Welcome

Welcome to Middle Tennessee State University's College of Liberal Arts!

The CLA is the largest of the University's five undergraduate colleges, with 300 full-time faculty, eleven academic departments, the Center of Excellence in Historic Preservation, the Albert Gore Research Center, University Writing Center, and the Governor's School for the Arts. The College is both vibrant and growing, with new programs and technologies being added (so it seems) almost daily. With 3000 majors, the CLA seeks to be on the cutting edge of the academic disciplines. As you review the departmental Web pages for the College, I think you will be struck by the positive, progressive programs that have been developed in our approach to the humanities, social sciences, and the arts (and even one of the so-called "hard sciences": Geology). Allow me to highlight some of the newest programmatic and departmental features in the College of Liberal Arts:

• multidisciplinary Middle East Center (including language instruction in Hebrew and Arabic)
• Mineral, Gem, and Fossil Museum
• Ph.D. program in English
• Ph.D. program in Public History
• BA in Art History
• Major in Global Studies
• six new minors- Linguistics, Russian Studies, Leadership, Japanese, Portuguese and African Studies
• travel abroad through consortia, exchange or sister university relationships, and independent faculty supervised courses- sites include: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, England, Brazil, Costa Rica, Japan, Ghana, South Africa, India, and China
• national award winning programs in Debate, Mock Trial, Model United Nations, and Model Mediation
• "all Steinway school" designation in the School of Music
• federal/state multi-million dollar grant for the establishment of the Tennessee Child Welfare Training Center (Social Work Dept.)
• In progress: MSW Degree (with Austin Peay and Tennessee State universities)
• Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE)
  

Effective July 1, 2009, the College of Liberal Arts has three interdisciplinary minors to offer:

• African American Studies
• Aging Studies
• Women's Studies

While CLA departments and programs are increasingly "user-friendly," "high-tech," and "hands on" in look and feel, the College continues to pride itself on maintaining the verities of the liberal arts tradition: those ancient yet enduring truths about living the Good Life, appreciating the arts, connecting with other peoples and cultures, and knowing oneself in time and place. No matter what the current glitz and "glow" words may be, the College of Liberal Arts, through its faculties and facilities, sustains an abiding concern for the well being of students and their personal and professional growth.

Give our programs a good look. You will like what you see: I guarantee it.

Dr. John N. McDaniel, Dean, College of Liberal Arts