Skip to content. Skip to main navigation.

Departments & Programs

The School of Humanities and Sciences is the foundation of a liberal arts education that will ignite a lifelong intellectual adventure. It is Stanford’s only home for basic research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued at the frontiers of knowledge.

With more than 50 departments and programs, H&S offers boundless opportunities for faculty and students to rigorously explore the world around them.

Our scholars not only collaborate across disciplines, but with Stanford’s other schools. Together, these scholars thoughtfully and imaginatively pursue challenges that transcend department walls.

 

H&S Stories about Passion:

Featured Departments

Humanities and Arts

  • Music Music
    The Department of Music strikes more than just one chord at Stanford. It not only provides specialized training for those who plan careers related to music but also promotes greater understanding and enjoyment of music across campus. Courses are led by premier scholars and critically acclaimed musicians and composers whose interests span style and time.… Learn More »
  • Art & Art History Art & Art History
    Students in the Department of Art & Art History develop more than just visual literacy skills. Whether they’re painting or filming, sculpting or studying, they also learn to think critically about the historical, theoretical, and cultural implications of art. At Stanford, the teaching and practice of art are closely integrated. Leading scholars and critically acclaimed… Learn More »

View all »

Natural Sciences

  • Mathematics Mathematics
    The Stanford math department teaches students how to tackle—and solve—difficult problems. Students carry a problem out of the classroom and into their day, thinking about it in the library or their dorm rooms, scribbling on chalkboards and napkins as they work toward a solution. That sort of rigorous problem solving doesn’t happen only in solitude.… Learn More »
  • Chemistry Chemistry
    Chemists at Stanford imagine a world in which AIDS is a curable disease and the next generation of energy comes from sheets of matter no thicker than a single atom. Considered one of the best in the country, the department houses a critical mass of great minds—not only leading faculty, but top-notch graduate students who… Learn More »

View all »

Social Sciences

  • Political Science Political Science
    When is humanitarian intervention justified? What motivates foreign aid policies? Do people have ethical and moral obligations to think about what they purchase and consume? Does democracy work? These are some of the questions Stanford political science students and faculty grapple with as they push beyond punditry and headlines to understand the complex political systems… Learn More »
  • Psychology Psychology
    The research of Stanford psychology professors has shaped our understanding of how the mind works at all stages of life. Ranked number one in the country for the past 50 years, the department has housed psychologists who have conducted experiments with a lasting impact on other disciplines and the way people live their lives. Today,… Learn More »

View all »