Denison University

Ancient Greek and Roman Studies

In the Department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, students are introduced to the intellectual, social, political, economic, material, and cultural histories of the ancient Greeks and Romans and their interconnectedness to other peoples of the ancient world. The curriculum also engenders a critical exploration of how the ideas and works of the ancient Greeks and Romans remain relevant in the modern world.

Anthropology

Straddling the humanities and social sciences, anthropology critically examines the complexity of human and nonhuman life across a range of field sites. Anthropologists conduct fieldwork to better understand concepts like culture, history, and power. The Department of Anthropology at Denison has faculty who specialize in archaeology and cultural anthropology, as well as in medical and semiotic anthropology.

Anthropology and Sociology

The Department of Anthropology/Sociology is firmly committed to the principles of a liberal education. Our task is to provide students with the most rigorous and comprehensive approaches to knowledge and analysis appropriate within a fully merged undergraduate program in Sociology and Anthropology.

Applied Mathematics

By its nature, applied mathematics is defined not by what it is but by what it does. It's being able to use mathematics to solve real-life problems and make an impact in the world in areas such as engineering, industry, science, and human-centered problems. Denison offers a Bachelor of Science degree and a minor in Applied Mathematics.

Art History and Visual Culture

The Department of Art History and Visual Culture's mission places questions of difference and power globally at the center of our teaching and research. We employ a thematic, interrogative approach that reflects critically on what art history and visual culture can be for the liberal arts, exploiting areas of faculty specialization as spaces from which to rethink dominant narratives and interpretive frameworks.

Art Studio (BA)

The Visual Arts major was introduced in 2024 as a revised version of the former Studio Art major. Students who matriculated prior to the Fall of 2024 may choose to graduate with a Studio Art degree.

Art Studio (BFA)

The Visual Arts major was introduced in 2024 as a revised version of the former Studio Art major. Students who matriculated prior to the Fall of 2024 may choose to graduate with a Studio Art degree.

Biochemistry

The department offers a Bachelor of Science program in Biochemistry that provides a rigorous course of study in preparation for professional careers and graduate work. A student may graduate with a B.S. degree in Biochemistry on fulfillment of G.E. requirements and the successful completion of 16 courses.

Biology (BA)

The Department of Biology endeavors to provide a comprehensive foundation in concepts and skills across the breadth of biology, achieved in part through an introductory core of three courses that prepare students for a deep exploration of sub-disciplines and research methods. The major prepares students for careers in science and related fields, as well as graduate and professional schools, while allowing students the flexibility to design the program that best suits their specific interests.

Biology (BS)

The Department of Biology endeavors to provide a comprehensive foundation in concepts and skills across the breadth of biology, achieved in part through an introductory core of three courses that prepare students for a deep exploration of sub-disciplines and research methods. The Bachelor of Science degree in Biology provides a more intensive program of study in the sciences.

Black Studies

The Black Studies Program invites students to investigate the Black experience as it manifests in Africa, North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other parts of the African diaspora. Black Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to investigate the varied experiences of persons of African descent globally, drawing on the expertise of faculty members in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

Chemistry (BA)

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry seeks to promote scientific literacy and chemical understanding among all students taking courses in the department, and to provide a rigorous and comprehensive program suitable for students pursuing careers in science and technology. A student may graduate with a B.A. degree in Chemistry on fulfillment of G.E. requirements and the successful completion of 11 courses.

Chemistry (BS)

The department offers Bachelor of Science programs in Chemistry that provide a rigorous course of study in preparation for professional careers and graduate work in chemistry. A student may graduate with a B.S. degree in Chemistry on fulfillment of G.E. requirements and the successful completion of 16 courses.

Cinema

The Department of Cinema's curriculum requires courses in both cinema studies and in film/digital production. Cinema majors are strongly encouraged to complete introductory courses in film aesthetics and analysis and elementary cinema production during the first year.

Classical Studies

The Department of Classical Studies offers courses in the languages and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Students are introduced to the intellectual, social, political, and cultural histories of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Classical Studies major and minor are eligible only to students who matriculated in the fall of 2021 or 2022.

Communication

The Communication Department offers a rigorous and robust curriculum that addresses three overarching areas of study: Relational Communication, Rhetoric, and Media Studies. In the tradition of the liberal arts, we encourage students to take courses from all three areas of study to appreciate the complexity of communication.

Computer Science (BA)

Computer Science is the study of algorithmic problem solving in both theoretical and applied areas. The major in Computer Science is designed to enable students to become well-rounded in these areas, and well-prepared for either graduate study or work in a variety of fields. Emphasis is placed on core concepts, analytical thinking, and problem solving throughout the curriculum.

Computer Science (BS)

Computer Science is the study of algorithmic problem solving in both theoretical and applied areas. The Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science requires additional coursework in computer science and allied sciences and is recommended for students who intend to pursue graduate study in Computer Science.

Dance

We believe that vital dance artists and scholars develop from independent thinkers who are committed to cultivating a personal aesthetic and artistic focus, and who resourcefully engage in original research. Our goal of exposing students to cutting edge and experimental dance practices from diverse cultures and with global perspectives is embedded in our curriculum, with movement practices centralizing Contemporary Dance and African/African-Diasporan forms.

Data Analytics (BA)

Global connectivity and innovative technologies generate vast amounts of information that contribute to our understanding and evaluation of nature, human behavior, institutions, society, and beyond. The major in data analytics provides a solid core of mathematics and computer science, followed by specially designed, project-based data analytics courses.

Data Analytics (BS)

Global connectivity and innovative technologies generate vast amounts of information that contribute to our understanding and evaluation of nature, human behavior, institutions, society, and beyond. The Bachelor of Science in Data Analytics requires additional methods-based coursework beyond the Bachelor of Arts, along with depth in a Data Analytics domain.

Earth Science (BA)

In Earth and Environmental Sciences, we investigate the Earth and the Environment, understood in the broadest terms, from a natural science perspective. The Bachelor of Arts in Earth Science is intended for those who seek a less specialized course of study and requires 10 four-credit courses and 1 one-credit course.

Earth Science (BS)

The Bachelor of Science in Earth Science is designed in anticipation of advanced study in Earth Science. Students are required to take 14 four-credit courses, 1 one-credit course and a Field Course.

East Asian Studies

To graduate with a degree in East Asian Studies requires a balance of courses in Chinese or Japanese language study with courses selected from a variety of departments, focusing on the East Asian region. The program promotes the teaching and research on fundamental concepts, developments and trends in history, language, art and culture in East Asia.

Economics

The purpose of the economics curriculum is to educate students in the nature and uses of economic reasoning. The curriculum introduces students to a core body of economic knowledge and to research skills, integrating disciplinary education with the liberal arts mission of the university. Economics majors develop the ability to think analytically and creatively about complex economic issues and policy choices facing our global society.

Educational Studies

The Department of Education emphasizes the study of education as a social institution and analysis of teaching and learning in interdisciplinary terms. The Educational Studies major is designed for students who wish to prepare for a career in education in elementary or secondary schools, or in the broader community, and allows for experiential learning in diverse settings through course placements and a required summer internship.

English

The English curriculum is intended to serve the general needs of the liberal arts student and also provide discerning programs for the more specialized needs of students who want to major in English with an emphasis in literature or creative writing. In our courses and major we approach the study of language and literature as a dynamic, living, and lively pursuit, one that integrates political, social, philosophical, cultural, and aesthetic values.

Environmental Science

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science is designed in anticipation of advanced study in Environmental Science. Students are required to take 14 four-credit courses and 1 one-credit course.

Environmental Studies

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary inquiry into the relationship between humans and the environment. The major requires students to develop a specific environmental focus. Students who matriculated in fall 2021, 2022, or 2023 may follow the Environmental Studies major requirements; students who matriculated in fall 2024 must follow the requirements of the Sustainability and Environmental Studies major.

French

Learning another language contributes to our education by intimately exploring cultural and linguistic concepts that broaden our understanding of what it means to be human in today's world. Students majoring in French must take a minimum of nine courses beyond FREN 211 - Intermediate French.

German

Learning another language contributes to our education by intimately exploring cultural and linguistic concepts that broaden our understanding of what it means to be human in today's world. Students majoring in German must take a minimum of nine courses beyond GERM 112 - Beginning German II, including at least one literature course and one area studies course.

Global Commerce

The Global Commerce major explores the globalized nature of modern commerce—the production and exchange of goods, services, ideas, money and capital—and how these elements of commerce have changed over time. The major provides an interdisciplinary examination of commerce and its relationship to markets, institutions, and culture, with language study to at least the intermediate level as a fundamental component.

Global Health

The mission of the Global Health Program is to provide an interdisciplinary and comprehensive experience that focuses on the social, physical, and mental dimensions of wellbeing with an emphasis on population-level health across the globe. Students in Global Health learn how to understand, evaluate, and critically assess population health from a global perspective using a range of approaches and perspectives.

Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies

The Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies Department is a community in which students become emerging practitioners within the field, nurtured through intellectual challenge, mentorship, and experience. Students are critical consumers of knowledge, confident in their ability to comprehend how biological, psychological, and sociohistorical factors impact human physical capacity.

History

History is a way of thinking about the world that teaches us to value and embrace the complexities and ambiguities of life. Students learn to see the multiple layers of causes and effects, changes and continuities, individual experiences and broader social dynamics that shape human societies and cultures across time and place.

International Studies

The International Studies major asks students to inquire broadly into social, political, economic, environmental, historical, and cultural processes, linkages, interdependencies, and power relations that connect individuals, communities, groups, states, and regions across the globe. The major emphasizes interconnectivity and interdependency as fundamental human conditions under which we live today.

Journalism

The Journalism major at Denison teaches students to research, report, and tell important stories in narrative-based ways across the digital media landscape. We emphasize ethics, independence, ascertaining facts, and accessibility in our storytelling, with roots in both the English and Communication departments.

Mathematics (BA)

The mathematics department prepares students for their future lives and careers by teaching effective thinking and communication skills in classes that link application and theory, incorporate technological tools, support mathematical independence, and invite open-ended inquiry. The minimum requirement for the Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics is the six CORE courses plus four courses; two foundation courses and two modeling courses.

Mathematics (BS)

The mathematics department prepares students for their future lives and careers by teaching effective thinking and communication skills in classes that link application and theory, incorporate technological tools, support mathematical independence, and invite open-ended inquiry. The Bachelor of Science in Mathematics requires the CORE courses plus additional coursework including Real Analysis and two additional 400-level courses.

Music

The Denison University Department of Music equips students with the skills, knowledge, and experience to shape a 21st century global society as creators and intellectuals. The department's curriculum is based upon the belief that the performance and intellectual study of music mutually deepen and strengthen one another, and students attain fluency in music through rigorous study and synthesis of music analysis, culture, and performance.

Philosophy

Philosophy asks some of the most fundamental questions about human existence. Philosophical inquiry leads students to recognize the potentially unnoticed assumptions that underpin even our most ordinary ways of interacting with other persons and engaging in human projects. Philosophy challenges students to move beyond uncritical patterns of thought, to recognize problems, and to exchange a more naive worldview for a more considered and justifiable one.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

The PPE Program enables students to pursue a rigorous course of study that explores significant historical, methodological, and theoretical interconnections between philosophy, politics, and economics. It is designed to help students understand the theoretical and normative foundations of political and economic analysis.

Physics (BA)

The Department of Physics & Astronomy seeks to foster an understanding and deep appreciation of the physical world and our relationship to it, centered on an engaging curriculum that balances breadth and depth. The Department offers a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Physics.

Physics (BS)

The Department of Physics & Astronomy seeks to foster an understanding and deep appreciation of the physical world and our relationship to it. Through the program, students achieve increasing levels of autonomy in both experimental and theoretical physics; the Bachelor of Science is the more intensive of the department's two degree options.

Politics and Public Affairs

The Department of Politics and Public Affairs seeks to help students develop the analytic tools, communication skills, and knowledge base to be active citizens and life-long learners better equipped to understand, navigate, and influence the political world. The department conceives the study of politics and public affairs broadly, encompassing timeless normative questions about the role of politics in society as well as the latest means for crafting and evaluating the efficacy of policy.

Psychology (BA)

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior, focusing on mental states, feelings, overt actions, and physiological processes and how these dimensions of behavior interact and influence one another over time. Courses examine contemporary psychological theories, research, and special topics, and give students the opportunity to learn and practice research methodologies used in the discipline.

Psychology (BS)

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior. A student can complete either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Psychology at Denison University, with the B.S. requiring additional coursework in the natural sciences and quantitative methods.

Religion

The academic study of religion is a multi-disciplinary exploration of how religion functions in the lives of individuals, American society, and the global community. It critically examines the role of religion as an active force that has social, ethical, and ideological consequences. By studying religion, students gain the analytical, relational, and expressive skills essential to a liberal arts education.

Spanish

Learning another language contributes to our education by intimately exploring cultural and linguistic concepts that broaden our understanding of what it means to be human. The Spanish major sequence consists of nine courses, including core courses and advanced electives.

Sustainability and Environmental Studies

Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SES) offers an in-depth, holistic examination of the relationship between humans and the environment. The curriculum integrates critical perspectives on coupled human-natural systems relationships and their impacts, while also focusing attention on the action steps individuals, organizations, and societies can take to prevent and reduce lasting harm to the Earth.

Theatre

The goals of the theatre major are twofold: first, to provide students with a working knowledge of the fundamental principles of each of the several arts of the theatre, offering opportunities for practical application of those principles in stage production; and second, to develop analytical skill, facility in problem-solving, historical perspective, and appreciation of aesthetic form.

Visual Arts (BA)

In Visual Arts we foster independent and creative thought, emphasizing art-making as a means of thinking about not only oneself, but our relationship to the world of ideas from multiple perspectives. BA students are encouraged to connect their Visual Arts major with the college curriculum to realize individual approaches to Visual Arts that are interwoven with science, social science, humanities, and/or other fine arts disciplines.

Visual Arts (BFA)

The BFA is an intensive studio degree in Visual Arts; students apply to the program in the first semester of their junior year by presenting artwork made at Denison in an exhibition. A total of 70 credit hours are required, with a minimum of seventeen courses coming from Visual Arts and two courses from Art History and Visual Culture.

Women's and Gender Studies

The Women's and Gender Studies Program aims to engage students in the intellectual content of the discipline: women's issues, the role of gender, and the intersections of gender and other politicized aspects of identity, including race, class, age, religion, disability, and sexuality. The program also strives to instill in students an appreciation of the holistic and interdisciplinary character of Women's and Gender Studies.