School of Arts & Sciences

The Heart of the University

The School of Arts & Sciences is the heart of the University of Richmond’s offerings. You can choose from or combine majors from 24 departments and 13 interdisciplinary programs. In the School of Arts & Sciences, you will learn to integrate your classroom experience with your true interests — your calling.

It’s the chance to explore a topic you’ve always been curious about, whether that’s Russian, modern dance, or environmental ethics. It’s getting a different perspective on your favorite subject — thinking through concepts and problems in a way you never have before. It’s satisfying your curiosity and love for learning, and then working to translate that into a career path.

Support A&S

School of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Annual Report

2023-24 Now Available!
A&S Honors Convocation

A&S Award Winners

Each April, the School of Arts & Sciences awards the David C. Evans Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship and Artistic & Creative Works at the A&S Honors Convocation. During the A&S Honors Convocation, department honor societies, winners of the A&S Student Symposium paper and art competitions, John R. Rilling Award for First-Year Seminar Writing, and the outstanding faculty mentor are also recognized.

2025 Recipients 

DAVID C. EVANS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SCHOLARSHIP

Holly Wemple and Maya Casillas

DAVID C. EVANS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC & CREATIVE WORK

Adam Huffman 

A&S STUDENT SYMPOSIUM AWARDS

Paper Competition
Maria Byrnes and Maria Zambrano Davila

Art Competition
Hannah Zaheer

Outstanding Mentor
Elena Calvillo, associate professor of art history, and Laura Knouse, professor of psychology

A&S Symposium Sustainability Awards

Oral Presentation
Sophie Tanner

Poster Presentation
Megan Montoya and Julia Norton

A&S OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD

Doro and Bella Stevens

John R. Rilling Award for First-Year Seminar Writing

Owen Hoover and Hallie Muniz

Bridge to Success Field Trip

Bridge to Success

"Discovering the Power of Your Voice."

June 22 to July 26, 2025

The Bridge to Success (BTS) program offers an immersive summer experience tailored to facilitate your transition from high school to college. Participants in the BTS program will engage in a comprehensive academic course, fulfilling one (1 Unit) of the University’s General Education graduation requirements. These small, student-centered liberal arts courses are complemented through study sessions, community excursions, and practical workshops aimed at equipping students to embrace the academic, social, and cultural opportunities of both the University of Richmond and its neighboring community.

Students participating in the BTS program reside in one of the University’s residence halls for a duration of five weeks. During this time, they familiarize themselves with the campus, establish enduring connections with mentors, peers, and University personnel, and initiate the cultivation of essential time management competencies.

Books & Roses Event

A&S Books & Roses

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 4:30-6 p.m. | HUMANITIES COMMONS

Join the A&S Dean’s Office for the third annual Books & Roses Celebration showcasing A&S faculty and staff books published between April 20, 2024 and April 20, 2025.

Books & Roses is inspired by two annual international celebrations: 1) Saint George’s Day (“Sant Jordi”) in Catalonia, where literature and love are distinctly intertwined in a massive display and exchange of books and roses, and 2) UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day. Both are typically celebrated on April 23, which also happens to be the birthdate of Cervantes and Shakespeare.

The festivities will include cupcakes, refreshments, music, and roses. 

Commencement Reception

A&S Commencement Reception

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 3-5 P.M.

Alice Haynes Room, Tyler Haynes Commons

Come mingle with A&S faculty and staff and enjoy refreshments with your classmates and their families.

Two scholars

Meet the 2024-25 Beckman Scholars

A&S students Marcos Hendler, of Rye, New York, and Aine MacDermott, of Lexington, Virginia, have each been awarded a prestigious Beckman Foundation Scholarship to support faculty-mentored student research in the sciences.

Beckman Scholars are selected among undergraduate biology and chemistry students based on commitment to research, strong academics, and potential to become scientific leaders. UR has had 26 Beckman Scholars since 2006.

Hendler, a chemistry major, is studying computational chemistry focused on molecules related to anticancer, which has implications in possible treatments. Hendler’s faculty mentor is chemistry professor Carol Parish. MacDermott, a biochemistry & molecular biology major, is researching ancient DNA under the mentorship of biology professor Melinda Yang. MacDermott is focused on the evolution of the alcohol metabolism gene ADH1B in present-day and ancient East Asian humans.

Representing Nature Question

Humanities Center

2024-2025: How (And Why) Do We Represent Nature?

This question invites us to consider “representation” in both its political and aesthetic meaning. “Nature” is represented in paintings, poems, scripture, music, dancing, novels, laws, regulations, equations, activisms, advertising campaigns. This question asks how environments — and often their relations to human concerns — are represented across media, geographic and cultural contexts, and different historical moments.

Events

Faculty Expertise

Do you envision college as a place where your professor’s office hours are spent in deep conversation about topics beyond this week’s assignment? Where you can work side-by-side with a faculty member on cutting-edge research that is published in a professional journal?

In A&S, our faculty are experts on the cutting edge of their fields. While they could work in some of the top research institutions in the world, our faculty chose Richmond because they believe in educating tomorrow's leaders and are passionate about mentoring and sharing their knowledge with students.

A&S Faculty Highlights