Programs of Study

Africana Studies

We acquaint students with a critical perspective on the Africana world, found primarily in Africa, the United States, the Caribbean, and South America, but also among peoples of African descent in Asia and Europe.

Offered by Africana Studies

Major

Minor

American Studies

Our program studies the American nation, its internal diversity and conflicts, and its place in the world.

Offered by American Studies

Major

Anthropology

Our students gain a profound understanding of human nature and the role of culture in everyday lives, including their own.

Offered by Anthropology

Major

Minor

Arabic

Our students learn to read, write, and converse in the Arabic language.

Offered by Middle Eastern Studies

Architecture

Students explore the built environment through an integrated curriculum of architectural history and studio practice.

Offered by Art

Major

Art History

Our internationally recognized art history program, one of the oldest in the country, offers innovative courses and concentrations.

Offered by Art

Major

Minor

Asian American Studies

This interdisciplinary minor examines the lives, cultures, and histories of people of Asian descent living in the Americas.

Offered by American Studies

Minor

Astronomy

Housed in the Whitin Observatory, our department serves both the novice stargazer and students making astronomy a central part of their lives.

Offered by Physics and Astronomy

Major

Minor

Astrophysics

Our interdepartmental major offers a coordinated combination of courses in physics and astronomy.

Offered by Physics and Astronomy

Major

Biochemistry

Students learn about central concepts and contemporary research at the interface of biology and chemistry.

Offered by Biochemistry

Major

Minor

Biological Sciences

We examine life at all levels, from molecular interactions to communities of plants and animals facing global climate change.

Offered by Biological Sciences

Major

Minor

Calderwood Seminars in Public Writing

In these innovative writing courses that started at Wellesley, students learn to explain complex concepts to a broad audience.

Offered by Calderwood Seminars in Public Writing

Chemical Physics

We study the structure and properties of atoms, molecules, and materials, drawing upon aspects of chemistry and physics.

Offered by Chemical Physics

Major

Chemistry

Students collaborate to understand molecules and reactions, and get hands-on experience solving real-world problems in the lab.

Offered by Chemistry

Major

Minor

Chinese Language and Culture

Our students learn Chinese and learn about Chinese culture.

Offered by East Asian Languages & Cultures

Minor

Cinema and Media Studies

Our students examine media as systems of cultural production, distribution, and representation that span a range of technologies from camera obscura to photography, cinema to video games, and social media to AI.

Offered by Cinema & Media Studies

Major

Minor

Classical Civilization

This major requires the study of either Greek or Latin and course work in English on different aspects of the ancient world.

Offered by Classical Studies

Major

Classics

Students explore the ancient world through texts and artifacts, and consider how later poets, politicians, and playwrights have reimagined that world.

Offered by Classical Studies

Major

Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences

Students investigate the nature and origins of thought and language, choosing a concentration in psychology, linguistics, computer science, or philosophy.

Offered by Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences

Major

Comparative Literary Studies

We offer the study of literature beyond individual national and linguistic boundaries, allowing students to link literary studies with other areas of interest—film, philosophy, linguistics, translation, human rights, gender and sexuality, and more.

Offered by Comparative Literary Studies

Major

Comparative Race and Ethnicity

This Sociology minor offers a global approach to race and ethnicity that is intended to complement U.S.-based race and ethnic studies.

Offered by Sociology

Minor

Computer Science

Our curriculum covers the study of computation, information processing, and the design and development of computer systems and software, with the goal of preparing students to lead in a world shaped by computation and data.

Offered by Computer Science

Major

Minor

Data Science

Students in data science develop a strong foundation in computer science, mathematics, and statistics, and complete coursework that emphasizes the integration of these areas.

Offered by Data Science

Major

East Asian Languages and Cultures

The East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) Department offers an immersive study of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, from beginning to advanced levels.

Offered by East Asian Languages & Cultures

Major

East Asian Studies

We offer a customizable interdisciplinary major in coursework focused on Korea, Japan, and China.

Offered by East Asian Studies

Major

Economics

Students gain an understanding of economic principles, the ability to engage in critical reasoning, and competency in making written and oral arguments supported by empirical analysis.

Offered by Economics

Major

Minor

Education Studies

Students examine teaching and learning in classrooms while also exploring broader societal issues reflected in schools.

Offered by Education

Major

Minor

Engineering

Engineering studies at Wellesley approaches engineering as a humanitarian activity intrinsic to the modern liberal arts.

Offered by Engineering

English and Creative Writing

Students form and develop the skills of analysis, interpretation, and argument through the intensive study of writers and their works in literary, cultural, and historical contexts.

Offered by English and Creative Writing

Major

Minor

Environmental Studies

Our department helps students cultivate the expertise, confidence, and empathy needed to tackle pressing environmental issues.

Offered by Environmental Studies

Major

Minor

French & Francophone Studies

Students learn to speak and understand the French language and expand their knowledge of French-speaking cultures.

Offered by French, Francophone, and Italian Studies

Major

French Cultural Studies

This major encompasses courses in the French department and courses on France or Francophone countries offered by any other department.

Offered by French, Francophone, and Italian Studies

Major

Geosciences

Students experience the geosciences curriculum through inquiry-based research projects, field work, analogue modeling, and engagement with Earth materials and scientific data.

Offered by Geosciences

Major

Minor

German Studies

German studies concerns the languages and cultures of Germany, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland.

Offered by German Studies

Major

Minor

Global Portuguese Studies

Our students learn Portuguese and immerse themselves in the histories and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world.

Offered by Spanish and Portuguese

Minor

Greek

Our students learn to read ancient Greek and explore historical and cultural contexts of the works they are reading.

Offered by Classical Studies

Health and Society

Offered by Women’s and Gender Studies

Minor

Hebrew

Our students learn to read, write, and converse in the Hebrew language through biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern materials.

Offered by Jewish Studies

Hindi/Urdu

Our students learn to read and converse in Hindi/Urdu, and to read and write in the separate Hindi and Urdu scripts.

Offered by South Asia Studies

History

Our courses cover almost every region and era of the human past, with students thinking in broadly humanistic ways about subjects such as government, war, culture, race, and economics.

Offered by History

Major

Minor

International Relations - Economics

Students electing this International Relations track focus on global trade, development, and finance.

Offered by Economics

Major

International Relations - History

Students electing this International Relations track focus on the history of modern global relations and its role in contemporary international issues and in the analysis of global change.

Offered by History

Major

International Relations - Political Science

Students electing this International Relations track concentrate on modern and historical global politics.

Offered by Political Science

Major

Italian Studies

Our students learn to speak and understand Italian and develop advanced knowledge of Italian literature, film, history, social and political movements, and legal questions.

Offered by French, Francophone, and Italian Studies

Major

Minor

Japanese Language and Culture

Our students immerse themselves in the language and culture of Japan.

Offered by East Asian Languages & Cultures

Minor

Jewish Studies

Students explore Jewish people, ideas, culture, and institutions.

Offered by Jewish Studies

Major

Minor

Korean Language and Culture

Our students learn the Korean language, with a focus on spoken language proficiency, and explore Korean culture and society.

Offered by East Asian Languages & Cultures

Minor

Latin

Our students learn to read Latin, with advanced classes translating poetry, plays, and novels.

Offered by Classical Studies

Latin American Studies

Through our interdisciplinary program, students explore Latin America’s history, cultures, economies, and literature.

Offered by Latin American Studies

Major

Minor

Latina/o Studies

Students electing this American Studies track focus on the experiences, cultures, and politics of people of Latin American descent living in the United States.

Offered by American Studies

Minor

Mathematics

Our courses offer a good representation of pure and applied mathematics.

Offered by Mathematics

Major

Minor

Media Arts and Sciences

Our interdisciplinary program, jointly supported by the computer science and art departments, focuses on media creation that balances artistic sensibility with analytical reasoning.

Offered by Media Arts & Sciences

Major

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Students explore European and Mediterranean civilizations in all their richness and diversity, from the fourth through the 17th centuries.

Offered by Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Major

Minor

Middle Eastern Studies

Students explore the many facets of Middle Eastern and North African civilizations, including the languages, literature, history, religion, art, societies, and politics of the region, as well as its diaspora.

Offered by Middle Eastern Studies

Major

Minor

Music

Students expand their musical knowledge through courses on theory, history, and composition, and a wide range of performance activities.

Offered by Music

Major

Minor

Neuroscience

Students explore how the brain and nervous system develop and function to generate our conscious experience and guide our behavior.

Offered by Neuroscience

Major

Peace and Justice Studies

Our curriculum combines conflict analysis with the study of strategies for promoting peace and justice.

Offered by Peace & Justice Studies

Major

Minor

Philosophy

Students think profoundly and creatively about consequential human questions and construct clear and persuasive arguments concerning them.

Offered by Philosophy

Major

Minor

Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics

Our department develops students’ skills and knowledge in physical activities.

Offered by Physical Education, Recreation, & Athletics

Physics

Our students explore and examine the physical universe, from particles to galaxies.

Offered by Physics and Astronomy

Major

Minor

Political Science

Our students explore political institutions, ideas, and movements across the globe.

Offered by Political Science

Major

Psychology

We offer the study of human behavior and mental processes.

Offered by Psychology

Major

Minor

Quantitative Reasoning

Our program oversees Wellesley's quantitative reasoning and data literacy requirement.

Offered by Quantitative Reasoning

Religion

Our courses explore the texts and contexts associated with major religious traditions as well as the intersections among religion, culture, law, ethics, and science.

Offered by Religion

Major

Minor

Russian

Founded in the 1940s by famed author and critic Vladimir Nabokov, our department teaches Russian in the broader context of Russian society, culture, visual art, and music.

Offered by Russian

Major

Minor

Russian Area Studies

Our interdisciplinary program explores the Russian language and literature as well as Russian and Eurasian culture, history, and politics.

Offered by Russian Area Studies

Major

Sociology

Our students address a question that is fundamental to a liberal arts education: Who am I in the world?

Offered by Sociology

Major

Minor

South Asia Studies

Our program focuses on the histories, cultures, and people of South Asia and its diaspora.

Offered by South Asia Studies

Major

Minor

Spanish and Portuguese

Our language classes help students build oral proficiency and individual expression, while literature classes include analyses of writing from different periods.

Offered by Spanish and Portuguese

Major

Statistics

Our courses teach students the theoretical foundations of statistics and applied data analysis.

Offered by Mathematics

Minor

Studio Art

In Studio Art courses, students strengthen visual awareness, independent thought, and creative flexibility while using a range of fine art media.

Offered by Art

Major

Minor

Teacher Certification

Our program enables students to earn a professional Massachusetts teacher's licensure, transferable to most states.

Offered by Education

Teaching and Learning Studies

Our students explore processes of learning as well as the work of teaching.

Offered by Education

Minor

Theatre Studies

Our program encompasses performance, playwriting, design, stagecraft, directing, and public speaking, as well as academic investigations into the history and currency of this ancient global art form.

Offered by Theatre Studies

Major

Women's and Gender Studies

Students explore gender and its intersections with other relations of power, such as race, social class, sexuality, nationality, age, and ethnicity.

Offered by Women’s and Gender Studies

Major

Minor

Writing Program

Our program offers First Year Writing courses, upper-level writing courses, and a peer writing-tutor program.

Offered by Writing Program

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