The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the center of the academic experience at the University of Iowa—where students and faculty are empowered to succeed. 

Established in 1900, CLAS is the largest of the 12 colleges at the University of Iowa, offering a wide variety of programs spanning the arts and humanities, writing and communication, natural and mathematical sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Rooted in the practical and the classical, the instrumental and the essential, our college defies easy reduction. Our strength comes from our breadth and complexity, and the fact that our college has existed for over one-hundred and twenty years reflects its central importance. 

The college benefits nearly all undergraduate students through the CLAS Core General Education program. CLAS is home to world-class programs in writing, the arts, space physics, speech and hearing science, and more, and faculty who undertake groundbreaking research, innovative scholarship, and daring creative work.  

Each graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences takes their passion, creativity, and critical thinking skills into diverse fields. Whether as scientists pushing boundaries, artists inspiring new perspectives, or communicators building bridges, our alumni leave their mark as original thinkers and engaged citizens of their communities and the world.

70

Undergraduate Majors

14,879

Undergraduate students

Fall 2024

1,883

Graduate students

Fall 2024

710

Faculty

Fall 2023

Welcome from the dean

Whether you're a student ready to embark on a transformative academic journey, or a faculty member seeking a vibrant and collaborative scholarly community, I am thrilled to welcome you to CLAS.  I have been a member of this community since 2003, and I remain amazed and blessed to be part of such a college that is leading in creativity and discovery as well as in the education of undergraduate and graduate students. 

At CLAS, we offer an unparalleled range of academic programs and opportunities for immersive learning and research. If you are a student, I’m confident you’ll find a community here that values your individual voice and fosters an engaging learning environment. With dedicated advisors and faculty mentors, you'll receive the support you need to achieve your academic and personal goals. It is a joy to witness your growth and learn from your unique perspectives.

For faculty, CLAS provides a stimulating environment that encourages intellectual curiosity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cutting-edge research. I'm continually inspired by the dedication and passion of our faculty, and I'm honored to be a part of this exceptional community.  As a faculty member, the goal of the dean’s office is to support your career and work collaboratively with you to remove any barriers to your success.

No matter where you are on your journey, I invite you to explore all that CLAS has to offer. We're confident you'll find your place here and create a unique story that will shape your future.  And if you do come to Iowa, stop in the dean’s office and introduce yourself to us–we are excited to get to know you and why you choose to be a part of the CLAS community.

Dean Sara Sanders, exterior on the Pentacrest
Pinned content, custom sorted.

Sara Sanders, PhD, MSW

Title/Position
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS)
Professor

Events

Final Exam — Protecting Users Online Privacy Through Enhanced Transparency and Accountability promotional image

Final Exam — Protecting Users Online Privacy Through Enhanced Transparency and Accountability

Wednesday, July 9, 2025 10:00am
University Capitol Centre
PhD Candidate: Maaz Bin MusaAbstractThe past decade has marked a significant shift in how users perceive online privacy. As data extraction and tracking practices have intensified, public concern over privacy has grown in parallel, fueling widespread interest in protecting personal information. In response, the privacy research community has developed a range of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) aimed at empowering users to safeguard their data. However, many of these tool’s struggle to keep...

REDCap Intermediate Training

Wednesday, July 9, 2025 10:00am to 11:00am
Virtual
This is the second step in the REDCap training series. In this training we will cover basic and intermediate features such as: • Outputting data automatically with calculated fields • Collecting the same data points multiple times with longitudinal and one-to-many data collection • Standardizing your data to industry standards with ontologies and the REDCap Instrument Library • Ways to customize your data entry experience with action tags • Viewing data with reports, dashboards, and charts...
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Thesis Defense: Jordan Riley promotional image

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Thesis Defense: Jordan Riley

Wednesday, July 9, 2025 1:00pm to 1:50pm
Medical Education Research Facility
"Transcription Factor Binding Enhances UV DNA Damage at Specific Loci within Their Binding Sites"Jordan Riley, MS CandidateMS Thesis DefenseAdvisor: Miles Pufall, PhD

REDCap Surveys Training

Thursday, July 10, 2025 10:00am to 11:00am
Virtual
This is the third step in the REDCap training series. In this training, we will cover survey configuration and distribution such as: Allowing potential participants to self-initiate participation in your study with public surveys Manually and automatically sending surveys Administering electronic consent (e-consent) forms Controlling survey access with conditional logic and survey login This training is a demo and not hands-on. After this training you will have a basic understanding of...
Public Observing Night - Van Allen Observatory promotional image

Public Observing Night - Van Allen Observatory

Friday, July 11, 2025 9:00pm to 11:00pm
Van Allen Hall
Please join the University of Iowa Physics & Astronomy Department as we use the Van Allen Observatory and small telescopes to tour the summer sky. To attend this Astronomy observation session, follow the signs in Van Allen Hall to the east elevator to reach the roof or visit the southeast lawn.
5th Annual BioBlitz at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory promotional image

5th Annual BioBlitz at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory

Saturday, July 12, 2025 9:00am to 11:00am
Ashton Cross Country Course
What types of plants, animals, and fungal life might you find at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory? Let's find out! Join researchers in collecting, observing, and recording biodiversity at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory in our 5th Annual BioBlitz. Your findings will inform a major research project and will contribute to the fifth data point in a multi-year documentation of how diversity changes at this site over time. Collections will be housed with the UI Museum of Natural History...
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Alumni and friends

No matter where you are, stay connected to CLAS and the University of Iowa. 

More than 174,000 living Hawkeye alumni have degrees conferred in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We hope you'll stay connected to the college and your department—and consider getting involved.