The Ideas that Shaped Us
Through its 150 years, the University of Oregon, its students and faculty have been driven by discovery. The College of Arts and Sciences has been there from the start.
Our faculty have worked to advance scholarship that continues to make a difference. They created the nation's first physical education school in 1920 that still fuels human performance a century later as the Department of Human Physiology. They established the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology that grew from a handful of tents to a year-round marine station. They created archeological field work that put students in the action of scientific discovery.
News from CAS
All news »
We Love Our Supporters
Gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences can help our students make the most of their college careers. To do this, CAS needs your support. Your contributions help us ensure that teaching, research, advising, mentoring, and support services are fully available to every student. Thank you!
The CAS Experience
The College of Arts and Sciences experience is more than classroom lectures and lab experiments — it’s about putting ideas into action. Our students spend time in the classroom and then go out to the real world to apply their knowledge. A lifetime of curiosity, learning and engagement starts here at CAS.
Undergraduate Studies
Small classes. Big ideas. More than half of the University of Oregon’s student population is pursuing a College of Arts and Sciences degree. But what you’ll find at CAS is an intimate liberal arts experience at an R1 institution. With a median class size of 23 students per classroom, CAS is an environment where you can work closely with faculty dedicated to research and mentorship. With more than 50 departments and programs, we have a program where you can transform curiosity into action.
Graduate Studies
You’ve got ambition, and you’re ready for the next step: graduate school. Whether your goals are to expand scholarly knowledge or level up your professional capacities, CAS has more than 30 master’s programs and more than 20 doctoral programs, all span a range of disciplines. Our faculty members are here to support you on your academic journey, to guide you through research and advance your professional skills.
What’s Happening in CAS?
It turns out the sky isn't the limit for CAS physics alum Manju Bangalore (pictured). The physics alum is on her way to lead a research mission in space on a 2027 Virgin Galactic spaceflight. The October issue takes a look at what some of our researchers have received federal grants to study, faculty reviewing the hot topics of the 2026 midterm election, a CAS alumni couple working at Meta — and more.
Student Support Services
We’re here for you. As a CAS student, you have access to plentiful resources that can help you thrive inside and outside the classroom. Through Tykeson Advising, we provide comprehensive academic and career advising from the start of your journey. Learn about career preparation and get assistance in selecting the very best classes that resonate with you and offer the opportunity to grow. Connect with labs, libraries, IT and tutoring. Find your community on campus.
World-Class Faculty
Our faculty go beyond the frontiers of science. Whether it’s green technology of tomorrow or tackling centuries-old philosophical questions, our College of Arts and Sciences faculty are in forward motion to tomorrow.
And they’re just as committed to the classroom. They’re here to help students like you discover their academic passion so you can become the next generation of professionals and scholars. They are here to coach you, inspire you and prepare you as you enter the professional world as critical thinkers and ethical global citizens.
Meet Our Dean
In the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), we are committed to excellence in research and teaching, student success, and diversity, equity, and belonging.
A liberal arts education—one that offers a breadth of intellectual approaches and perspectives and depth in a major discipline—is the foundation to a purposeful life as a life-long learner, engaged citizen, and leader. The skills you will learn here—from written and verbal communication to analytical and quantitative reasoning, to compassion and understanding—are those that employers seek and will open the door to a wealth of opportunities.
You will find more than 50 majors and a multitude of minors within CAS, and seemingly endless opportunities for personal exploration and discovery. Whether you are an incoming first-year student, a grad student or a transfer student, you can map an exciting future and be part of a fun, warm, engaged liberal arts community here. Come join us. And go Ducks!
Life at Oregon
As a CAS student, your next home could be set in the lush Willamette Valley in the city of Eugene. Set between mountain ranges, two rivers and the Pacific Ocean, your adventure awaits. In between your studies, the UO is a place where you can forge lifetime friendships and connections with an exciting backdrop — whether that’s yelling “Go Ducks” during gameday at Autzen Stadium or a quiet hike in an old growth forest.
The College of Arts and Sciences includes:
Happening at CAS
(Kin)etic Closing Reception
3:00 p.m.Nov
14
3:00–4:00 p.m.
The Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, in partnership with curators Aidyn Dervaes and Lizi Anderson-Cleary, invites the public to a closing reception for (Kin)etic: Contemporary Contemplations. The reception offers a final opportunity to experience the exhibition before it closes, and reflect on the conversations it inspires around art, textiles, history, and preservation.
By presenting contemporary artworks within the historic home, the exhibition invites visitors to consider how art can expand our understanding and encourages new perspectives on the stories these historic spaces hold and how they have shaped our understanding of the past.
The exhibition features works by Andrew Douglas Campbell, Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos), E.R. Saba, Bella Kim, Brenetta Ward, Allyce Wood, and Vo Vo.
Noises Off
7:30 p.m.Nov
14
7:30–10:00 p.m.
Called “the funniest farce ever written,” Noises Off presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called Nothing’s On. Slamming doors, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious, high-energy comedy. Mixing mockery and homage, Frayn heaps a hilarious melée of stock characters and situations into his side-splitting play-within-a-play.
Noises Off is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Monad Blitz Hackathon Hosted by Oregon Blockchain Group
9:00 a.m.Nov
15
9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Join the Oregon Blockchain Group for a one-day hackathon during which you'll learn to build on Monad and ship a working prototype with help from mentors. Come solo or with a team for a chance to win.
$4,600 in prizes, $300 beginner prize. Free to apply.
Noises Off
2:00 p.m.Nov
15
2:00–4:30 p.m.
Called “the funniest farce ever written,” Noises Off presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called Nothing’s On. Slamming doors, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious, high-energy comedy. Mixing mockery and homage, Frayn heaps a hilarious melée of stock characters and situations into his side-splitting play-within-a-play.
Noises Off is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com