College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the five colleges at the University of North Florida. 

It provides instruction in the liberal arts, the intellectual foundation for the applied curricula of the four professionally-oriented colleges. 

Instructional responsibilities for the college's almost 300 faculty members extend from the lower level general education program, through diverse majors for undergraduates, to a variety of graduate programs. 

The College consists of fifteen academic departments and houses a variety of centers and programs.

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Biology word wall on exterior of the Biological Sciences Building
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💬 Social Sciences Building

The Social Sciences Building (Building 51) was our first “green” building on campus. It houses anthropology labs, the pre-law program, and classes in political science, criminal justice, psychology and sociology.

🎥 College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Florida distinguishes itself through its commitment to the success of students, faculty, and staff. We foster a diverse environment centered on critical thinking and creative discovery for the benefit of the individual and the advancement of society. Building on a commitment to academic freedom, humility, humanity, and integrity, our high quality educational programs, research, and creative activities lead to national and international recognition.

🎺 Music

Our music students have played in groups around Jacksonville, including our symphony; symphonies around the world; and prestigious venues, such as Carnegie Hall and the Vatican. Many of their performances on campus are at no additional cost to students and parents.

📰 School of Communication

The School of Communication (Andrew A. Robinson Jr. Building 14) has a state-of-the-art, high-definition studio, where students produce a monthly news magazine program that runs on WCWJ-TV and other programming.

Public Relations

Public relations majors partake in a senior capstone course, Campaigns, where they design a full-scale PR campaign for local nonprofits.

📓 Roy Lassiter Hall

Roy Lassiter Hall (Building 8) houses the English and Interdisciplinary Studies Department, where we have majors like Film. 

The Film Program offers three majors in Film, Production, and Screenwriting, as well as a minor.  

Self-designed majors are also supported if you want to combine any two majors, such as Psychology and Film, Photography and Film Production, or English and Screenwriting, as just a few examples.

Community Partnerships

Community partnerships within COAS include English, history, geography, and anthropology students and faculty working together to research and document the history of a cemetery dating back to the 1800s.

🎬 Film Community

The UNF Film Community is tight knit, with:
- Full theaters   
- A dedicated documentary editing lab (in Building 8, above the Chick-fil-a)   
- Over $100,000 in production equipment 
- Film Clubs for film viewing and filmmaking 
- Support for independent scripted projects 
- Internships with Spinnaker Student Media as well as with film festivals and production houses 
- Yearly screening events of student work at MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville

🦴 Anthropology

In our anthropology labs, students can study the decomposition of bones and go on digs, an opportunity usually available only in graduate school.

⚖️ Criminal Justice

Six of our students were hired by the FBI, which is difficult for schools of our size. The FBI Headquarters is about 15 minutes from campus, allowing our students the opportunity to intern locally.

🗯️ Sociology

Our sociology program provides students with a comprehensive understanding on studying society and cultivates theoretical, methodological, empirical, and critical thinking skills.

🧸 Social Work

If a student completes a bachelor’s degree in Social Work at the University of North Florida, it will only take one year for the master’s program. This applies to transfer students as well!

👩‍⚖️ Pre-Law Track

UNF's Pre-Law track offers great practice and opportunities before continuing to law school.

🧠 Psychology

Psychology is one of our largest majors on campus. 

Our Psychology Department has the SONA System which is a Psychology Research Participation System where undergraduate students can participate in the research studies of our graduate students and professors.

The Psychology Department provides students training on a Near-InfraRed Spectroscopy system giving them hands-on experience with cutting-edge brain imaging technology.

🎭 Lazzara Theater

Our Fine Arts Center (Building 45) houses the Lazzara Theatre!

✈️ International Studies

There are a variety of tracks in the International Studies program; you can focus either on the cultural aspect or on the political aspect.

🗳️ Political Science

The Political Science major offers concentrations such as General Political Science, American Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Public Administration, Law, and Policy.

🧬 Biological Sciences Building

The Biological Sciences Building (Building 59) was voted the 9th most impressive environmentally friendly university building in the world by The Best Master’s Degrees.
  
If you look up, you’ll see a rooftop greenhouse, which contains terrestrial and aquatic organisms, such as living coral. The greenhouse is used as a teaching and research lab.   
  
Also be sure to check out the green walls. These flowering vines are all native to the region and used in botany classes. They help shade the building in the spring and summer, and in winter the vines wilt, allowing more sunlight into the building.

👩‍🔬 Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate students have opportunities to conduct research with their professors. At most other colleges, you need to be a grad student to get that type of experience. Experiences range from a day spent gathering water samples in the St. Johns River to a semester-long trip abroad.

⛵ Coastal Biology

Our Coastal Biology students complete much of their coursework at the St. Johns River, the Intracoastal Waterway or the Atlantic Ocean. 

The William C. Webb Coastal Research Station is over 1,000 acres of pristine saltwater marsh along the intercoastal and provides coastal biology students with research opportunities.

UNF has two nationally-known experts whose work takes them out on the water: Dr. Quincy Gibson, who studies dolphins with her students, and Dr. G (Gelsleichter), who studies sharks with his students.  🦈🐬

🔬 Necropsy Facility

Inside the Biological Sciences Building we have the only necropsy facility between Wilmington, NC and Ft. Pierce on the Atlantic coast. 

Necropsy is an autopsy conducted on an animal to determine cause of death.  UNF biologists partner with state and federal agencies to study the biology and cause of death of dolphins, sharks, small whales, etc.  Our professors incorporate these examinations into their classes, giving our students the unique opportunity to participate.

🧪 Biological Science Labs

Our Biological Science labs are fully furnished with state-of-the-art equipment. All our labs have a max of 24 students, which allows our professors to provide individualized attention and hands-on learning.

Across UNF, our student-to-faculty ratio is a low 19:1 to ensure each student has the personalized attention they need to be successful.

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