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Undergraduate Students

The School of Arts and Humanities offers unique academic opportunities for incoming freshman and transfer students pursuing an undergraduate degree. View printable handout (PDF).

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Every year, more than 1,500 undergraduate students choose a major within the School of Arts and Humanities... Why will you?

Interesting Majors, Minors and Coursework

Students enjoy diverse and inclusive coursework while cultivating effective communication skills, fostering creativity, thinking critically and learning so much more.

VIEW MAJORS & MINORS BELOW

Small Classes = Big Perks

Students typically experience smaller class sizes, closer relationships with renowned faculty and more personalized academic attention, as compared to larger schools on campus.

MEET RENOWNED FACULTY

Explore Majors and Minors by Department or Program

View majors and minors on printable one-sheet (PDF)

History

  • MAJOR(S): 
    • History: Fields of emphasis:
      • Geographic: Africa, East Asia, Europe, 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
  • HONOR'S PROGRAM? Yes!
  • CLUBS? Phi Alpha Theta, National History Honors Society
  • COURSE SNAPSHOT: 

    • HIUS 120D - Race and Oral History in San Diego: This course examines the history of racial and ethnic communities in San Diego. Drawing from historical research and interdisciplinary scholarship, we will explore how race impacted the history and development of San Diego and how “ordinary” folk made sense of their racial identity and experiences. Toward these ends, students will conduct oral history and community-based research, develop public and digital humanities skills, and preserve a collection of oral histories for future scholarship. 

Literature

  • HONOR'S PROGRAM? Yes!
  • CLUBS?  Creative Writing Club
  • COURSE SNAPSHOT: 

    • LTCS 87 - Love at First Sight: The course looks at the relationship between love and time in contemporary romantic comedies. It examines rom-com relationships that follow traditional life courses and those that reject romantic chronology altogether. Films may include Beginners, 50 First Dates, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, I Give It A Year, and Weekend. Students will learn foundational skills in film analysis.

Philosophy

  • HONOR'S PROGRAM? Yes!
  • CLUBS? Triton Philosophy Society
  • COURSE SNAPSHOT: 

    • PHIL 139 - Global Justice: This course studies “Global justice.” Justice here just names the enforceable part of morality. A moral duty is apt for enforcement just in case those who violate the duty are liable to penalties, so long as the penalties are not disproportionate (so it would be disproportionate, and wrong, to shoot someone who has violated a duty not to steal your milk shake, or your car). The study of global justice is the study of (a) the duties we have to people anywhere on Earth and of (b) the institutions and practices that are morally required. Otherwise put, theories of global justice advance claims about what conditions would have to obtain, for the relationships that people have to other people around the globe to be fair, morally acceptable. 

Music

  • HONOR'S PROGRAM? Yes!
  • CLUBS? There are many!
  • COURSE SNAPSHOT: 

    • Music 19R - Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music: Blacktronika : Afrofuturism in Electronic Music, honors the people of color, who pioneered groundbreaking genres within electronic music. Using the intersection of technology, science fiction and music's foundation within the African Diaspora, as a lens in shaping new futures. Researching the sonic responses to socio-political events that affected, under represented communities, giving birth to jazz fusion, Chicago House, Detroit Techno, drum & bass, the LA Beat scene and the rest of the global sound history. From Sun Ra to Flying Lotus to Moor Mother, we shine the light on the musicians that are pivotal in the modern advancement of electronic music.

Theatre and Dance

  • MINOR(S): 
    • Dance
    • Theater, with a focus in
      • Acting, Directing, Playwriting, History, Stage Management, Design
  • HONOR'S PROGRAM? Yes!TDGE 196A. Honors Study in Theatre and Dance. Honors Thesis designed to give Theatre and Dance majors the opportunity to undertake advanced creative research in an area of specialization (Directing, History, Pedagogy, Performance, Playwriting or Stage Management).
  • CLUBS? There are many!
  • COURSE SNAPSHOT: 

    • TDDE 111 - Theatre Process - Costume Design: The process of the costume designer from script analysis, research visualization of ideas, through the process of costume design. Lecture and demonstration labs parallel lecture material. This course is intended for those interested in a basic understanding of the costumer's process. No previous drawing or painting skills required. Prerequisite: TDDE 1.

Visual Arts

  • MINOR(S): 
    • Art History
    • Digital Video and Film Production
    • History and Criticism of Film and Video
    • Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM)
    • Photography
    • Speculative Design
    • Studio Performance/Painting/Drawing/Sculpture
  • HONOR'S PROGRAM? Yes!
  • CLUBS? Multi-Identity Art Collective
  • COURSE SNAPSHOT: 

    • VIS 6 - Race, Gender, and Robots: We will look at works that present androids, cyborgs, and AI as an emergent “other” in media. Examining science fiction films and media, students look critically at how race and gender are represented. Through the lens of feminist and antiracist scholarship, the course presents critical understandings of android/AI stories and their cultural implications. Special emphasis throughout the course will be placed on how such stories remake troubling histories and anxieties about race and gender. 

Institute of Arts and Humanities

 

  • HONOR'S PROGRAM? Check the specific program
  • CLUBS? There are many!
  • COURSE SNAPSHOT: 

    • HIUS 155 - From Zoot Suits to Hip-Hop: Race and Popular Culture since World War II: Tracing popular cultural production and consumption in the United States since World War II. It historicizes popular culture as an arena where social relations are negotiated and where race, class, and gender identities are constructed, transformed, and contested.

View majors and minors on printable one-sheet

 

Impressive Facilities

Our students learn within innovative spaces. From an Arts and Humanities building with ocean views and rooftop terrace, to a renowned Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, to the new Park & Market collaboration space downtown and so much in between, arts and humanities students learn from the best in the best venues.

VIEW FACILITIES BELOW

Rockstar Resources

Our students enjoy a smaller academic community alongside the perks of a major university! UC San Diego has a large roster of resources, services and activities including cultural resource centers, D1 sports, scholarship and research opportunities, rock-climbing and ropes courses, and so much more.

LEARN MORE

Explore Resources and Facilities

Student Resources

THE ESSENTIALS

 

ACADEMIC RESOURCES

 

COMMUNITY & SUPPORT

 

HEALTH & SAFETY

 

WELL-BEING

 

FOOD & NUTRITION

 

FITNESS & FUN

 

ARTS & CULTURE

Campus Facilities

VIEW ARTS & CULTURE
 

Event Calendars

Let's Talk Careers

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What can I do with a degree in Arts and Humanities?

The simple answer? Anything you want.

Foundational. Transferable. Enduring. These describe an arts and humanities education at UC San Diego. Our students’ fundamental education includes critical thinking, clear communication and creative expression — all skills sought by today’s employers, lasting throughout our students’ lifetimes. Because when your skills are in demand, you're in demand.

Explore Careers and Meet Alumni

SKILLS + EXPERIENCE = CAREER SUCCESS

An education in the arts and humanities provides an arsenal of skills sought after in the workforce. Check out LinkedIn 2023 Most In-Demand Skills: Learn the skills companies need most


EXPLORE POTENTIAL CAREER PATHS BY DEPARTMENT

History | Literature | Music | Philosophy | Theatre and Dance | Visual Arts


WHAT HAVE OTHERS DONE?

Our alumni have careers ranging from writing, editing, teaching, designing, directing, managing, consulting, creating and more. See for yourself - view over 200,000 UC San Diego alumni on LinkedIn. With a network this big, job connections are closer than ever.


CONCERNED ABOUT CAREER COMPENSATION?


HOW TO GO FROM CAMPUS TO CAREER? 

Admissions and Portfolio Submission

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Admissions information

APPLYING TO UC SAN DIEGO

Students can apply to UC San Diego using the UC application. Students majoring in the arts (Music, Theatre and Dance or Visual Arts) can submit an optional portfolio to enhance their application. View the Portfolio section of this webpage for details.

IMPORTANT DATES

  • Aug. 1 - UC application opens

  • Oct. 1-Nov. 30 - UC application submission period

  • Nov. 1 - Supplemental portfolio submissions open (see below section for details)
  • Dec. 8 - Supplemental portfolio submissions close

FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS


INCOMING TRANSFER STUDENTS

QUESTIONS? VIEW ADMISSIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Portfolio

PORTFOLIO

Students applying to UC San Diego for a program within the School of Arts and Humanities can submit a supplementary portfolio/audition to enhance their overall application. The portfolio is optional. Students can still be admitted to the school without providing the additional material.

ELIGIBILITY: 
  • Portfolio submissions are currently only accepted for students applying to a program within the arts - Music, Theatre and Dance, or Visual Arts. Portfolios are not accepted for humanities programs (History, Literature, Philosophy).

PROCESS:

  • You must complete the UC San Diego application before you can submit your portfolio material, as your portfolio submission requires the ID number from the UC San Diego application.

  • Students should not send portfolio information to the admissions office. Portfolios must be submitted via the Slideroom platform and are reviewed by department faculty, who share evaluations with admissions. 

  • While completing your UC San Diego application, once you have selected an applicable major, you will be provided the link to submit your optional portfolio/audition via the Slideroom platform. Go to artsandhumanities-ucsd.slideroom.com for details.
  • Only submit one portfolio for your primary major.
  • A portfolio/audition tape should reflect each individual's unique background and experiences. Submissions will be reviewed by department faculty with the goal of identifying the creative and technical skills, abilities and potential of each applicant. No individual score or assessment can be provided due to the volume of submissions received and the confidential nature of the admissions process.

DEPARTMENT GUIDELINES

DATES:

  • Portfolio submissions via Slideroom will open on November 1, 2024 and close on December 8, 2024.

QUESTIONS:

  • For technical support (e.g. login or file upload issues), go to http://www.slideroom.com/contact.html

  • All other inquiries about the portfolio submission process should be directed to artshumanities@cloud.ucsd.edu.