Howard University College of Arts and Sciences

Howard University College of Arts and Sciences
Name	Howard University College of Arts and Sciences
Established	1867
Type	Private, Historically Black
Dean	N/A
City	Washington, D.C.
Country	United States
Campus	Howard University

Howard University College of Arts and Sciences Howard University College of Arts and Sciences is the liberal arts core of Howard University, located in Washington, D.C., serving undergraduate and graduate students across humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary programs. The college occupies a central role in collaborations with federal agencies, cultural institutions, and professional schools, linking students to opportunities at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, National Institutes of Health, Library of Congress, Johns Hopkins University, and the United States Congress.

History

The college traces its origins to the post‑Civil War founding of Howard University alongside figures like Oliver O. Howard and organizations such as the Freedmen's Bureau and the American Missionary Association. Early curriculum development intersected with leaders including Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Mary McLeod Bethune, and legal advocates connected to cases like Plessy v. Ferguson and movements that led toward Brown v. Board of Education. Through the 20th century the college engaged with scholars who participated in national debates influenced by associations including the NAACP, the National Urban League, and the Congress of Racial Equality. Cold War era collaborations connected Howard faculty to institutions such as the National Academy of Sciences and programs influenced by the National Science Foundation and the Fulbright Program. Recent decades have seen partnerships with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of State, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and cultural exchanges involving the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Kennedy Center.

Academics

The college offers majors and minors across departments tied to programs at the Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and Stanford University through joint initiatives, visiting scholars, and consortia. Degree offerings include Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees reflecting curricula that reference canonical works by figures such as James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and theoretical frameworks stemming from scholars like Frantz Fanon and Angela Davis. Departments collaborate with professional schools including the Howard University School of Law, Howard University College of Medicine, Howard University School of Business, and external programs at the George Washington University and the Georgetown University. Academic advising and honors tracks mirror models used by institutions such as the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley, while study abroad and exchange programs connect students to sites like the University of Cape Town, the University of Oxford, the Sorbonne, and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Research and Centers

Research priorities span centers and institutes affiliated with national partners such as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Science Foundation, and foundations including the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Signature centers host work in areas resonant with legacies of scholars like Stuart Hall and Cornel West, and they produce collaborations with the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Urban Institute. Laboratories and centers focus on topics aligned with initiatives from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Sigma Xi, and the American Chemical Society, and they have resulted in publications in journals like Science, Nature, and the American Journal of Sociology. Specialized centers undertake community‑engaged projects with partners including the District of Columbia Government, the National Park Service, and cultural institutions such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Student Life and Organizations

Student life reflects traditions shared with universities like the Howard University student body interacting with student government associations modeled on the Associated Students of the University of California and campus cultural networks connected to national organizations such as the NAACP Youth & College Division, the National Society of Black Engineers, the American Chemical Society Student Chapters, and the Model United Nations. Performance and arts groups collaborate with venues like the Kennedy Center and festivals such as the National Black Theatre Festival. Political, professional, and service organizations maintain ties to alumni networks including those at the United States Congress, the United Nations, and major corporations such as Boeing and Google. Greek life interacts with the Divine Nine, while media outlets and civic engagement initiatives work with partners like the Peace Corps and the AmeriCorps.

Admissions and Financial Aid

Admissions processes are competitive and draw applicants who have matriculated to institutions like Spelman College, Morehouse College, Howard University Hospital residency programs, and graduate programs at Columbia University and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Financial aid and scholarship programs involve federal and private sources including the Pell Grant, the Fulbright Program, the Rhodes Scholarship, and fellowships administered by the Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Merit scholarships, need‑based aid, work‑study placements and research assistantships connect students to funded projects with the National Institutes of Health and grant programs from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty have included influential figures associated with institutions and movements such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, legal advocates linked to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, scholars who taught or studied alongside faculty at Harvard University and Princeton University, and artists whose work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. Notable individuals have held positions in the United States Congress, the Supreme Court of the United States, the United Nations, and executive roles at corporations including Google and Pfizer. Faculty and alumni connections extend to recipients of awards like the Pulitzer Prize, the MacArthur Fellowship, the Nobel Prize, and the National Medal of Science.

Category:Howard University