College of Arts & Sciences

History and Mission

Georgetown College, the oldest Catholic college in the United States, was founded in 1789 by John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore. A progressive citizen of his time, he firmly believed in the principles of the United States Constitution. He endeavored to establish an academy open to students of every faith, to form young minds and hearts in the classical and Jesuit traditions, and to prepare graduates to lead and serve in the Church and in the newly independent nation.

On March 1, 1815, President James Madison signed the act of Congress which chartered the College of Georgetown. In 1844 Congress approved its incorporation. During the years of the Civil War, Georgetown students fought for the North and South. Later the colors blue and gray were adopted by the College to signify the reunited nation and the sons of Georgetown who had served on both sides in its civil war.

From its founding to the present day the graduates of the College of Arts & Sciences have taken their places in the forefront of almost every human endeavor, as public servants and public leaders. Graduates of the College work in education, government, business, arts and entertainment, law, medicine, and research, shaping the world and serving their communities.

The College provides a liberal education for young women and men who will be called to intellectual, moral, and professional leadership, and fosters in them a commitment to a lifelong quest for truth.

As a Jesuit college, it draws upon a dynamic tradition of education, characterized by an optimistic Christian humanism committed to the assumption of responsibility and action. Accordingly, the College encourages the development of critical and creative powers, respect for tradition and human reason, and an appreciation of life and all its endeavors. It promotes not only the intellectual disciplines but also the search for personal values and convictions that will enable its graduates, throughout their lives, to continue redefining and maturing their thought, and also to continue pursuing the integration of their activities, values, and relations with others. High priority is placed on teaching and on developing a community of learning among its faculty, students, and administrators.

In 1995, the School of Languages and Linguistics joined the College as a degree program under the name of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (FLL). Students entering the FLL apply specifically to the FLL programs. The mission of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics has evolved through the years. In the 1950s, the then-new Institute of Languages and Linguistics reflected the immediate needs of those times, emphasizing language learning for students considering service positions in the diplomatic corps and other government agencies. Later, the Faculty refined the study of spoken and written languages to focus on the cultural context of languages to meet the new expectations and new goals of the world community.

The College of Arts & Sciences offers the widest spectrum of courses at the undergraduate level, many of which are also integral to the curriculum of the other undergraduate schools at Georgetown. It also provides most of the faculty for the masters’ and Ph.D. programs. In recent years the College has added majors in African American Studies; Computer Science, Ethics, and Society; and Justice and Peace Studies, as well as minors in Korean; Medical Humanities; Persian; Religion, Ethics, and World Affairs; and Turkish.

The College of Arts & Sciences has embraced pedagogical innovation, including the integration of technology in the classroom, while remaining committed to the residential educational experience and the work of formation. Emphasizing the strengths of the liberal arts—critical thinking, writing, and creative expression—across a broad spectrum of disciplines, the College prepares students for the twenty-first century by providing grounding in tradition and the most current research methods and knowledge.

The College of Arts & Sciences houses 26 departments and 13 interdisciplinary programs offering 47 major programs leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.), as well as 58 minors open to students in all four undergraduate schools. Students in the College may also pursue certain minor and certificate opportunities offered by the other undergraduate schools. Most recently, the College has introduced two new cross-school degree programs: the program in International Business, Language, and Culture (IBLC), a collaboration with the McDonough School of Business that integrates essential elements of the MSB program in international business with a tailored program in one of the existing FLL language majors; and an undergraduate degree program in Public Policy, offered jointly by the College of Arts & Sciences and the McCourt School of Public Policy.