What is the FAS?

Mission, Vision, and History

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is the historic heart of Harvard University. It is the home of Harvard’s undergraduate program (Harvard College, founded in 1636) as well as all of Harvard’s Ph.D. programs (the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1872). The 40 academic departments and 30+ centers of the FAS support a community unparalleled in its academic excellence across the broadest range of liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Together, the FAS seeks to foster an environment of ambition, curiosity and shared commitment to knowledge and truth that elicits excellence from all members of our community and prepares the next generation of leaders through a transformative educational experience.

Powering Academic Excellence

7,259

Undergraduate Students

4,600

Graduate Students

1,237

Faculty

40

Academic Departments

30+

Academic Centers

13

Institutes

10

Museums

25+

Libraries