College of Arts and Sciences
Shippensburg University’s College of Arts and Sciences creates a space for students that are inspired by imagination and innovation and informed by knowledge and discovery. Offering over 100 different undergraduate majors, minors and graduate programs, the college prepares graduates for a wide range of career opportunities.
Small class sizes, taught exclusively by our expert faculty, paired with meaningful internships, research opportunities, service-learning projects, study abroad opportunities and more, will complement your educational experience. Most importantly, our students learn to think critically, create freely and communicate clearly, setting them up for career success in any field.
Explore College of Arts & Sciences Programs
College of Arts and Sciences alumni and students connect during the college's annual networking event. Alumni from all over return to Ship to provide mentorship, career advice and more!
Be Ship Ready
Ship students become agile and adaptable, and graduate ready for the workforce, fully prepared to succeed. This is what it means to be Ship ready.
One-on-one attention meets experiential learning
You are unique. So are we. Dedicated faculty are interested in who you are, and how you learn. Graduates take on the world with a broad base of knowledge and know how to apply that in practical ways.
Focus on faculty
Teacher-scholars are a key component to student success. As students spend four years learning, faculty are also continuously engaged in activities that enhance their teaching, research and service, bringing new practices, discoveries and opportunities back to their classes. This is a core component of gaining relevant knowledge and skills that will support a student’s growth within the curriculum and the graduate’s success in their career.
Challenge yourself
Faculty and staff care about you and your success, and are dedicated to helping you grow academically, personally and professionally. When you are here, you can expect to:
- Receive one-on-one, individualized attention within a broad range of learning opportunities and experiences.
- Have opportunities to challenge, and be challenged, by peers as your world views broaden.
- Actively seek learning opportunities outside of the classroom where personal and professional growth benefits you.
Most importantly, the relationships you build with classmates, community members and faculty and staff, will serve you well as you transition to the next steps of life’s journey.
Internships and networking: Ground rules
We help all students identify and develop meaningful internship opportunities, some of which are paid, others for credit as part of your academic program. Either way, internships are an excellent way to start building the networks and skills required to enter and be a successful leader in the workforce. Internship opportunities include private and public organizations as well as NGOs. The arts and sciences are very broad, which means our internship opportunities are correspondingly very broad.
Alumni: Your friends in the job market
Our alumni are everywhere: state government, local industrial facilities, hospital systems, the state park system and national businesses such as Volvo, Ford and Google. Of course, many of our students choose to stay in the region. We believe you can be successful wherever you go. Networking is critical, and internships are one way to expand your network. These mentors will know the skills you bring to the table and advocate for you during the hiring process. The wide Shippensburg University alumni base across the nation means our graduates have family in their job searches when the time comes.
Reach out to research
Undergraduate research experience is available to all students, not just science majors, as is commonly thought. Humanities and social sciences are strong contributors to research across our various programs. When you do an undergraduate research project at Ship, and then go off to do an internship, you are already geared up to face the challenges of the real world. You are ready.
Mission Statement
Our college is founded upon the principle that a high-quality, professional education within a major, when combined with a minor emphasis, and a broadly based general educational experience, provides a firm foundation upon which to build a productive and enriched life and career pathway. Due to the variety of disciplines comprising the college, we also provide excellent development of critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills – a set of “soft skills” that, when combined with disciplinary knowledge, is highly valued by employers, graduate schools and professional schools.