School of Letters, Arts and Sciences

**Effective July 1, 2014, all schools at MSU Denver will transition into colleges, a structure that more accurately reflects the breadth and depth of their programming. The School of Letters, Arts and Sciences will become the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The 2015-2016 academic catalog will reflect this change at MSU Denver.**

Mission

The mission of the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences is to provide a place of teaching and learning that honors both tradition and imagination, one that respects the past and prepares people to be successful participants and leaders in the present as they help to shape the future.

Academic Departments

The School of Letters, Arts and Sciences offers more than 50 major and minor programs through 19 departments and the Institute for Women’s Studies and Services. The faculty teach the majority of the General Studies Program and help prepare students to be teachers. In addition, many of the departments arrange internships and other applied educational experiences in state and local agencies, business, industry, and the media.

The school offers programs of study in humanities and in social, natural, and mathematical sciences. The programs prepare students for careers, graduate work, and lifelong learning.

• Department of Africana Studies 
• Department of Art 
• Department of Biology 
• Department of Chemistry 
• Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies 
• Department of Communication Arts and Sciences 
• Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences 
• Department of English 
• Department of History 
• Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences 
• Department of Modern Languages 
• Department of Music 
• Department of Philosophy 
• Department of Physics 
• Department of Political Science 
• Department of Psychology 
• Department of Social Work 
• Department of Sociology and Anthropology 
• Department of Theatre 
• Institute for Women’s Studies and Services 

Academic Centers

Through centers, the school advances educational and social goals:

• The Family Center provides a wide range of education, training, and research on policies related to family issues.
• The Center for Mathematics, Science and Environmental Education leads the effort to reform science and mathematics education in Colorado. The Center contributes to systemic change in education by building cooperative programs with other colleges and universities, public schools, and the Colorado Department of Education. The Center is the focal point for the Colorado Alliance for Science, a statewide alliance. The Center also develops programs and services for students from underrepresented groups in the areas of mathematics, science and environmental education. Currently, the Center is a site for the Colorado Alliance for Minority Participation (CO-AMP) and offers tutoring and mentoring services to these students. The Colorado Alliance for Science, a statewide alliance of universities, offers assistance and support to students and teachers to strengthen the community’s interest in science and mathematics.
• The Golda Meir Center for Political Leadership is a nonpartisan, educational project designed to foster greater public understanding of the role and meaning of leadership at all levels of civic life, from community affairs to international relations.

Gerontology Programs

Several options currently exist for students interested in Gerontology. These include the following:

• Gerontology Major via the Individualized Degree Program
• Human Development major with Applied Track Gerontology in the Department of Psychology
• Social Work Major with Aging Concentration in the Department of Social Work
• Sociology Major with Gerontology Concentration in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology