College of Arts
and Sciences

English is the international language of commerce and diplomacy, and the writing, critical thinking, and communication skills you develop with an English degree can prepare you for success in the global marketplace.

Our English department produces graduates of distinction who have become published authors, lead writers for Amazon Prime, and founders of the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project. Because we are dedicated to giving you a foundation for similar success, our English department provides opportunities for conference presentations around the country, publication in our literary journal LAMP, work study, and internships. Our students have interned for a variety of organizations, including the U.S. House of Representatives, and we can work with you to help you discover and pursue the opportunities that are right for you.  

If you are interested in teaching English as a second language, check out the BA in Teaching English as a Second Language degree offered by our Modern Languages department.

Challenging, profitable, and exciting career opportunities exist in multiple fields for Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) graduates including interior design, human development, fashion design, and fashion merchandising.

If you pursue our Family and Consumer Sciences program, you will be part of the #1 ranked FACS degree in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and with your senior year internships, you can have excellent job placement opportunities upon graduation.

When you choose to earn your history degree with us, you can be confident that we have resources to help you network with other historians, conduct ground-breaking research, and gain hands-on experience in the field. Currently, our Department of History is the largest in the United States with over 1,700 students enrolled in our degree programs. Our students are passionate about their field, and they have been the most decorated Phi Alpha Theta participants in the country for the past 8 years. Together with our history department, they organize lectures by guest speakers, historical field trips, and opportunities to present research at regional conferences.

In addition, our Department of History has been recognized by our provost for promoting excellence in research. Not only have our professors won awards for mentoring undergraduate researchers, but our students have won monetary awards funding their research in places like Peru. We also offer local research and internship opportunities to our students. For example, we own several historical sites, such as Mead’s Tavern (built in 1763), which serve as laboratories for hands-on training in research, archaeology, and public engagement. 

With over 20 general areas of study to choose from, our interdisciplinary studies programs offer the most flexibility of all our degrees. When you choose an interdisciplinary studies degree, you can combine 2 or 3 areas of interest to create a unique degree that best suits your career goals.

Our mathematics department is a great place to become a mathematician prepared to enter a variety of industries, from business and government to the medical field. And with our actuarial specialization for our BS in Mathematics degree, you can pursue a career in insurance or finance.

Our Department of Modern Languages is passionate about giving you tools to share Christ with the world. Whether you want to teach English as a second language, interpret for the deaf community, or teach Spanish, we have a degree program for you. Our modern languages department also offers classes in linguistics, Chinese, German, French, and Russian, allowing you to add a minor and study languages that can prepare you to work in full-time ministry, international business, or strategic intelligence. Most of our language classes are taught by native speakers and offer opportunities for you to engage with local language communities outside of the classroom, which immerse you in both the language and culture.

We are dedicated to giving you a foundation for your future steps. We provide opportunities for internships and international travel with a variety of organizations, helping you develop your language skills, cultural intelligence, and ministry mindset. Our modern languages department has also had 2 students selected to receive highly competitive Fulbright Scholarships for 2018-2019, funding their research and teaching overseas.