Future Students

The College of the Liberal Arts is

the place to find Your Place

Unlimited options and unwavering support to prepare you for life and any career you choose. It all starts here. Launch your legacy with the College of the Liberal Arts.

Liberal Arts by the Numbers

5,300

undergraduates

800

students participating in out-of-classroom experiences

1,000

student organizations

most diverse

student body

(at University Park)

5/5 stars for overall campus climate in the 2022 Campus Pride LGBTQ-Friendly Campus Climate Index

Academics

The College of the Liberal Arts is home to nearly 150 undergraduate majors, minors, integrated undergraduate-graduate degrees (IUGs), associate degrees, and certificates.

Majors

Minors

IUGs

Major of the Month: German

Each month, we feature one of our forty-nine majors. Learn about the German major at Penn State and what our students and alumni are doing with their degrees.

Alumni Spotlight

Jaz Azari

Liberal Arts alumna Jaz Azari ’06 German, International Politics is a multitalented professional with experiences in diplomacy, defense, and consulting roles with the U.S. government, military, and private sector firms, currently serving as a senior consultant at Guidehouse in Washington, D.C. Jaz was also recognized with the 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures. She joined Schreyer Honors College’s Following the Gong podcast for its recent “Being the Hero of Your Own Story” episode to share her own career path and insights.

Out-of-Classroom Experience Spotlight

Education Abroad: Freiburg

Exchange program for spring or the academic year: On this program students enroll directly in courses at the University of Freiburg. Students must have reached junior standing and completed at least 5 semesters of German prior to the start of the program as all university courses will be taught in German (with the additional completion of GER 310 or GER 344 recommended, but not required). This is an ideal program for students majoring or minoring in German who want to take regular university courses with other German students in Freiburg.

Out-of-Classroom Experience Spotlight

Experiencing German Language and Culture in Munich

Over spring break, nine Penn State students enrolled in GER 197 had the opportunity to travel to Munich, Germany, as part of the Experiencing German Language and Culture in Munich embedded program in the College of the Liberal Arts. For some of the students participating in this embedded course, it was their first time going abroad. During the trip, the students visited sites like the Allianz Arena, the Nymphenburg Palace, the Weihenstephan Brewery and they participated in an Austrian and German tradition of “Kaffee und Kuchen”, or “Coffee and Cake.”

Program Spotlight

German Major and Minor

The German major and minor are concerned with the languages, literatures, arts, and politics of German-speaking communities in Europe and across the world (e.g., Pennsylvania Germans). In pursuing each of these areas, German studies intersects with the related fields of linguistics, literary studies, visual studies, and history, respectively. Our college offers both three bachelor of science degree options for the German major: Business, Engineering, and Applied German.

Program Spotlight

German Major and Minor

Out-of-Classroom Experience Spotlight

Education Abroad: Freiburg

Alumni Spotlight

Jaz Azari

Out-of-Classroom Experience Spotlight

Experiencing German Language and Culture in Munich

Student Services

The College of the Liberal Arts is a community of people with a genuine interest in developing long-standing interpersonal relationships that help students succeed before and after they graduate. With this goal in mind, Liberal Arts Student Services connect students with the resources and opportunities they need to be successful. Our Student Services offices are all centrally located on the first floor of Sparks Building.

Academic Advising
Academic Scholarships
Career Enrichment Network
Chaiken Center for Student Success
Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity
Paterno Fellows Program

Beyond the Classroom

Learning outside the classroom is an important part of a Penn State Liberal Arts education. Participating in out-of-classroom experiences like internships, education abroad, and research can play an integral role in personal, academic, and career development, offering students the opportunity to set themselves apart.

Our Career Enrichment Network offers a variety of professional development opportunities for students, including our Alumni Mentor Program, a Living Learning Community, and Liberal Arts Career Week.

I credit the College of the Liberal Arts for aiding me in my internship endeavors by empowering my education and bolstering professional development. The Career Enrichment Network has been especially helpful.

Rachel Sorensen

Admissions

Have you already applied or been accepted to the College of the Liberal Arts? There are some next steps you should take, including applying for financial aid and academic scholarships and preparing for New Student Orientation. You can also read through our FAQs.

Parents and Families

Our college prepares students for life beyond the classroom and for whatever career paths they may choose—even if they haven’t chosen a specific path just yet. We also want to make it easy for you to get the information you need.