Discover a world of possibilities
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
The World is Our Classroom
In HFA, student learning expands far beyond the classroom. Take a peek inside ART364: Design Thinking for Social Innovation, where students partnered with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to create an extensive online library of graphics for educational materials and outreach efforts across the U.S.
Faculty Who Give Back
Noted scholar, social and racial justice activist, and professor of history and Africana Studies Amilcar Shabazz has built his career working for the community—championing historical truth telling and Black reparations. In 2024, he received the Distinguished Community Engagement Award for his work.
Alumni Who Uplift
Muralist Alex Cook ’98 is a skilled craftsperson with a profound dedication to love and to community. He started creating murals in 1997 for his senior thesis at UMass, and today, he invites community members to join him in adorning their walls with vibrant paintings. His message? You are loved.
Scholarships and Internship Assistance
In the Spotlight
This fall, first-year student Lily Avina had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the UMass Global Launch program, allowing her to spend her first semester of college in London.
Featured Events
In the News
UMass Amherst’s James E. Young Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Young will be inducted into the 245-year-old Academy at a ceremony in Cambridge, Mass. on October 11.
HFA Alumni Honored at UMass Amherst’s 2025 Commencement Ceremony
David Korins ’99 and Stephen P. Driscoll ’73, ’75 will be honored at the 2025 UMass Amherst Commencement ceremony for their creative and civic leadership.
Hannah Pollin-Galay Named Pen Tishkach Chair and Director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at UMass Amherst
Dr. Hannah Pollin-Galay named Pen Tishkach Chair and Director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at UMass Amherst.
