Liberal Arts

Student with scarf on head looking at computer.

At RISD the exploration of both studio arts and liberal arts makes for a powerful experience. In fact, RISD stands out among art schools for its emphasis on liberal arts study. Expert faculty lead classes spanning a diverse range of scholarly areas, including anthropology, biology, creative writing, literature, history, performance studies, philosophy, religion, sociology and more.​

Departments, curriculum, and programs

Through our liberal arts education, we aim to provide you with a strong general foundation of knowledge, offer possibilities for focused study, and foster opportunities for deepening and enriching your art and design practice. In our classes you will learn to articulate ideas with independence and confidence, think creatively, critically and analytically and develop a lifelong curiosity about the world.

Our division is home to four departments—History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences, Literary Arts and Studies, Theory and History of Art and Design and Teaching + Learning in Art + Design—and two interdisciplinary programs, Global Arts and Cultures and Nature–Culture–Sustainability Studies.

All undergraduate RISD students are required to take one-third of your classes in Liberal Arts. The Liberal Arts undergraduate curriculum encourages creative, critical, and analytical thinking, and fosters lifelong curiosity about the world. (Graduate students should consult their graduate program director or thesis advisor about taking liberal arts classes as part of their degree program’s elective requirements.)

In addition, the division offers a number of undergraduate- and graduate-level concentrations (similar to a minor at other schools). Electing a concentration allows for focused liberal arts study to ground and bolster your degree program. See below for undergraduate and graduate concentration options.

Undergraduate concentrations

Graduate degree programs and concentrations

In the classroom

Liberal Arts at RISD provides a strong general education, offers possibilities for focused study and deepens and enriches art and design practice. Through liberal arts study you learn to articulate ideas with independence and confidence, think creatively, critically and analytically, and develop a lifelong curiosity about the world.

students observing professor's presentation during a liberal arts class
students during HPSS class
A student is working on a drawing at a table in the Nature Lab.

Message from the dean

Our dean, Patricia Barbeito, welcomes you to Liberal Arts at RISD. Her message highlights how liberal arts enriches your RISD education, and invites you to explore our curriculum offerings.

Read the Dean’s message

Liberal Arts news and stories