The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is committed to providing all of its students with a liberal education that balances in-depth study in certain areas with a breadth of    experience in the various disciplines that form the core of human knowledge. Its 35 degree-granting programs and disciplines share a commitment to the highest standards of academic quality, to a mode of study that nurtures critical thinking skills, to a self-conscious examination of questions of value and meaning, and to the development of those habits of the heart and mind intrinsic to a life-long and independent learner.

The commitment to liberal education is reflected in a faculty that is as strongly committed to teaching as it is to research. It is reflected in curricular practices that discourage students from concentrating in one subject area to the exclusion of all others. And it is reflected in the College’s encouragement of interdisciplinary areas of study that underline the connections and unities among the various areas of   knowledge.

The College values and nurtures the urban and Vincentian mission of the University. The interactions among its faculty and between its faculty and its students are characterized by personalism. Significant portions of the curriculum speak to questions of social responsibility, ethical standards for behavior, and an active engagement with the people and the challenges of the Chicago community.