Colleges and Schools
Established in 1962, the First Year of Studies is the college to which all incoming first-year students are admitted. Students
are not in a major during the first year; rather, students make a declaration of a tentative intended program. Through the
structure of the curriculum, the First Year of Studies responds to their uncertainty regarding the choice of college and major
that many first-year students experience. The first-year curriculum also accommodates the academic needs of the students who have
well-defined interests and have made a commitment to a specific college and major. In addition to the academic advising component
of First Year of Studies, the Learning Resource Center provides workshops in learning strategies, time management, collaborative
learning, and tutoring.
- College of Arts & Letters
Established as the University's first and only College in 1842, the College of Arts and Letters is the largest of the four
undergraduate colleges. Housing eighteen departments in the fine arts, the humanities, and the social sciences, the College
awards the Bachelors of Arts degree in over fifty areas or concentrations, the Masters degree in twenty-three fields, and the PhD
degree in ten. The curriculum of the College offers students a contemporary version of the traditional liberal arts education.
The faculty and administration of the College are dedicated to the Catholic concept of the unity of knowledge across disciplines,
the life of the mind, and the critical engagement with the whole of human experience. Arts and Letters students are encouraged to
view themselves as participants in and heirs of a rich intellectual and spiritual tradition.
- Mendoza College of Business
Established in 1921, the College of Business seeks to advance knowledge through distinguished scholarship and research
balanced with inspirational teaching and spirited service. Undergraduate degrees are offered in Accountancy, Finance and Business
Economics, Management, Marketing, and Management of Information Systems. The College of Business also offers full-time and
part-time MBA programs and is ranked among the Top Tier MBA schools in the United States by US News and BusinessWeek 2004
rankings.
The College of Engineering was established as a distinct unit of the University in 1920, although a program in civil
engineering was offered in 1873. It is now organized into the departments of aerospace and mechanical engineering, chemical
engineering, civil engineering and geological sciences, computer science and engineering, and electrical engineering.
The University of Notre Dame awarded its first bachelor of science degree in 1865. Today, the College of Science offers
curricula leading to the degree of bachelor of science in biological sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, mathematics, physics
and preprofessional studies.
Courses in architecture were taught at the University as early as 1869 and the School of Architecture has offered formal
instruction in architecture since 1898. Today, a five-year program leading to the degree of bachelor of architecture is offered.
The program is accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board and the curriculum conforms to NAAB requirements for the
professional degree in architecture.
Founded in 1918, the Graduate School comprises four divisions-engineering, humanities, science, and social sciences-and the
School of Architecture, and includes thirty departments and programs offering master's and/or Ph.D. degrees in most of the major
humanistic, scientific, and engineering disciplines. The University also offers professional studies leading to the M.B.A. and
M.S.A. degrees in the Mendoza College of Business and the J.D., L.L.M., and J.S.D. degrees conferred by the Law School, as well
as the M.Div. in the Department of Theology.
Founded in 1869, the Notre Dame Law School is the oldest Roman Catholic law school in the United States. The Notre Dame Law
program aims to educate men and women to become lawyers of extraordinary professional competence. Its national program is
designed to equip students to practice law in any jurisdiction.