Fund for Students in the Arts & Humanities

Background image: students outdoors with laptops in laps
I see the university as an engine of upward mobility. That’s what the university is for. And if we are not fostering our students in participating in that role, then I think we are falling short.
Ronald Rael, Chair of Art Practice

Your gifts create new opportunities for students 

Our division prepares students to flourish in a rapidly changing world. We want every student who wants to study the arts and humanities at Berkeley to feel like they can. That means providing access to classes they want to take, a diverse and complex curriculum, financial support, mentorship, and opportunities to engage with worlds beyond their own.

With small class sizes and access to Berkeley’s stellar faculty, Arts & Humanities fosters an environment where students can exchange ideas with some of the most celebrated scholars and artists of our time. It’s no surprise that our undergraduates report the highest satisfaction rate on campus. 

Gifts to the Fund for Students in the Arts & Humanities enhance the student experience and provide access to tools that encourage students’ academic and career aspirations. Together, we can provide access and opportunities that change lives.

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Compass Courses

In these team-taught undergraduate courses, students engage with profound questions about what makes us human, explore the roots of cultural heritages, and learn how the humanities provide the necessary social, ethical, and historical contexts to understand the world today. Through classes like Borders and Belonging: Reading Refugees through Law, Literature and Film, Compass Courses advance a common journey of discovery.

Transfer Foundations

Many transfer students report that the transition from community college to UC Berkeley is one of the most challenging moments in their educational careers. Transfer Foundations supports that transition by exploring key methods in the humanities in transparent and demystifying ways.

Mentored Research Labs

Designed for upper-division students, the courses provide mentorship, support, and feedback as students work on individual research projects with faculty members and graduate-student mentors. Recent offerings have included Remembering Eugenics at Berkeley and in California.

Arts & Humanities Careers and Mentorship Opportunities

Careers week includes a Creative Careers Mixer that encourages networking between undergraduates and early-career professionals in arts and humanities industries, and a keynote with the Dean in conversation with a prominent alum. We are working to expand mentorship and internship opportunities to help students gain connections and experience as they prepare to enter the workforce.

Graduate Student Support

Funding packages that are competitive with other top-ranked universities help us recruit the best graduate students in the world, supporting the next generation of scholars throughout their years at Berkeley while they work alongside faculty, hone their own research and mentor undergraduates.

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