The College of Arts & Humanities

Programs in the College of Arts and Humanities provide you with the base of humanistic studies and creative expression essential to the understanding of contemporary civilization. Reflect critically on questions of belief, values, and the nature of human existence. Expand your imagination and creativity. Develop an appreciate and understanding of the great works of human imagination.

Academic Excellence and Opportunity

Within the College of Arts and Humanities excellence can be seen in the accomplishments of our programs. Our faculty’s engagement in research and creative activity provides exciting opportunities for graduate and undergraduate student research. More than a million dollars in research funding flow to the college each year to support the various outreach projects with local school districts and teacher training programs. Our graduates also earn recognition by being accepted upon graduation to major doctoral programs at institutions such as Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, the Peabody Conservatory, and distinguished law programs. Graduates from our MFA in creative writing program have won national recognition.

Creative Environment

Three gallery exhibit spaces display the art and design work of faculty, students, alumni and nationally known artists. The University Theatre offers six major theater productions and dance performances ranging from the cutting edge of the avant-garde to lyrical modern dance to contemporary ballet. Numerous musical performances grace the halls of the music complex. From the keyboard concert series to the opera workshop, the choral groups, the chamber ensembles, the jazz bands, the guitar festivals, the clarinet choir, and the percussion ensemble, numerous performances are scheduled each week. The Creative Writing program also holds regular readings of works by faculty, students and visiting guest poets and fiction writers. Additionally, the college houses a television studio, a radio station and the student newspaper, the Daily Collegian, all run by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism.

Facilities and Technology

The music building houses magnificent recital and concert facilities, rehearsal halls, recording studios, and MIDI and electronic music labs. The newly renovated theater complex houses a 370-seat proscenium theater and a 170-seat arena theater as well as 90-seat lab theater and a spacious dance studio. The art and design program is housed in an award-winning contemporary art building with spacious ceramic and glass-blowing studios, a foundry, sculpture, painting and print-making facilities, photography studios, interior design and graphic design studios, computer labs, and a large art gallery to display student and faculty work. The Mass Communication and Journalism department houses a digital photo-journalism lab, audio and video production and editing studios, facilities to produce the student-run newspaper, The Daily Collegian.

Dynamic Growth

Fresno State is home to the Downing Planetarium offering scientific wonders and breathtaking views. The Save Mart Center is the largest event center between Los Angeles and the Bay Area and is the largest such center on a university campus. It draws big name entertainment and hosts a variety of academic, athletic and cultural events. There is also a Fresno State campus radio station, KFSR-FM.

Beauty and Access

Fresno State lies at the foot of the Sierra Nevada range, within an hour’s drive from skiing and hiking at any mountain and lake resort and within a three or four hour drive of Los Angeles and San Francisco. The campus has 327 acre main campus designated as an arboretum.

Best Value

U.S. News and World Report has consistently rated Fresno State among the top 10 public western regional universities for “Best Value”.

About the College

Mission Statement

The College of Arts and Humanities provides a diverse student population with the communication skills, humanistic values and cultural awareness that form the foundation of scholarship. The college offers intellectual and artistic programs that engage students and faculty and the community in collaboration, dialog and discovery. These programs help preserve, illuminate and nourish the arts and humanities for the campus and for the wider community.

Vision

The College of Arts and Humanities shall be known for the strength of its undergraduate and graduate degrees, for the excellence of its support to other majors throughout the university, and for its contributions to the quality of life in the region.

To realize this vision, the college will adopt the following priorities:
Provide for our students an outstanding faculty and excellent facilities. The college sees itself fundamentally as part of a teaching institution and values, above all else, the individual intellectual exchange between student and teacher in the best educational environment possible.

Encourage the continuous development of faculty through support of scholarly and creative activities. The college recognizes that a challenging and thoughtful education can best be provided by faculty who are themselves engaged in innovative scholarly and creative activities.

Provide a learning environment which encourages the exploration of diverse ideas with academic rigor. The college accepts the responsibility for serving its region by educating citizens who are cognizant and respectful of cultural and ethnic diversity, and who are able to adapt to a changing environment wherever they are.

Ensure access to our programs for all qualified students. To better serve the needs of the community and the university, as well as those of its own programs, the college intends to expand and improve its student recruitment. Provide programs that are rigorous and timely. The college recognizes the benefits of establishing ongoing processes to measure the impact of its academic programs on student learning, and to facilitate new degrees and improvements, when needed, in curricular.

Departments

The College includes the departments of Art and Design, Communication, English, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Linguistics, Mass Communication and Journalism, Music, Philosophy, and Theatre Arts and Dance. Armenian Studies, Classical Studies, Interdisciplinary Humanities, Summer Arts, College Honors Program, and the London Semester are integral programs of the College.