Breaking Down Language Barriers
Academics
With 14 academic departments and 12 world-class research centers, institutes, and interdisciplinary programs, our students have the opportunity to study with the best scholars, thinkers, and artists.
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As the creative and cultural heart of UMass Amherst, HFA brings together scholars and artists from a wide range of disciplines.
Undergraduate Major Programs
Master’s Programs
Doctoral Programs
Minors
HFA Senior Recognition Ceremony
Let's celebrate you! Get all the details for the 2024 College of Humanities & Fine Arts (HFA) Senior Recognition Ceremony.
The World is Our Classroom
In HFA, student learning expands far beyond the classroom. Take a peek inside Collecting 101: Acquiring Art for the University Museum of Contemporary Art, where students learn the inner workings of museum acquisition—and conclude the semester by choosing a piece of artwork to purchase for the museum’s permanent collection.
Distinguished Faculty
This year, HFA has the distinct honor of celebrating not one but two faculty members selected as part of the Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series: Department of Music and Dance faculty members Jeffrey Holmes, professor of piano and trumpet, and Ayano Kataoka, professor of percussion. For this achievement, the two have received the Chancellor’s Medal, the highest recognition bestowed upon faculty by the campus.
Alumni Who Uplift
Aretha Miller ’92 has a legacy of lifting others up. Born in Jamaica, Miller enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and it immediately became her second home. Now, she continues her work to make education more accessible for the next generation.
Funding Your Future
In the spotlight
Digital technology gives new life to this music and poetry. This is what makes working on the Tasso in Music Project so rewarding.
Featured events
In the news
Sign up for Summer 2024 Classes on Pregnancy Loss, the Jewish Experience, and More
Registration is now open for for summer 2024 online classes, including, for the first time, a course on pregnancy loss, and on the Jewish experience.
Professor of History and Africana Studies Amilcar Shabazz Receives 2024 Distinguished Community Engagement Award
Afro Am's Amilcar Shabazz was selected to receive the 2024 Distinguished Community Engagement Award from the Office of the Provost.
Two HFA Students Awarded Five College Prose and Poetry Prize for Creative Writing
Andrea Peter ’25 and Livvy Krakower ’24 were among the 2024 Five College Prose and Poetry Prize recipients honored at a reading and reception April 18.