About the College

Our mission

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is the foundation for liberal education at WOU.  We offer most of WOU’s general

education program as well as a wide range of specialized degree programs that expand students’ horizons, hone skills that make students adaptable and flexible in a rapidly changing world, help students discover new passions and strengths, and prepare them for lifelong learning.  Our graduates are poised to be engaged citizens locally and globally as well as productive contributors to a 21st century economy.

Our vision

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences faculty and staff will extend the benefits of a liberal education to an increasingly diverse student body by collaborating within and across disciplines to proactively identify and deliver that which is most important for a 21st century college education.

Our goals

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences strives to:

• Provide all students with opportunities to learn via a strong and cohesive liberal education
• Nurture our students’ development through strong personal engagement between faculty and students
• Develop and maintain current, relevant and innovative curricula within and across disciplines, and strengthen programs in areas that demonstrate high employer or student demand
• Provide traditional college-bound students with high quality learning opportunities while expanding access to new populations
• Ensure fiscal soundness in its programming

About the college

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is more than buildings and programs. Western Oregon University attracts a special type of faculty member who enjoys teaching, invests in mentoring students, and ties theory in the classroom to real-world practical applications. WOU’s faculty make LAS a remarkable center of learning and a bridge to promising futures for the students we serve.  Our graduates pursue stimulating careers, gain entrance into graduate and professional schools, and speak highly of the highly personalized educational experience at WOU.

By the numbers

• • CLAS offers a wide range of undergraduate degree programs (e.g., BA, BS, BM, AB, BFA) with majors in over 30 different academic areas
  • CLAS provides general education for all WOU students and pre-major coursework for students pursuing degrees in the College of Education
  • The largest of WOU’s two colleges, CLAS is home to over 3500 students, and approximately 120 tenure track and 90 adjunct faculty members
  • CLAS has eight divisions: Business and Economics, Computer Science, Creative Arts, Criminal Justice, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Behavioral Sciences, and Social Science
  • CLAS programs are housed in eleven buildings across campus
  • CLAS has master’s programs in Criminal Justice, Music, History and Management & Information Systems