Dean Manderscheid

Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences

The Arts and Sciences at Ohio State is all about connections, discovery, inclusiveness, collaboration and diversity. Prospective or current student, parent, faculty, staff, alum; on campus, in Columbus or far beyond, you will find all of the above — and more — here. I invite you to see for yourself. Explore our Majors; Research and Arts & Culture programs; learn more about the college; check out our events; the latest news and who is making it: profiles of students and faculty and meet ASC Experts in the Media. Enjoy our stories, images and follow me on Twitter or check out my blog!

- David Manderscheid, Executive Dean and Vice Provost

AT-A-GLANCE

AT-A-GLANCE

38 Departments and Schools

20+ Centers and Institutes

2,000 Faculty and Staff 

80 Majors

100+ Minors

30 Languages

$284 million Budget 

$88 million Research Expenditures

$295 million Endowment

19 Endowed Professorships

21 Endowed Chairs

200,000+ Living Alumni

At-A-Glance Infographic

Our Faculty

Our Faculty

Arts and Sciences faculty performs at the highest levels in teaching, research and service — the three tenets of the great land-grant institutions.

 HONORS And Recognition

ASC Experts in the Media

AWARDS

38 Guggenheim Fellows

16 American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members

1 MacArthur Fellow

1 National Medal of Sciences 

1 National Medal of Arts 

1 American Academy of Arts and Letters Fellow

9 National Academy of Sciences Member

2 Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Dr. A.H Heineken Prize Recipients

35 NSF Early Career Development (CAREER) Award winners

2 Department of Energy Early Career Awards

Ann Hamilton (left) with President Obama

Ann Hamilton, professor of art, was presented with the 2014 National Medal of Arts by President Obama at the White House. She is internationally recognized for large-scale, multimedia installations.

“I am both humbled and proud to be part of this recognition of the arts, and the work of culture we are all engaged in making together.”

Clark Spencer Larsen

Clark Spencer Larsen, professor and chair of Anthropology, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Larsen has dedicated his career and scholarship to deepening our understanding of the human condition.

“We are collectively motivated by the fact that we enjoy what we do — teaching great students, engaging in our multifaceted research programs and assisting Ohio State.”

Faculty Infographic

Tiyi Morris

Tiyi Morris, associate professor of African American and African Studies, has an interdisciplinary background, with a teaching focus that combines the fields of American history, black studies and women’s studies.

“I want students to really engage with the material, not just memorize things that I’m lecturing to them. You have to meet students where they are.”

Kendra McSweeney (on left)

Professor Kendra McSweeney, on left, a human-environment geographer, has traveled extensively in Central and Latin America researching the impact of drug trafficking and drug policy on the environment. At the local level, McSweeney teaches a field course on the geography and the people of Southeastern Ohio.

“I love teaching The Geography of Appalachian Ohio field course. I guide students through this fascinating region, focusing on socio-ecological change. Students thrive as they actually do geography.”

Julia F. Andrews

Julia F. Andrews, professor of art history, is one of approximately 200 scholars, artists and researchers nationwide named 2016 Guggenheim Fellows. An acclaimed scholar, writer, teacher and curator, Andrews specializes in Chinese art.

Our Students

Our Students

At Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences, knowledge is not the means to an end. It’s the start of whatever comes next. You’d never guess you’re at one of the nation’s largest research universities; it’s like a small liberal arts college, tucked into a leading public university.

Incoming 2016-17 Academic Profile:

Average ACT: 29
Average SAT: 1,263
Top 10% of their high school class: 61.5%
Top 25% of their high school class: 94%

AWARDS

Undergraduate
Our students are consistently recognized, nationally and internationally, for their excellence in research and scholarship and are recipients of awards such as the Goldwater, Beinecke, Churchill and Rhodes.

Graduate
Each year, our distinguished graduate students are selected for honors including the prestigious Fulbright-Hays, Fulbright, NSF Predoctoral Fellowship and Schweitzer Award.

Nima and Ilhan Dahir

Nima Dahir (BA, economics and mathematics, 2016) was named a 2015 Beinecke Scholar – Ohio State’s fifth. The Beinecke Scholarship is awarded to 20 students nationwide and supports graduate studies. Her sister, Ilhan Dahir (BA, political science, English, 2015), was named a 2016 Rhodes Scholar. She is Ohio State’s sixth Rhodes Scholar and the College of Arts and Science’s third. One of the oldest and best-known academic awards, the Rhodes Scholarship covers all expenses associated with two or three years of study at the University of Oxford.

Henry Tran and Alexis Crockett

Henry Tran (chemistry and mathematics) and Alexis Crockett (neuroscience and psychology) are 2016 Churchill Scholars. This is the first time that two Ohio State students have received the honor in the same year. Both will begin graduate studies at the University of Cambridge.

Mary Grace Thibault

Mary Grace Thibault is a fourth-year honors student majoring in anthropology and atmospheric sciences. She recently completed a climate-science field project observing the effects of sea-level rise in the Everglades, and volunteers with the National Weather Service and will travel to Great Basin National Park as part of the Department of Geography’s work with underground glaciers.

“I am fascinated with how weather and climate impact people — and Ohio State’s Atmospheric Sciences Program is really amazing! The professors and advisors work really hard to help you not just learn, but to use what you have learned.”

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS*

16,562

Composition:

Female:  53%
Male: 47%
Underrepresented Minorities: 11%
In State: 79%
Out of State: 14%
International: 7%
First Generation: 16%
Double Majors: 10%
Major + Minor: 20%
Honors & Scholars: 20%

Amera Huddleston

Amara Huddleston, graduate student, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, studies the effects of climate change on Lake Erie’s food web and nutritional values of its fish.

“I felt happy at Ohio State immediately. My advice: pick a program that makes you happy in a place where you mesh with its people.”

GRADUATE STUDENTS*

2,761

Composition:

Male: 52%
Female: 48%
Underrepresented Minorities: 7%
Out of State: 43%
In State: 29%
International: 28%

*AU2015 NUMBERS

Research

Research

In every area of the Arts and Sciences, our pioneering faculty, students and collaborators worldwide are exploring existing and emerging global challenges. Their game-changing discoveries profoundly affect our lives and is funded by all major federal and state granting agencies, with additional support from business and industry.

Zhong-Lin Lu

Zhong-Lin Lu, professor of psychology; director of the Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, is one of a handful of research scientists across the U.S. selected to share a $13.1 million award as part of NSF’s support for integrative, fundamental brain research and the BRAIN initiative.

“The goal of this grant is to predict individual cognitive performance in novel, real-world situations based on observed behavioral and neuroimaging data — a new approach that could revolutionize the field of cognitive neuroscience.”

Abraham Badu-Tawiah

Abraham Badu-Tawiah, assistant professor, chemistry and biochemistry, developed an inexpensive prototype test strip for diagnosing diseases, including cancer and malaria, to save lives in rural Africa and Southeast Asia where malaria kills hundreds of thousands every year.

“We want to empower people. If you care at all about your health and you have reason to worry about a condition, then you don’t want to wait until you get sick to go to the hospital. You could test yourself as often as you want.”

Research Infographic

KEY INITIATIVES

The Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center is an international leader in polar, alpine and climate research, and houses the third-largest archive of prehistoric ice-core samples in the world.

The interdisciplinary community of scholars and researchers in the Decision Sciences Collaborative focuses on the science of decision-making and supports programs in decision-making for research and teaching and public outreach.

The Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures is part of a new four-year Mellon Foundation-funded, Ohio-based collaboration creating one of the nation’s few dedicated foreign language postdoctoral positions.

Scott Gaudi, Chris Hirata and David Weinberg represent the largest number of university scientists appointed to NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) science teams, preparing this powerful new space telescope — 100 times faster than Hubble — for mid-2020 launch.

The Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise advances collaborative research on the business side of the arts and the worlds of arts management, policy and culture. The Graduate Student Think Tank is an interdisciplinary group working to solve critical artist-defined issues and develop new models for organizational management structures.

Creative Activity

Creative Activity

The College of Arts and Sciences champions scholarship, creative activity and performance, and promotes an environment for students and faculty to inspire, discover and create on campus and beyond.

To facilitate this, we are intensifying ties with local, national and international arts organizations and, over the next two decades, $200 million will be invested in a vibrant Arts District at High Street and 15th Avenue, the university’s front door.

Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design Virtual Reality 3D-animated game still image.

Two graduate students studying at the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design are working with physicians at Nationwide Children’s Hospital to create a Virtual Reality 3D-animated game for use by pediatric patients to alleviate pain and offer distraction during tedious treatments.

Design Student sketching Juiceboxx project concepts

A team of students and alumni from the Department of Design won first place in the undergraduate track of the Fisher College of Business 2014 Business Plan Competition, for their project, Juiceboxx. They developed a protective case for a MacBook charger that features a clean, simple aesthetic with a unique design that guides the cord into exiting the power supply with a gentle curve, significantly reducing areas of high stress.

Creative Activity Infographic

KEY INITIATIVES

The new major in Moving Image Production (autumn 2017) is an interdisciplinary program administered by film studies. The program will be built around studio courses in the animation, documentary, experimental and narrative modes of film production.*

Shakespeare and Autism is a groundbreaking, collaborative research project studying whether drama, particularly Shakespeare, can break through the communicative blocks of autism.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) co-present The Plough and the Stars, performed by the Abbey Theatre of Dublin, Ireland.

Readers from every continent and almost every country look to the Department of History’s online magazine, Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective for expert opinions on timely topics.

BioPresence Instagram

The BioPresence Project, organized by university members of AWASH (Animal Worlds in the Arts, Sciences and Humanities) encourages faculty, staff and students to take the time to understand that humans and animals share one campus together and how to live sensibly and equitably over the long term.

“Noticing and documenting the animals, insects, plants and microorganisms on campus frames them as important cohabitants and acknowledges our relationships and interdependencies with them and with other non-human forms of life on the planet.” {Amy Youngs, associate professor, art}

Beyond The Classroom

Beyond The Classroom

Our students study abroad and conduct field work on every continent, have access to internship experiences at any scale, contribute to leading-edge research and scholarship, and participate in service-learning that makes a difference in our communities.

Study Abroad
and Field Work

With more than 100 study-abroad and field-work programs on every continent, our students have unparalleled opportunities to explore, expand and specialize their academic journeys.

Undergraduate Research
Students engage in leading-edge research, supported by world-class scholars, researchers and scientists. Working alongside faculty at the cusp of groundbreaking discovery, they develop the critical thinking and analytical skills necessary for graduate school and beyond.

Internships & Service Learning
Located in a major metropolitan area, we have access to extensive internship and service-learning opportunities in Columbus and beyond.

Omarthan Clarke

Graduate student Omarthan Clarke was born in Jamaica and raised in the U.S. He reconnected with the arts and culture of Jamaica through a study-abroad experience with the Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy.

“I want to establish a nonprofit, international public arts and academic institution in both Jamaica and the U.S. that fuses creativity with entrepreneurship.”

Study Abroad Infographic

#ASCintheField

#ASCINTHEFIELD

This past summer, Arts and Sciences students went around the world, conducting research, interning and volunteering. They were immersed in politics, knee-deep in research and data analysis, underwater studying coral reefs and everywhere in between.

  1. Students in the Department of Political Science’s Canadian Parliament Internship program pose for a special O-H-I-O with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
  2. Professor of Earth sciences Andréa Grottoli and her students in Hawaii examine the health of coral reefs.
  3. Arts management major Andy Meyer works at Urban Arts Space in downtown Columbus as a City Center Gallery co-director.
  4. Journalism major Zachary Burton outside Quicken Loans Arena during his internship with ESPN Cleveland.
  5. International studies major Jasmine Ashby at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, during a 10-week summer training program.
  6. Political science majors and 2016 DNC delegates Spencer Dirrig and Kelly Harrop on the convention floor.
  7. Chemistry and French major Ben Gorski stopped in London for a photo between internships with Powertech in Bergholtz, France, and Cosem in Paris, France.

Our Spaces

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC)

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC)

Urban Arts Space

Urban Arts Space

Hagerty Hall

Hagerty Hall

Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging (CCBBI)

Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging (CCBBI)

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Departments & Centers

Department of Anthropology

Department of Anthropology

Center for Applied Plant Sciences (CAPS)

Center for Applied Plant Sciences (CAPS)

Dancers

Department of Dance

Department of Psychology

Department of Psychology

See All

About Columbus

About Columbus

The Ohio State campus is located near downtown Columbus, acting as a catalyst for the cultural and entrepreneurial vitality the city is known for. You'll find urban cool next to historic neighborhoods, groundbreaking artists and technology entrepreneurs, innovative startups and global enterprises.

It's no surprise that Forbes magazine recently ranked Columbus #1 on its list of Opportunity Cities.

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