Undergraduate Academics

Areas of Study

Academic Approach Areas of Study Global Education Combined Degree Programs Pre-Professional Programs Faculty Students & Faculty in Conversation Success After Sarah Lawrence

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Four broad areas of study. Fifty disciplines. One education shaped by you.

At Sarah Lawrence, your education isn’t defined by a single major. Instead, you’ll explore subjects across nearly 50 disciplines spanning four areas of study, taking courses in at least three of them. This approach encourages both breadth and depth, giving you the flexibility to connect ideas across fields while shaping a program of study that reflects your interests and goals.

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Creative & Performing Arts

The creative and performing arts are highly valued at Sarah Lawrence. Writing and visual arts courses bring students together in workshop seminars, and individual conferences allow for in-depth analysis of craft and artistic direction. Music, dance, and theatre courses combine components to provide a balance of theory, performance, history, and specialized work.

Creative & the Performing Arts Disciplines:

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The area of history and the social sciences comprises those disciplines by which we read the stories of political, psychological, and societal life. Courses in economics investigate globalization, the interaction of growth and social policy, and the glories and inequalities of capitalism. Others in anthropology, Asian studies, geography, political science, psychology, public policy, science and technology, and sociology examine death and dying, personality development, and women in the Muslim world. Through focused study, students explore the many sides of the human condition.

History & the Social Sciences Disciplines:

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Humanities

Sarah Lawrence offers courses in French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish language and literature, and Ancient Latin and Greek; a variety of courses in art history, film history, and music history; literature courses in everything from ancient Greek theatre to the grammar of narrative; and courses in philosophy and religion. Our students have followed the paths of these disciplines and traced the connections between them into nearly every walk of life.

Humanities Disciplines

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Natural Sciences & Mathematics

Sarah Lawrence's Natural Sciences and Mathematics program offers classes in a variety of disciplines, including biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics. Studies in each of these disciplines are offered at all levels, ranging from open courses to advanced seminars and individual laboratory research projects. In addition, students interested in health professions meet regularly with a pre-health advisor to help structure their academic program accordingly.

Qualified students can enroll in a Science Third program, in which students take the seminar component of two science/mathematics courses simultaneously, comprising one-third of their curriculum. Because Science Third students are still able to take two additional non-science courses each semester, this option is an opportunity for well-prepared or advanced students to study multiple science courses without limiting their options in other disciplines.

Natural Sciences & Mathematics Disciplines

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Cross-Discipline Paths

Common themes explored across disciplines and areas of study.

Many students at Sarah Lawrence follow academic paths that incorporate disciplines across areas of study to focus on an intellectual theme. Here are some examples: