Architecture is more than the design of buildings, it is the art of designing the spaces where people live, work, and play. At UMass Amherst, we take a holistic approach to architecture, understanding the ecological and political context of the built environment and encouraging students to design for sustainable communities. Our undergraduate pre-professional program prepares students for the study of architecture at the graduate level while our Master of Architecture can be the first step in a prolific architectural career.

Philosophy explores central aspects of the human condition, of our world and of our relation to that world. The Department of Philosophy at Amherst welcomes all students, from those who would like to sample a course or two, to those who would like to major in the discipline and perhaps even study the subject in graduate school.

Like the FCAS major, Amherst’s ARCH major firmly places the study of architecture in the liberal arts by encompassing the history, theory, philosophy, design, and science of the built environment. The major draws on resources and faculty from a range of disciplines across the colleges, which include art history, cultural studies, history, literature, economics, urban studies, visual and media arts, gender studies, physics, sociology, and environmental studies. With the guidance of their Amherst advisor, Amherst students create an individualized course of study that may include, among others, sustainable design, urban planning, and architectural history, theory, and criticism. An Amherst student wishing to pursue this major will meet with one of the faculty members on the College’s Architectural Studies Advisory Committee to discuss his or her interests, intentions, and coursework options. Following this discussion, the student will submit a proposal Amherst Architectural Studies major form to the Chair that identifies a focus within the major, courses are already taken, and those planned. This proposal will be shared with the other faculty in the program.

The Amherst Chemistry department provides a supportive environment for students to pursue their scientific interests and challenge their curiosity. In our classrooms and teaching labs, students learn directly from faculty committed to undergraduate education.

Our courses explore the science of the Earth—its physical makeup, its history and how it works. Geology at Amherst is not confined to classrooms and labs: field trips take students from the mountains to the beach.

Communication has a profound effect on what we do as human beings and on our quality of life. The Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to studying both normal and disordered communication.

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department offers a graduate certificate in Computer Systems Security consisting of five courses from its graduate curriculum. These courses provide a solid foundation in state-of-the-art techniques in securing computer systems.

The Amherst Spanish Department offers courses in both the Spanish language and in Hispanic culture and literature. We study literature and culture from a modern critical perspective, without isolating it from its context. We teach most courses in Spanish.

Amherst faculty approach psychology from multiple angles to better understand human behavior and experience. Behaviors result from a complex web of interacting influences. Our department takes an interdisciplinary approach, exposing students to the various approaches to psychological research that reveal these complex influences.

Black Studies at Amherst is an interdisciplinary exploration of the histories and cultures of Black peoples in Africa and around the world. Our courses draw on literature, philosophy, history, and many other disciplines to examine African, African-American, and Caribbean/Latin American themes.

Mathematics is the study of structures and phenomena that arise in science, theory, and daily life. Statistics yields remarkable insight into the data that pervade modern life. At Amherst College, the study of mathematics and statistics covers a wide range of pure and applied topics.

Our students design, implement, and evaluate algorithms, and learn to solve problems using abstraction and algorithmic reasoning. Amherst Computer Science students work closely with talented faculty—all active researchers—to study a wide range of topics, from artificial intelligence, to big data, to cryptography.

Discover the science of life. At UMass Amherst, biology is a diverse field of study encompassing everything from the planetary to the microscopic. Students have the opportunity to study genetics, anatomy, physiology, neurobiology, botany, and paleontology, among others. Research is conducted in laboratories and in the field.

Uncover the chemical and physical principles underlying life as we know it. At UMass Amherst, students of biochemistry and molecular biology examine biological processes from physical, chemical, and genetic perspectives to better understand how biochemical reactions are integrated and regulated, and how genetic information is expressed.

The Amherst Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought (LJST) department takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study, contextualization, and theorizing of law. Our courses treat law as a historically evolving and culturally specific enterprise in which moral argument, interpretive practices, and force are brought to bear on the organization of society.