Osprey Illustration by UNF Art & Design Student Joel Schmidt, 2010

The College of Arts and Sciences is the bedrock of the University of North Florida just as the liberal arts curriculum is at the very center of the university's mission. What students acquire through their engagement with the liberal arts is a sense of their place within the universe, whether that universe is defined in physical, social, moral, or aesthetic terms. It is for this reason that general education, provided largely by the College of Arts and Sciences, remains to this day the foundation for all further university study; and it is why premier graduate and professional schools continue to give admissions preference to students who choose to major in one of the liberal arts even if they intend to pursue advanced study in a technical or professional field.

In the complex world of the 21st century, a grounding in the liberal arts is more urgent than ever as we encounter at an ever faster pace challenges to our experience and understanding that we could not have anticipated a short while ago. Graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences are knowledgeable, articulate, and discerning and their education serves them for a lifetime.