UCLA College of Letters and Science

UCLA College of Letters and Science. It is the historic and academic heart of the University of California, Los Angeles, serving as its primary liberal arts college. Established concurrently with the university's founding, the college educates the majority of UCLA undergraduates and is central to the institution's research mission. It encompasses a vast array of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, and life sciences.

History

The college originated in 1919 with the establishment of the Southern Branch of the University of California, which would later become UCLA. Its early curriculum was heavily influenced by the classical liberal arts model of the University of California, Berkeley. A pivotal moment was the 1929 move to the Westwood campus, with iconic buildings like Royce Hall and the Powell Library defining its new home. Throughout the 20th century, it expanded dramatically, adding numerous departments and becoming a major center for research, notably during the post-World War II era and amid the social movements of the 1960s. The college has been led by notable deans including former NASA administrator and physicist Walter Orr Roberts.

Organization and departments

The college is organized into four major academic divisions: the Humanities Division, the Social Sciences Division, the Physical Sciences Division, and the Life Sciences Division. It houses over 40 academic departments and programs, including renowned departments like Psychology, Economics, English, History, Physics, and Integrative Biology and Physiology. Interdisciplinary institutes such as the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the California NanoSystems Institute, and the Hammer Museum are also closely affiliated. Administrative leadership is provided by the dean, currently historian Alexandra (Sasha) Stern, who oversees the college's vast instructional and research enterprise.

Academics and programs

The college offers more than 100 majors and minors for its approximately 24,000 undergraduate students, emphasizing a broad foundational education through its General Education requirements. It is a cornerstone of graduate education at UCLA, granting M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees through the UCLA Graduate Division. Distinctive programs include the College Honors Program, undergraduate research initiatives like URSP, and prestigious scholarships such as the Marshall Scholarship and Rhodes Scholarship. The college also administers popular study abroad programs in locations like London, Florence, and Tokyo.

Notable faculty and alumni

The college's faculty includes numerous distinguished scholars and award winners, such as Nobel laureates Lloyd Shapley (Economics), Louis Ignarro (Physiology or Medicine), and Andrea Ghez (Physics). Other eminent faculty have included historian Joyce Appleby, linguist Peter Ladefoged, and astronomer Natalie Batalha. Its alumni network is vast and influential, encompassing fields from public service to entertainment. Notable alumni include former U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, actor James Franco, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, and sports executive Jackie Robinson.

Campus and facilities

The college's activities are centered across the main UCLA campus in Westwood. Key instructional and research facilities include the historic Royce Hall, the Powell Library, the Young Research Library, and the Mathematical Sciences Building. Science departments are served by advanced laboratories in buildings like the Geology Building and the Life Sciences Building. Students and faculty also utilize resources at the Fowler Museum, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and the UCLA Botanical Garden. The college's operations are supported by administrative offices located in Murphy Hall.

Category:University of California, Los Angeles Category:Colleges of the University of California Category:Liberal arts colleges in California