Departments & Undergraduate Degree Programs

History

The Department of History explores the human experience through study of the globe’s regions, peoples and intellectual pursuits as they developed over time. The department is known internationally for its work on the histories of the Atlantic world, East Asia, Europe, the Hellenic world, Latin America, the Middle East, science and the United States.

Website: history.ucsd.edu
Main Office: 858-534-1996

Major and Minor offered, with emphasis in:

• Geographic: Africa, Ancient Mediterranean, East Asia, Europe, Jewish Studies, Latin America, Middle East, United States
• Thematic: History of Science; Gender and Sexuality; Race, Ethnicity and Migration; War, Revolution and Social Change
• Pre-professional: Business, Education, Global & Transnational, Law, Medicine

Literature

The Department of Literature is unique both conceptually and structurally in that it combines studies of language, literature, and culture in a single department. It is celebrated for taking a comparative world-cultures approach, for its teaching of creative writing and for its synthesis of scholarship, literary arts and translation.

Website: literature.ucsd.edu
Main Office: 858-534-3210

Majors offered

• Literature / Writing
• Literatures in English
• Literatures in Spanish
• World Literature and Culture

Minors offered

• Literature / Writing
• Literatures of the World
• Literatures in: English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Russin or Spanish

Music

Based in the state-of-the-art Conrad Prebys Music Center, with a faculty of distinguished scholars, performers, composers and computer music researchers, the Department of Music focuses on contemporary and experimental music and fosters an atmosphere of diversity, collaboration and interdisciplinary inquiry.

Website: music.ucsd.edu
Main Office: 858-534-3230

Major offered, with emphasis in:

• Composition
• Performance
• Literature
• Technology
• Jazz & the Music of the African Diaspora

Music Humanities Major offered

Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM) Major offered

Music Minor and ICAM Minor offered

Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy is committed to interdisciplinary work. It excels, in particular, in philosophy of science, ethics and history of philosophy – and is known internationally for integrating the latest findings from psychology and physics into cutting-edge scholarship. The department offers optional areas of emphasis for undergraduates and specialization for graduates.

Website: philosophy.ucsd.edu
Main Office: 858-534-3070

Major and Minor offered, with emphasis in:

• Laws, Ethics and Society
• Science, Technology and Medicine
• Mind, Brain and Cognitive Science
• Historical Perspectives on Philosophy, Science and Religion

Bioethics Minor offered

Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre and Dance teaches and practices innovative, eclectic and interdisciplinary work. It is also committed to attracting and sustaining a diverse group of students. According to U.S. News & World Report, the department has been among the nation's top three for more than a decade.

Website: theatre.ucsd.edu
Main Office: 858-534-3791

Majors offered:

• Theatre
• Dance
• Theatre and Dance Double Major

Minors offered:

• Theatre
• Dance

Visual Arts

New synergies of art practice and avant-garde research are hallmarks of the Department of Visual Arts. One of the nation’s top-ranked programs and an innovative force in the international art community for nearly half a century, the department includes artists, theorists, historians and cultural practitioners in one collaborative environment.

Website: visarts.ucsd.edu
Main Office: 858-534-2860

Majors offered:

• Art History Theory and Criticism
• Media
• Studio
• Speculative Design
• Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM)

Minor offered, with emphasis in:

• Art History
• ICAM
• Digital Video and Film Production
• Photography
• Speculative Design
• Studio
• History and Criticism of Film and Video

Institute of Arts and Humanities

The Institute of Arts and Humanities emphasizes the value of interdisciplinary thinking in addressing the needs of a complex world. We house 14 programs offering multiple undergraduate majors and minors in regional, ethnic and thematic studies. Institute programs equip students to analyze and speak about the past, present, and future with creativity and insight.

Website: iah.ucsd.edu

Degrees offered:

• African American Studies major, minor
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies minor
• Chicanx and Latinx Studies minor
• Chinese Studies major, minor
• Classical Studies major, minor
• European Studies minor
• Film Studies minor
• German Studies major, minor
• Global South Studies major, minor
• Italian Studies major, minor
• Japanese Studies major, minor
• Jewish Studies major, minor
• Middle East Studies minor
• Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies major, minor
• Transnational Korean Studies minor