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an illustration of what exoplanets look like from a telescope

 To Explore New Worlds, Seek Out New Life 

Students and faculty members at the College of Arts and Sciences are boldly going where few have gone before. A group of undergraduate planet hunters are helping NASA discover new worlds beyond our solar system. CAS undergraduate researchers have identified 15 exoplanets—which are planets outside the solar system usually orbiting another star—through the research-grade telescope at UO’s Pine Mountain Observatory (PMO) southeast of Bend, Oregon.

“Even as an old, jaded astronomer, this is a research project that freaks me out a bit,” admits Scott Fisher, astronomy lecturer and outreach director for the Department of Physics.

Travel to Exoplanet Research

News from CAS

POLITICAL SCIENCE - Political strategist and author Rachel Bitecofer started her college career at 24 as a single mom. In 2009, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences Magna cum laude as a McNair Scholar. She continued her education at the University of Georgia, receiving her PhD in political science and international affairs in 2015.
THEATRE ARTS – Ever since she stepped on the stage in middle school, University of Oregon alum Jerilyn Armstrong (Theatre Arts, 2017) knew she wanted to be an actor. Her curiosity and eagerness led her to build valuable connections with instructors and explore every opportunity in the Department of Theatre Arts, setting her up to pursue her passion after college.
EARTH SCIENCES - Graduate student Annika Dechert at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences and a team of researchers are working on studying the eruption history of South Sister volcano in the Oregon Cascades. The results of the study will inform the way the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory draws up hazards maps for Central Oregon and help shape the way scientists think about other similar volcanoes. The research team published their latest findings in August in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.

All news »

We Love Our Supporters

students walking and holding possessions during Unpack the quack day

Your Gift Changes Lives

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!

Give to CAS

a collage of images from the CAS Connection December issue

What’s Happening in CAS?

The December sci-fi special issue of CAS Connection is out of this world. Our faculty members are working on innovations so cutting edge, you’d think they were straight from the pages of a sci-fi novel—and students are getting in on the action through experiential learning opportunities that are preparing them for careers of the future.

Find out how CAS researchers and students are tackling tomorrow's problems and exploring new frontiers, such as exoplanets, spacecraft to the Jupiter Europa moon, drones for mapping—and more. 

Undergraduate students posing for camera making hand signals

Undergraduate Studies

Wherever your academic goals eventually take you at the UO, all Ducks begin their journey with foundational courses in CAS. More than 60 percent of students go on to pursue a major in a CAS department or program. With more than 50 departments and programs, there’s an intellectual home for almost any interest, talent, or career aspiration.

Graduate students working in a lab

Graduate Studies

The College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 30 master's programs and more than 20 doctoral programs across a diverse range of disciplines. Both as contributors to research teams and through their own scholarship and teaching, our CAS graduate students are indispensable to the vitality of the UO academic mission.

Student Support Services

We provide our students with a variety of resources to help you thrive inside and outside the classroom. Through Tykeson Advising, we provide comprehensive academic and career advising from the start of your journey at the University of Oregon. Learn about career preparation and get assistance in selecting the very best classes. Connect with labs, libraries, IT and tutoring. Find your community on campus.

World-Class Faculty

Speaker conducting a class with projector

The College of Arts and Sciences faculty members are a driving force of the high-output, high-impact research activity that has earned the UO membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). Our world-class faculty members are inspiring teachers.

Among them are five members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, four members of the National Academy of Sciences. They are committed to helping students discover their academic passion. Every day, they work to expand students’ intellectual horizons, preparing them for life after college with real-world knowledge and skills.

 

 

Spotlight on CAS Academics

Choose Your Path

The College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 50 majors and nearly 70 minors across multiple departments and programs in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. We also offer 36 master’s programs and 25 doctoral programs.

dean chris poulsen posing in front of Tykeson hall

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! 

More from Dean Chris Poulsen

The College of Arts and Sciences includes:

50+
undergraduate degree programs
30+
masters programs
25
PhD programs
10,000+
Undergraduate students in CAS Majors
825
faculty members
1,295
masters and PhD students in CAS

Happening at CAS

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

UO College of Arts & Sciences (@uocas) • Instagram photos and videos

Dec 6
Organic/Inorganic/Materials Seminar – Faculty Introductions – Fall 2024 3:00 p.m.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Organic/Inorganic/Materials Seminar Series O-I-M Faculty Introductions – Fall 2024 Christopher Hendon Assistant...
Organic/Inorganic/Materials Seminar – Faculty Introductions – Fall 2024
December 6
3:00 p.m.
Willamette Hall 110

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Organic/Inorganic/Materials Seminar Series

O-I-M Faculty Introductions – Fall 2024

Christopher Hendon Assistant Professor Chemistry and Biochemistry Hendon Lab

Celeste Melamed  Assistant Professor – Fall 2025 Chemistry and Biochemistry

Dec 9
History Pub Lecture Series: "Science and the Seafloor: A History of Cabled Observatories on the Juan de Fuca Plate" 7:00 p.m.

"Science and the Seafloor: A History of Cabled Observatories on the Juan de Fuca Plate" Hayley Brazier  The UO Department of History and the Lane County...
History Pub Lecture Series: "Science and the Seafloor: A History of Cabled Observatories on the Juan de Fuca Plate"
December 9
7:00 p.m.
Whirled Pies Downtown

"Science and the Seafloor: A History of Cabled Observatories on the Juan de Fuca Plate"

Hayley Brazier 

The UO Department of History and the Lane County Historical Society present a series of talks with scholars about history, from the local to the global. Join us for stories, food, and conversation in a casual setting! Free and open to everyone. For more information, please visit history.uoregon.edu.

Dec 10
Let's Talk - Tuesdays 3-5PM (CMAE/Zoom) 3:00 p.m.

Meet with Counseling Services Gonzalo Camp, who specializes in working with LatinX/ undocumented and LGBTQIA+ students, at the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (Oregon...
Let's Talk - Tuesdays 3-5PM (CMAE/Zoom)
October 15–December 10
3:00–5:00 p.m.

Meet with Counseling Services Gonzalo Camp, who specializes in working with LatinX/ undocumented and LGBTQIA+ students, at the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (Oregon Hall-Room 130) or click here: https://zoom.us/j/99144795374

 

Let’s Talk is a service that provides easy access to free, informal, and confidential one-on-one consultation with a Counseling Services staff member. See our website for six additional Let’s Talk days/times offered throughout the week.

Let’s Talk is especially helpful for students who:

Have a specific concern and would like to consult with someone about it. Would like on-the-spot consultation rather than ongoing counseling. Would like to consult with a CS staff member about what actual therapy looks like. Would like to meet with one of our CS identity-based specialists. Have a concern about a friend or family member and would like some ideas about what to do.

How does Let’s Talk work?

Let’s Talk will be offered via Zoom and/or in satellite locations across campus. As a drop-in service, there is no need to schedule an appointment and no paperwork to be completed. Students are seen individually on a first-come, first-served basis at the times listed below. There may be a wait in the Zoom waiting room if the Let’s Talk staff member is meeting with another student. Please wait and we will be with you as soon as we can. Let’s Talk appointments are brief (usually between 15-30 minutes) and are meant to be used on an as-needed basis.

Dec 11
Let's Talk - Wednesdays Noon-2MP (Peterson Hall/Zoom) noon

Meet with Counseling Services Rachel Barloon at Peterson 203 or click here: https://zoom.us/j/98335445813   Let’s Talk is a service that provides easy access to...
Let's Talk - Wednesdays Noon-2MP (Peterson Hall/Zoom)
October 16–December 11
noon

Meet with Counseling Services Rachel Barloon at Peterson 203 or click here: https://zoom.us/j/98335445813

 

Let’s Talk is a service that provides easy access to free, informal, and confidential one-on-one consultation with a Counseling Services staff member. See our website for six additional Let’s Talk days/times offered throughout the week.

Let’s Talk is especially helpful for students who:

Have a specific concern and would like to consult with someone about it. Would like on-the-spot consultation rather than ongoing counseling. Would like to consult with a CS staff member about what actual therapy looks like. Would like to meet with one of our CS identity-based specialists. Have a concern about a friend or family member and would like some ideas about what to do.

How does Let’s Talk work?

Let’s Talk will be offered via Zoom and/or in satellite locations across campus. As a drop-in service, there is no need to schedule an appointment and no paperwork to be completed. Students are seen individually on a first-come, first-served basis at the times listed below. There may be a wait in the Zoom waiting room if the Let’s Talk staff member is meeting with another student. Please wait and we will be with you as soon as we can. Let’s Talk appointments are brief (usually between 15-30 minutes) and are meant to be used on an as-needed basis.