Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida State University, the oldest and largest of the university’s schools and colleges. We blend the rich liberal arts tradition of FSU with the freshest approaches to teaching and learning in areas from Anthropology and Biological Science to Religion and Statistics. Our students can choose to study in a wealth of areas, from traditional subjects like Psychology and Chemistry to innovative programs like American and Florida Studies or Secondary Science Teaching. We are quite proud that our students can study in some areas, such as Meteorology or the History and Philosophy of Science that are not often found within colleges of arts and sciences. Unique is our Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, which draws visiting scholars from all over the world.

      Florida State is a Research I-Extensive university, which means that we have facilities for research, teaching and learning that are world-class. From computer labs to chemistry labs, from library to language labs, students have access to a wide array of cutting-edge resources. But more importantly, being a Research I university means that we have world-class faculty members. Many of the College's faculty members “wrote the book” for their subjects, figuratively and often literally. From a Pulitzer Prize winner to a Nobel Laureate (or two, actually), the faculty of the College includes famous poets, renowned novelists, formidable historians, astute scientists, provocative philosophers, and famous scholars in every discipline. Imagine being able to say that you took a course from one of the world's authorities on a subject – this is what makes a great university - and you can say that if you've taken courses in the College.

      Of course, famous faculty members don't make a College great for students unless the students actually meet those faculty. At FSU, students work closely with faculty members who are excellent teachers in the classroom and superb mentors in independent study plans and research projects. Each semester hundreds of students work with College faculty in small groups and through independent study and research modules. The Honors Program, the various Living and Learning Centers, and other opportunities allow students to pursue their interests in a variety of ways and allow each one to acquire the education that she or he desires.

      So visit the College; if you can't see us in person, visit us through these pages and through the additional pages to which they will lead you. You'll sense how much we love teaching and learning, and I hope you'll begin to appreciate how much fun it is to be part of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Joseph Travis / Professor of Biological Science / Dean of Arts and Sciences