Students in class working with instruments and their computers
Giving Opportunities

College of Humanities and Fine Arts

UMass Amherst’s College of Humanities and Fine Arts fosters exploration of vital human questions through the lenses of linguists, architects, historians, philosophers, artists, and writers.  

The Cultural Heart of UMass Amherst 

What makes us human? This is just one of many fundamental questions scholars and artists seek to answer through humanities and fine arts disciplines. 

UMass Amherst aims to equip students, faculty, and community members with the creativity and critical-thinking skills needed to promote greater understanding across society. You can help us build a more inclusive, just, and inspiring future.  

Our vision

Fostering creativity in every realm

The humanities and fine arts spur ingenuity by elevating diverse voices, perspectives, and cultural traditions. The UMass Amherst College of Humanities and Fine Arts seeks to expand and enrich the opportunities it provides for individuals to examine our collective humanity from a variety of angles. 

10%
of UMass Amherst undergraduates are HFA majors.
48.8%
of HFA classes have 20 or less students
800
UMass Amherst alumni helping to lead institutions in Massachusetts’s creative economy. 

Initiatives for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts 

Undergraduate scholarships

Scholarship support will make the HFA experience available to more students from diverse backgrounds and allow them to concentrate fully on their education. 

Student support programming 

Student support programming, like the HFA Opportunity Students Program, enriches our students’ holistic development through mentoring, academic advising, and career exploration opportunities. 

Experiential learning opportunities

Hands-on learning activities allow students to gain confidence as creators, collaborators, and communicators. We seek to expand student access to internships, artistic partnerships with faculty, and research opportunities. 

Faculty and artist-in-residence support

HFA faculty regularly test the limits of their disciplines and inspire students to broaden their thinking. We must create endowed professorships, research funds, and artist-in-residence support to attract and retain top talent.

“Going to UMass helped me to grow and develop as a performer and as a human being.”

Natalie Lewis
Mezzo Soprano, Bayerische Staatsoper’s Opera Studio, Munich, Germany
Natalie Lewis

Campaign Progress: $21,700,000

Goal: $35.5M
61%
Graphic of top secret document entitled "United States - Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967, a sticker celebrating the 50th anniversary of the pentagon papers release, photo of Daniel Ellsberg and a cover of the New York Times reading " Vietnam Archive: Pentagon Study Traces 3 Decades of Growing US Involvement"
Spotlight on the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy

Creating a more just, transparent, and accountable society

In 2019, UMass Amherst acquired the papers of Daniel Ellsberg, one of America’s most famous whistleblowers and activists. The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy uses these sources to address threats to freedom and democracy posed by war, authoritarianism, imperialism, nuclear weapons, and environmental catastrophe.

Archival Photo from Slavery North's website
Spotlight on the Slavery North Initiative 

Filling gaps in the historical record

With a three-year, $2.65 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, the Slavery North initiative at UMass is a one-of-a-kind destination where scholars, thinkers, and artists research and build community to transform society’s understanding of transatlantic slavery in Canada and the northern United States.

Ready to learn more about the College of Humanities and Fine Arts?