Facts & Figures
The College of Arts and Sciences provides a liberal arts education of tremendous breadth and depth to more than 25,000 students while advancing research in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
Core of the University. With more than 6,000 classes offered in the College annually, students can study everything from art to physics.
Arts & Sciences Fact Sheet |
Interdisciplinary Approach. The College has more than two dozen interdisciplinary centers and ties to many other centers, bringing together scholars in diverse fields to collaborate on complex research questions in the humanities, demography, labor studies, law, astrobiology, climate change, and other areas.
A Regional Arts Leader.All of the University’s arts units—the Schools of Music, Art and Drama, the Dance Program, the Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media, the Henry Gallery, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, UW World Series, and Meany Hall for the Performing Arts—are part of the College. They offer roughly 300 performances, 60 exhibits, and 100 public programs annually.
International Emphasis. The College teaches more than 50 languages and offers study abroad programs to London, Rome, Paris, Prague, Spain, Mexico, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other locations. The Jackson School of International Studies’ eight National Resource Centers, which encourage interdisciplinary, regionally-based analysis and research, have received more than $7.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education for the next four years.
Most UW Bachelor’s Degrees. Of the approximately 7,500 bachelor’s degrees earned at the UW each year, more than 70 percent are from the College of Arts and Sciences.
230,000 Visitors. In excess of 230,000 visitors attend performances and exhibits in the College each year.
$85 Million in Research Grants. A&S faculty generate about $85 million in research funds annually, through public and private grants.
- 940 academic faculty
- More than 150 A&S faculty mentor hundreds of undergraduates who participate in research each year.
- 1 Nobel Prize in Physics
- 1 National Book Award
- 6 MacArthur Foundation Fellows—including three in the Creative Writing Program
- 16 National Academy of Science Members
- 26 American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows
- 77 Distinguished Teaching Award Honorees
- 22,830 undergraduate students (12,420 majors; 10,410 premajors)
- 2,720 graduate students
- Two thirds (66 percent) of UW freshmen were in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
- In 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2006, students with A&S degrees were selected as Rhodes Scholars.
- Since 1997, 21 A&S students have won Goldwater Scholarships, the most prestigious national award for undergraduate scientists.
Alumni
- The College has presented its Distinguished Alumni Award (established in 1990) to 35 accomplished A&S alumni, including David Guterson, Tess Gallagher, Dale Chihuly, Kent Weeks, Norm Rice, and Christine Gregoire.
- Two A&S alumni have received a Nobel Prize.
- Many A&S alumni have made their mark as elected officials, serving as city council members, state representatives, U.S. representatives, mayor of Seattle, and governor of the state of Washington.
- Alumni have founded theatres such as ACT Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Empty Space Theatre, and most recently, Washington Ensemble Theatre.
- Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded to A&S alumni eleven times since 1950, including three since 2001.
The Advisory Board of the College of Arts & Sciences is made up of community leaders. These volunteers provide important bridges to the College’s constituencies: prospective and current students and their families; alumni; donors; local, state, and regional communities; business and professional communities; state legislature and federal government. They are the leading advisors and advocates for the College, assisting in securing public and private support on many levels, and working closely with department chairs, directors, and staff, as well as with the Arts and Sciences development and executive leadership.
Areas in which they assist the College include but are not limited to:
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Advising the College on trends and developments in their professions
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Assessing the relevance of curriculum to the current demands of the professions
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Facilitating research and other professional partnerships/internships
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Articulating the University’s goals and objectives in Olympia
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Mentoring and recruiting students
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Fostering understanding of the College’s mission and programs within the community
- Evaluating the University’s messages to its constituencies
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Counseling on alumni programming locally, regionally and nationally
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Generating interest in volunteer involvement
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Making an annual contribution in support of the College/ Departments/Programs
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Thanking donors
These volunteer activities are essential to academic divisions, departments and programs, and the College as a whole. We are grateful for their solid professionalism, guidance and efficacy in producing an environment to support fundraising and the College’s ability to sustain academic excellence.
