The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech comprises two schools, 12 departments, and three ROTC programs. The college also has connections to research facilities and local community service organizations through which students can earn experience in major related fields and has many study abroad programs. In 2010–11, the college had 4,386 students taking courses on the Blacksburg campus. The college's dean, Rosemary Blieszner, was appointed in 2017.
History
The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences traces its roots in the university back to the Home Economics Department, which was established in 1924. As the university expanded over the next few decades, the department also grew, eventually becoming the College of Home Economics in 1964. The college then continued to grow and began to incorporate more disciplines into its programs. In 1981, the college changed its name to the College of Human Resources in order to more accurately describe the areas of study offered through the college. Then, in 1996, it added "and Education" to its name as teaching became a focus of the college.
In 2001, the College of Human Resources and Education became the College of Human Sciences and Education. The college decided to change "Resources" to "Sciences" in order to better reflect its programs and distinguish itself from the field of human resources. Then, in a university restructuring which split the College of Arts and Sciences in 2003, Senior Vice President and Provost Mark McNamee levied the current name of College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Academics
In 2010–11, the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences was the second largest of the university's eight colleges in terms of enrollment. The college contains the School of Education, the School of Performing Arts and Cinema, 14 academic departments, and three ROTC programs.
School of Education
The Virginia Tech School of Education offers master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees in 23 areas of professional education, leadership (K-12 and higher education), counseling, an instructional design and technology. The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, the Department of Learning Sciences and Technologies, and the Department of Teaching and Learning form the School of Education. The School of Education has been accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) since 1973.
School of Performing Arts
The School of Performing Arts is an administrative, programmatic unit within the university, bringing together the faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Music, the Department of Theatre, and the Department of Cinema. The school's mission is to elevate awareness and expand the impact of the shared creative experience through discovery, learning, and engagement.
On July 5, 2022, it was announced the School of Performing Arts was being transferred to the newly renamed College of Architecture, Arts, and Design.
Departments
The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences offers multiple undergraduate and graduate degrees through its 12 academic departments and two schools:
Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT) Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management Communication English History Human Development and Family Science Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Philosophy Political Science Religion and Culture School of Education School of Public and International Affairs Science, Technology, and Society Sociology
ROTC programs
The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences houses the university's Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC programs. The goal of the ROTC programs is to prepare cadets to become commissioned officers on active duty upon graduation, and Virginia Tech's programs have had success in reaching this goal. Since 2005, the Air Force ROTC program has had eighty-nine percent of its graduates who wanted rated positions earn them. In addition, ninety percent of the Naval ROTC's graduating midshipmen in 2010 received their first choice for service selection.
Research, outreach, and creative scholarship
The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences has connections to research facilities and local community service organizations that often allow students to gain experience in their major-related fields. Students can also initiate their own research ideas through the college's Undergraduate Research Institute. In addition, the university's Moss Arts Center includes a 1,260-seat performance theatre, visual arts galleries, and the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology.