Leadership

DEAN

Pamela Jansma, Professor of Geography and Environmental Sciences

ASSOCIATE DEANS

Richard Allen, Associate Dean for Academic and Strategic Planning; Professor of Psychology
Laura Argys, Associate Dean for Research and Creative Activities; Professor of Economics
Faye Caronan, Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs; Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies
Marjorie Levine-Clark, Associate Dean for Diversity, Outreach and Initiatives; Professor of History
John Swallow, Associate Dean for Student Success; Professor of Biology

Contact Information

CLAS Deans Office
North Classroom, Suite 5014
Phone: 303-315-7000
Fax: 303-315-7016
Email: clasdeansoffice@ucdenver.edu
CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator at clas.graduate@ucdenver.edu.
Website:https://clas.ucdenver.edu/about-us/deans-office

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Educational Goals

A CU Denver liberal education combines world-class knowledge in specific disciplines with the comprehensive skills and dispositions that students need for success and that our society needs its citizens to possess. In a world where content knowledge rapidly becomes obsolete and where graduates may have a dozen different jobs, these skills and dispositions are crucial. Employers increasingly look for employees who can think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems. A liberal education may be the most vocational education that today’s student can earn. A liberal arts and sciences education truly is “learning with purpose".

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 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.

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.

While establishing a broad foundational education, CLAS gives students the opportunity to dig deeply into disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs, which train them in scholarly fields, traditions, and methods of analysis. This combination of breadth and depth prepares students for our twenty-first century world, which requires flexibility and mobility, as new jobs develop and careers change at an ever-faster pace. CLAS graduates enter a wide variety of occupations and pursue advanced degrees in academia and in professions like law and medicine.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers a selection of master's and doctorate degrees across fourteen departments. Our graduate programs provide students the opportunity to work with cutting edge facilities and renowned faculty. In addition to high-quality classroom instruction, graduate students are encouraged to take opportunities to participate in seminars, workshops, and experiential opportunities to develop additional real-world skills necessary to successfully transition into their careers. 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. Many programs offer funding opportunities, Teaching and Research Assistant positions and participate in the Western Regional Graduate Program.

Explore CLAS Graduate programs here.

For more information about CLAS, visit our website.

Graduate Education Information and Academic Advice

Graduate students in the college are expected to assume responsibility for planning their academic programs under the guidance of their faculty advisor. Students must follow Graduate Education Policies and Procedures, CLAS policies and degree program requirements. Graduate students must work with the CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator in addition to their faculty advisor upon matriculation into the college, to stay on track to graduate.

• The CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator is responsible for managing degree audits and tracking student progress, providing guidance regarding policies and procedures and for confirming with program directors that degree requirements have been met for graduation purposes.
• The faculty advisor is responsible for providing guidance on 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 semester 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 the CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator at clas.graduate@ucdenver.edu.

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. 

For more information about CLAS CPE programs, visit our website.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Graduate Departments and Programs

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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.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Policies

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For additional information regarding CLAS policies and procedures, please visit the CLAS Academic Policies website.

 All programs must follow the Graduate Education Policies and Procedures.

Independent Studies

Independent studies are faculty-mentored, individually structured courses or research or creative projects designed and scheduled outside of the standard course grid. Independent study allows for investigations beyond the structured curriculum and classroom and exploration of content material that closely relates to faculty and student interest. However, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences does not guarantee that credit earned through an independent study will count toward graduation requirements or be accepted as transfer credits.

The CU Denver campus requires manual registration using a Special Processing Form for students participating in independent study. This form constitutes the course syllabus agreement between faculty and student. The Special Processing Form requires

1. project title,
2. short, detailed project description, including texts and practical application of skills, and
3. explicit performance or grading criteria.

The faculty should separately negotiate a schedule of meetings and deadlines with the student. The form is reviewed and approved by a CLAS Associate Dean/Assistant Dean prior to student registration.

The College faculty developed the following requirements relating to student and faculty participation in independent study. Faculty seeking to waive or modify any of the policies below should work with the appropriate CLAS Associate Dean/Assistant Dean.

Student Requirements

• Enrollment as a CLAS student or, if enrolled in another major/minor, school/college, or institution, signed authorization on the Special Processing Form by the advisor/chair/dean of the originating
• school/college or institution prior to review by the CLAS associate or assistant dean.
• Graduate student status for 5840 (or higher), junior or senior status for 4840, sophomore status for 2840.
• Minimum GPA of 2.5 for undergraduates and 3.0 for graduate students.
• Submission of the Special Processing Form prior to the third week of a regular semester. After the third week, a petition to add is required. Summer and intensive sessions will have different deadlines.

Faculty Requirements

• CLAS tenured, tenure-track, Clinical Teaching Track, Senior Instructor, or Instructor rank.
• CLAS graduate faculty status for faculty sponsoring graduate independent study.
• Direct, not indirect, supervision by the designated CLAS faculty member.
• For instructor-rank faculty, approval by the department chair, though all untenured faculty should limit the number of independent studies and are advised to consult with the chair before taking them on.

Project Requirements

• CLAS discipline or directly discipline related content, though may be interdisciplinary.
• Unique or individually executed project content for each student.
• Not available as, or part of, a structured course offered during the same term.
• 3 student participation hours per week for each credit hour requested. Note: 4:1 ratio in summer.