College of Liberal Arts

RIT Liberal Arts brings the humanities and social sciences into the digital age.

You’ll innovate, play, and grow in our human-centered, tech-infused environment. Our faculty is a caring community of compassionate and confident creators, ready to support and guide you as you pursue your passion. Committed change-makers thrive in a place where people care as much about bettering the world as they do helping each other. Welcome to liberal arts for doers. Where future leaders turn “What If?” into “I Will.”

Learn more about the College of Liberal Arts

Apply for Fall 2025

First-year students can apply for Early Decision II by Jan. 1 to get an admissions and financial aid assessment by mid-January.

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Daily Tours and Information Sessions

Visit campus six days a week or explore other ways to experience RIT.

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What does amazing look like?

Get a glimpse of what it's like to innovate, imagine, and impact your world.

Watch the College of Liberal Arts undergraduate video

Watch the College of Liberal Arts graduate studies video

4:1

Student-to-faculty ratio

Classes are small and students receive personal attention from faculty and staff.

13

Countries represented

Students from across the United States and from 13 countries are enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts.

^$12.3M

Immerse Yourself

Students sitting and listening to a presentation

Opportunities for Leadership Development

Students sitting on a brick wall on a sunny day

Building Your Network Begins Here

A student and professor working on a white board next to one another

Pursuing Knowledge Across Disciplines

A violinist playing a piece of music with a dark backdrop

The Performing Arts as a Craft and Science

Meet the Interim Dean

From our legal systems and economic, political, social structures to the ways we connect, share our stories, and form our most fundamental relationships, the Liberal Arts are at the very heart of what it means to be human. At RIT—a technical university renowned for vision and innovation—our approach to the Liberal Arts is human-centered and tech-infused, distinguishing our grads with the skills for a digital age and the mindset to thrive, think big, and transform ideas of “what if” into commitments of “I will."

Kelly Norris Martin

Dean, College of Liberal Arts

585-475-2142

Kelly.Martin@rit.edu

Full Message from the Dean

Faces of RIT

The Excitement of Live Performance

Ted Canning

Adjunct faculty

Director of Steelband Ensemble

For Professor Ted Canning, music is a universal language anyone can learn. No matter your major, no matter your level of experience, you can make music part of your life at RIT.
Giving a Voice to a Community

Tianna Manon '15

Communication

As an alum of the journalism program, Manon has put into practice the storytelling platforms and opportunities She took advantage of at RIT. Today, Manon serves as editor-in-chief of Open Mic Rochester, an online magazine that gives a voice to Rochester’s black community.
Evoking Emotion Through Music

Jonathan Kruger

Professor

A difficult task to accomplish, yet a joy to teach, Kruger enjoys composing for visual mediums. As chair of the Department of Performing Arts, Krugar focuses on enhancing a scene with music while keeping the audience immersed in the medium.
Beyond Human

Jessica Wegman

Psychology Major

Seeing the world through the eyes of a different species is just one way we connect with the world around us. Through faculty-led research, Wegman is working to improve the quality of life for North American River Otters by studying their visual perception.

News

December 19, 2024

Solving renewable energy’s sticky storage problem

Ars Technica speaks with Eric Hittinger, department chair in the Department of Public Policy, about renewable energy.
December 18, 2024

Student spotlight: Researching health care for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people

Emma Kane, a third-year public policy major, has spent the past year working at the Deaf Health Laboratory, led by the mentors at the Deaf Health Care and Biomedical Sciences Hub (Deaf Hub) at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
December 16, 2024

Lauren Hall on the Campbell Conversations

WRVO's Campbell Conversations podcast speaks with Lauren Hall, associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts, about the current political landscape and rhetoric.
December 12, 2024

Designers leave nothing on the table during the Beyond Fashion showcase

Decked out with technicolor lights and vibrant animated displays, RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios soundstage became a runway last week during Beyond Fashion. The rainbow runway featured a diverse collection of garments and wearables crafted by local designers and RIT students across multiple disciplines.