that creates new knowledge while informing and invigorating the classroom experience and wider community needs.
Diversity and Inclusion: CAS courses, faculty and students embody diversity of ideas and identity. CAS creates opportunities to explore a range of perspectives, experiences and worldviews that build a foundation for personal, professional and academic success. We actively work to increase access, welcome different perspectives, and build a community where each person feels a sense of purpose and belonging.
Civic Engagement: Commitment to a liberal arts education that creates well-rounded citizens and contributes to the public good to benefit communities in which we are engaged.
Societal Betterment: Leverage our strength across fields to amplify the impact research and collaborations that lead to positive, reasoned, and purposeful change.
Academic Exploration. We believe in bold investigation that transforms current assumptions, sparks new ideas, and changes the very questions we ask.
Common Good. Pledge to social impact, working together to advance a more just and sustainable future. Recognize that taking care of ourselves and one another is a shared responsibility.
Philosophy
Liberal arts education exposes students to a broad palette of information, which, though seeming dissimilar, are fundamentally connected and coherent. The philosophy of the CAS is to help students recognize the coherence and intersections of the many disciplines that comprise arts and sciences. Knowledge, we believe, does not come pre-packaged into one field or discipline, but form part of a seamless web across many disciplines. Companies, businesses, and industry are increasingly searching for educated students rather than individuals trained in narrowly specialized professional fields. That education, they believe, prepare students to negotiate the fluidity and complexities of jobs in emerging markets. The adaptability of the liberal arts degree responds best to new market economies with an increasing emphasis on sustainability.
Departments and Major Concentrations
The CAS is the largest of the colleges and schools at Salem State University. Students enrolled in CAS pursue liberal arts degrees in the arts/humanities and in social and physical sciences. In addition to its majors, the departments in CAS offer a wide range of minors and concentrations.
- Art & Design
- Art & Design
- 3D-Studio
- Art History
- Graphic Design
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Biology
- Biology
- Biology Middle School/High School Teacher Prep
- Nuclear Medicine Technology
- Chemistry and Physics
- Chemistry
- Chemistry – ACS Approved
- Biochemistry
- Computer Science
- Computer Science
- Information Technology
- Economics
- English
- English
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
- English, Middle/High School Teacher Prep
- Creative Writing
- Professional Writing
- Geography and Sustainability
- Geography
- Cartography and Geographic Information Systems
- Environmental Sustainability
- Geo-Information Science
- Sustainable Tourism
- Geological Science
- Geology
- Applied Geosciences: Sustainability
- Earth Science
- Earth Studies
- Forensic Geoscience
- History
- History
- History, Middle/High School Teacher Prep
- Pre-Legal/Business History
- Public History
- European History
- Africa, Asia, and Latin American History
- United States History
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Interdisciplinary Studies, BLS
- Liberal Studies
- American Studies
- Interdisciplinary Studies, Self-Designed
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Mathematics
- Mathematics
- Math, Middle/High School Teacher Prep
- Media and Communication
- Media and Communication
- Advertising
- Journalism
- Public Relations
- Music and Dance
- Philosophy
- Politics, Policy and International Relations
- Political Science
- American Government, Law and Policy
- International Relations and Comparative Politics
- Psychology
- Psychology
- Behavior Analysis
- Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Sociology
- Sport Movement Science
- Physical Education, Teacher Prep
- Sport Movement and Science
- Exercise Science
- Recreational Management/Park Management
- Sport Management
- Theater and Speech Communication
- Theater Arts
- Directing
- Performance
- Playwriting
- Stage Management
- Technical Theater
- Theater Design
- Theater Performance
- World Languages
- French
- Italian
- Spanish
- World Languages and Cultures
- Healthcare Studies and Spanish
Spanish, Middle/High School Teacher Prep
