Humanities & Sciences

History is the study of the deep relationships between our present and our pasts, between who we are now and who we have been as a people in local and global communities. As a history major at Ithaca College you'll explore the complex interplay of political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, and philosophical forces that have shaped the story of humankind. You'll also learn that studying history is a continuous process of interpretation and reinterpretation as new data is collected and different perspectives influence the established historical record.

Our faculty provide expertise in U.S., European, Latin American, Asian, and Middle Eastern histories, among others. With their guidance, you'll examine the history of different eras and cultures while considering broader thematic and interdisciplinary issues. For example, you may wish to study colonial U.S. history or the history of imperial and Weimar Germany, while taking courses in Islamic civilization and global environmental history.

Beyond your coursework, you may participate in independent studies and honors projects, emphasizing close collaboration with individual instructors. You'll also be encouraged to take advantage of internships and cocurricular activities such as Model UN, an optional semester at our London Center, or archival work with the History Center in Tompkins County. In your final year, you may participate in small seminar classes or one-on-one tutorials with faculty.

While firmly focused on the critical examination of our past, our flexible curriculum gives you the freedom to explore complementary disciplines such as anthropology, politics, and geography. Our graduates emerge with broad historical perspectives and strong writing and analytical skills that are well-suited to a variety of careers. Recent alumni have attended graduate school or pursued careers as professors, business executives, teachers, archivists, librarians, attorneys, computer consultants, and urban planning specialists.

This interdisciplinary program pairs the social and policy strengths of our environmental studies major with a rigorous science curriculum to give you the broad knowledge and the scientific and technical skills necessary to address global environmental problems successfully.

During your first two years, you’ll acquire a broad science foundation and will also be exposed to environmental humanities and history. You’ll participate in a seminar that will connect you to a diverse group of environmental professionals, including many graduates from this program, and you’ll undertake a cultural immersion experience that exposes you to new perspectives on environmentalism. By your junior year you'll begin focusing on your individual interdisciplinary interests in science and have some research experience with a faculty member. As a senior you’ll either continue your research or participate in one of the many regional internship opportunities. This combination of critical- and systems-thinking skills and hands-on science will prepare you to work effectively with environmental policy makers, educators, and scientists alike.

Real-world experience is a hallmark of the program. Our faculty members have received numerous grants in the last five years, and they often ask their students to join in their research. Locally our students have conducted wildlife movement and population studies, researched the reintroduction of a blight-resistant strain of the American chestnut tree, investigated paleoclimate through tree rings in Mexico, and studied the possible effects of microplastics in Cayuga Lake. They've also studied plant-insect coevolution in Ecuador and the impacts of ecotourism in Belize. As one of the country’s most ecofriendly cities, Ithaca brims with environmental internship opportunities.

Trained to tackle such hot-button issues as our energy future, climate change, natural resource management, and global biodiversity conservation, our environmental science graduates are prepared to succeed. Whether you're passionate about preserving the world's natural resources or using a scientific approach to solve ecological challenges, an environmental science degree from Ithaca College will set you on the path to making a positive difference.

Graduates pursue careers in areas such as environmental consulting and management, aquatic toxicology, wildlife conservation, environmental science outreach and education, solar technology, and renewable energy implementation.

Computer science is the practice of using computer-based solutions to solve complex social, scientific, and intellectual challenges. At Ithaca you'll learn the technical, organizational, and interdisciplinary skills needed to join the ranks of professionals who use computer technology to tackle these issues in diverse fields.

You'll begin your studies with a series of courses that emphasize problem solving using a number of programming languages and tools. Project courses build on these skills, giving you real-world problems to solve with your fellow students. As you progress in your program, you will take more focused courses that will introduce you to the significant concepts and technologies in computer science, such as operating systems, virtual reality, human-computer interface development, and computer networks.

You may also be invited to join your professors' research projects. For example, computer science majors are working in our virtual reality lab to develop therapeutic software for children with motor impairments. They're also working closely with our occupational and physical therapy departments to create assistive robots for children with physical and developmental disabilities. You could also work with faculty designing on-line music discovery engines, interactive DJ programs, serious games, or mobile computing.

Our graduates say that they are well prepared for the challenges of their jobs. Recent graduates are in positions at Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and IBM, as well as at start-up companies. Others are pursuing further study in distinguished graduate programs at institutions such as Cornell University; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Rochester Institute of Technology; Tufts University; University of Southern California; and King’s College, London.

By combining studies in the biology and chemistry departments, your biochemistry degree from Ithaca will provide a strong foundation for graduate or professional school or for a career in business or industry. The biochemistry program will prepare you to pursue advanced study in molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, environmental toxicology, medicinal chemistry, public health, or another field. Your health-related professional options will include medicine, dentistry, optometry, or veterinary medicine. Recent graduates have also found jobs in biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry.

Your first two years in the biochemistry program lay a strong foundation in both biology and chemistry. Specialization begins in your junior year with courses in biochemistry, cell biology, and physical chemistry. During your senior year, you'll take at least one advanced elective in biology or chemistry, and you'll also enroll in Current Topics in Biochemistry. Typically, students who complete the interdisciplinary biochemistry program plan to pursue a graduate degree in medicine or in another health-related field.

As in our chemistry and biology programs, the emphasis is on hands-on research, working in close collaboration with faculty in their labs. You'll also get experience in the technical literature of the profession and the presentation of research results -- valuable skills for any career in science.

Art history explores how visual images, artworks, and buildings express ideas, embody values, and shape how people understand themselves and the world. By better understanding the power of art and architecture in the past and present, majors are better able to use them to create a more just and sustainable future.

Our program offers courses that address a wide range of time periods and geographic areas, with particularly rich offerings in African, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern art and architecture. We also offer distinctive courses such as Chemistry and Art, which explores art materials and conservation, and Practicing Art History, our rigorous introduction to looking at, researching, and writing about art. Faculty offer a wide variety of approaches to the study of the visual world.  

You may also select a concentration in museum studies, which provides learning opportunities related to the work of museums, from curation and collections management to grant writing and public relations.

You will have an opportunity to apply and expand your knowledge in hands-on learning activities in classes and during internships at museums and galleries, including our own Handwerker Gallery. Our graduates go on to a variety of careers, including museum and gallery work, education, publishing, advertising, graphic design, architecture, and historic preservation.

Our architectural studies program combines the study of architectural history and theory with training in architectural design. It also allows you to take a rich array of courses in fields such as politics, art, sociology, and environmental studies, which will help you to become a more conscientious and informed architect, urban designer, landscape architect, historic preservationist, or city planner.

Architecture matters! Good architecture and thoughtful urban planning can express cultural aspirations and improve daily lives, but our choices about what and how we build directly impacts the sustainability of our societies and ecosystems. Our curriculum will prepare you to address these 21st century opportunities and challenges.

Studio courses in art, as well as a two-course sequence in architectural design and the senior design portfolio course, will teach you how to develop and critique design projects and give you structured guidance in how to explain and present your own work.

Many of our graduates continue their study in graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning around the country while others go directly into careers in architecture, academia, real estate, construction, and related fields.

Note: The B.A. in Architectural Studies is a degree that does not qualify students to practice architecture. Students who want to practice architecture and become licensed architects may pursue an NAAB accredited Master of Architecture program after completion of the B.A. in Architectural Studies or the student may submit experience to the New York State Education Department that is acceptable to the New York State Board for Architecture totaling 9 years after completion of the B.A. in Architectural Studies. Graduates of the B.A. in Architectural Studies would most likely need to pursue a 3-3.5 year Master of Architecture program in order to receive a Master of Architecture degree from an NAAB accredited program.