Breaking Down Language Barriers
![Claudia Matachana headshot outside Herter Hall](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/home_hero_3xl/public/2024-02/Claudia%20Matachana_HERO_2000x1125_RGB.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=71MxbOWL)
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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![Aaron and Ele Magnetic Resonance survey](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/4_3_l/public/2024-01/Aaron%20and%20Ele%20Magnetic%20Resonance%20survey.jpg?h=2e5cdddf&itok=mh6g4SQM)
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
![Senior Recognition Ceremony](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/4_3_l/public/2024-03/2023_um_HFA_senior_recognition_0553.jpeg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=pdWNhBeD)
Humanities and Fine Arts Class of 2024
Congratulations, Class of 2024! View a list of graduates, enjoy photos from the graduating class, view the livestream, and more.
![UMass Amherst Collecting 101 students head to Boston](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/4_3_l/public/2023-11/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-14%20at%202.05.34%20PM.png?h=2187a2c2&itok=Ep9yhl2i)
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.
![Jeffrey Holmes Ayano Kataoka](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/4_3_l/public/2023-10/HFA_dfls.png?h=eb901320&itok=-94ZyIsl)
Distinguished Faculty
In 2023-24, our College had 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 received the Chancellor’s Medal, the highest recognition bestowed upon faculty by the campus.
![Aretha Miller](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/4_3_l/public/2023-10/aretha-miller.jpeg?h=fbf7a813&itok=1XqohucA)
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.
![summer studying outside](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/4_3_l/public/2024-05/studying.jpeg?h=6c761a9f&itok=_lTMnFnw)
Get ahead this summer with online classes
In the spotlight
![Emiliano Ricciardi headshot](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/1_1_l/public/2024-03/Emiliano_Ricciardi_hero_2000x1125.jpeg?h=d1cb525d&itok=xXE5nNno)
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
New Computational Linguistics Major to Meet Rapidly Growing Demand for Jobs
Computational Linguistics, a new major from the Department of Linguistics, has launched to meet the growing demand for computational linguistics jobs.
From Classroom to Conservation: UMass Amherst Art Students Collaborate with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Environmental Art Project
UMass Amherst students recently partnered with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to create an extensive library of graphics for educational materials.
Dr. Maria del Guadalupe Davidson Named New Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts
Dr. Maria del Guadalupe Davidson has been selected as the next Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, effective on July 1, 2024.
![Dancers](/humanities-arts/sites/g/files/ijdqth226/files/styles/4_3_l/public/2024-05/CurrentsHorizontal.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=sRPLx9Dh)