CLAS Dean’s Office

North Classroom, Suite 5014
Phone: 303-556-2557
Fax: 303-556-4861

Pamela Jansma, Dean, Professor of Geography and Environmental Sciences
Richard Allen, Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning and Curriculum; Associate Professor of Psychology
Laura Argys,  Associate Dean for Research and Creative Activities; Professor of Economics
Sarah Fields, Acting Associate Dean for Student Success; Associate Professor of Communication
Marjorie Levine-Clark, Associate Dean for Diversity, Outreach and Initiatives; Associate Professor of History
John Wyckoff, Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs; Professor of Geography and Environmental Sciences 

Academic Advice and Information

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences partners with the Graduate School to assist with the administration of our graduate degrees.  Graduate students in the college are expected to assume responsibility for planning their academic programs in accordance with Graduate School Rules, CLAS policies and program requirements.  Graduate students must work with the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School in addition to their faculty advisor upon matriculation into the college. The Assistant Dean of the Graduate School is responsible for advising graduate students of University and Graduate School policies and procedures and for certifying that degree requirements have been met for graduation purposes.

Graduate students should meet with a faculty advisor in their department as soon as they begin their degree program. The faculty advisor is responsible for advising students about coursework and degree requirements and for certifying that program requirements are complete at graduation.  Students should consult with their faculty advisor at least once a year following admission to the program. While students are strongly encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor every semester, they must meet with their faculty advisor at the beginning of their last semester to verify that all degree requirements have been met and to have their candidacy form approved and signed.  This must be done before the campus census date and is considered an absolute deadline.

To learn more about admissions, transfer credits, readmission, changing degree programs, graduate courses, GPA requirements, residency requirements, academic probation, incomplete grades, thesis/project/dissertation procedures and defense, research protocol, comprehensive exams, application to graduate and candidacy to graduate, deadlines and time limits, please consult with your faculty advisor and refer to the Graduate School Rules .  

Graduate School Dean’s Office

Lawrence Street Center, Suite 1251
Phone: 303-315-2183
Email: graduate.school@ucdenver.edu

David Engelke, Graduate School Dean
Inge Wefes, Graduate School Associate Dean
Jessica Halliday, Graduate School Assistant Dean/Graduate Coordinator
Kelly Santa-Maria, Graduate School Application Specialist for CLAS

The mission of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is to foster academic excellence, to create and impart knowledge critical to a modern society and a global economy, and to ensure the acquisition of skills essential for professional careers and graduate study. Our vision is to enact a new paradigm for a liberal arts education that retains the proven values of a broad education while imparting research and career-oriented skills throughout the curriculum. 

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) offers a variety of excellent graduate programs, ranging from the highly specialized PhD in Clinical Health Psychology to the broad interdisciplinary MA in Humanities or Social Sciences. CLAS faculty members are recognized as research leaders, dedicated mentors, and engaged scholars. Bringing real-world experience and academic expertise to our classrooms, CLAS faculty are dedicated to instilling in students a lifelong love of learning and inquiry, cutting-edge research training, respect for free thinking and commitment to collaborative endeavors. Our graduate programs draw on our downtown location and make use of the city’s many resources partnerships with Denver businesses and non-profit organizations. CLAS students have excellent opportunities to participate in first-class research in collaboration with faculty and the community.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Educational Goals

CLAS defines liberal education as including four major components:

1. Central elements of knowledge including:
   1. knowledge of the diversity and significant dimensions of human culture and a specific understanding of American culture, including its political and ethnic diversity;
   2. aesthetic awareness and appreciation of the cultural contributions made to the human experience by the social sciences and humanities;
   3. an understanding of the methods of inquiry and development of theory that form the basis of knowledge in the natural and physical sciences;
2. Essential skills for critical analysis, writing, computation, communication and decision making;
3. The development of a constructive orientation toward society through the enhancement of the individual’s capacity to make informed and responsible choices based on reflective consideration of the democratic principles of due process, civil liberties and the balance between individualism and the common good;
4. The ability to apply knowledge of the arts and sciences to society’s specific needs.

Graduate Programs

Graduate degree programs offered by CLAS are listed below. Many degrees provide the opportunity for students to specialize in concentrations within the discipline; these are noted below the degree title.

Master of Arts (MA)

Anthropology
Concentrations: archaeological studies; biological anthropology

Communication

Economics

English

Applied Geography and Geospatial Science

History
Concentrations: European history; global history; public history; United States history

Political Science
Concentrations: politics and public policy

Sociology

Spanish 

Master of Humanities (MH)

Concentrations: philosophy and theory; visual studies

Master of Integrated Sciences (MIS)

Master of Science (MS)

Biology

Chemistry

Environmental Sciences
Concentrations: air quality; ecosystems; environmental health; environmental science education; geospatial analysis; hazardous waste; water quality

Master of Social Science (MSS)
Concentrations: community health science; international studies; society and environment; social justice; women’s and gender studies

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD)

Applied Mathematics

Clinical Health Psychology

Health and Behavioral Sciences 

Integrative and Systems Biology

Certificate Programs

The college offers graduate certificate programs that demonstrate proficiency in a specialized field of study. Certificates may cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and may be awarded independently of formal graduation.

Certificate programs are open to degree-seeking students as well as those who aren’t seeking a degree but want to enhance their professional expertise.

Graduate Certificates

Applied Statistics (Mathematical and Statistical Sciences)

Democracy and Social Movements (Political Science)

Geographic Information Science (Geography/Environmental Sciences)

Environmental Science Education (Geography/Environmental Sciences)

Historic Preservation (History)

Public, Nonprofit and Community Leadership (Political Science)

Scientific Foundations of Technical Innovation (Physics)

Strategic Communication (Communication)

Sustainable Urban Agriculture (Geography/ Environmental Sciences)

Teaching English Language Learners (English)

Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST Interdisciplinary Program)

Continuing and Professional Education (CPE)

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) participates in the University’s Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) programs, which include credit courses offered through extended studies during evenings, weekends and at off-campus sites. CPE also includes non-credit courses offered for continuing education units (C.E.U.s) or for professional development and personal enrichment.