College of Arts + Sciences: Indiana University

Make way for the leaders, creatives, and groundbreakers of tomorrow

We prepare students for an ever-changing future by providing a foundational liberal arts and sciences education that is more relevant than ever. Here, breakthroughs are fueled by unfiltered imaginations and unconventional ideas. Whether in the classroom or in the lab, on stage or in the field, you’ll gain the skills and experience you need for what’s new, next, and not-yet-imagined.

Undergraduate experience

Learn about our degree programs, the admissions process, experiential learning, research opportunities, and career preparation.

Graduate experience

Find information about graduate degree programs, admissions, funding opportunities, research, and career preparation.

IU geoscientists find mountain formation drives biodiversity growth

A new study co-authored by researchers at IU sheds light on how the forces that shape mountain ranges also influence the evolution of species. In the study, “Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity,” published this month in Science, researchers have found that biodiversity increases as mountains rise, suggesting that geological processes play a direct role in the shaping of life on Earth.

Read about the study

IU professor helps pioneer groundbreaking light-driven method to create key drug compounds

Traditionally, chemists have relied on well-established but limiting methods to synthesize these molecules. The new research, co-authored by Kevin Brown, the James F. Jackson Professor of Chemistry in the College, and Professors Xiaotian Qi, Wang Wang, and Bodi Zhao of Wuhan University, presents a fundamentally different approach.

Read about Kevin Brown

Queer scholarship and documentary opportunity converge for Ph.D. candidate G Angel

G, as a first-generation undergraduate student, began as a Political Science major at Grand Valley State University, in Michigan, with the goal of going to law school. As they continued taking courses, they realized that their focus in class was not predominantly on political science, they said, but the politics of marginalization.

Read about G Angel

College professor facilitates K-12 climate education with outreach program

Under Indiana University’s Educating for Environmental Change (EfEC) program, Michael Hamburger, a professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and J. Adam Scribner, Director of STEM Initiatives at the School of Education, aim to give K-12 teachers the resources to teach students about science and climate change.

Read about the program

IU Professor Jason Baird Jackson elected president of the American Folklore Society

Jason Baird Jackson, the Ruth N. Halls Professor of Folklore and Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, has been elected President of the American Folklore Society (AFS), the leading professional association dedicated to the study and advancement of folklore and folklife.

Read about Jason Baird Jackson

Professor Fritz Breithaupt explores the power of storytelling in the human mind

In his new book, The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell, Fritz Breithaupt, Provost Professor in Germanic Studies in the College, argues that storytelling is more than just entertainment—it’s fundamental to how humans think, process emotions, and connect with each other. Breithaupt’s research explores why narratives are central to human experience and how they shape our understanding of the world.

Read about The Narrative Brain

A hub for curiosity + diverse thought

The College of Arts and Sciences values diversity, equity, and inclusion as core strengths and essential elements in the success of its educational mission. Our commitment is grounded in our aspiration to cultivate intellectual rigor and curiosity among our students and to prepare them to thrive in and contribute to a globally diverse, complex, and interconnected world.