The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters is recognized for the outstanding educational experience it offers students in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Architecture and Public Administration.
Our community regards the College as a regional hub of creativity showcased by its performing and visual arts. The college is home to award-winning authors, fellows of distinguished scholarly societies, Fulbright scholars, and critically acclaimed artists , all of whom work closely with students on collaborative research and artistic projects. The dedicated faculty of distinguished scholars, researchers, and artists across 18 academic programs offer 26 bachelor’s degrees, 17 minors, 12 certificate programs and 20 graduate degrees – including a PhD in Comparative Studies and an Architecture professional degree program – that combine the best of a traditional and liberal arts education with cutting-edge instruction in emerging fields.
A hallmark of the College is its commitment to experiential learning opportunities for students at all levels of the curriculum, including faculty-led study abroad programs, archeological digs around the world, commercial recording studio, various student media outlets (newspaper, radio, TV), the award-winning Leon Charney Diplomacy Program, The LeRoy Collins Public Ethics Academy, the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government, and competitive internships in myriad organizations and businesses that seek the critical and creative thinking skills our students offer. Arts and Letters faculty across all disciplines are actively involved in scholarly research and creative production.
The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters includes many public performance and exhibition spaces. Performance spaces include the 500-seat University Theatre, two black box theaters, and FAU’s resident professional theater company, Theatre Lab. Annually, these venues present more than 30 concerts, eight-to-twelve different theater performances, three dance performances and numerous lectures. There are also two galleries on campus; the Schmidt Center Gallery and the Ritter Art Gallery. Each gallery presents four to six exhibitions during the academic year. Theaters in the Living Room Theaters complex are used for film study classes in our College’s School of Communication during the day, and are open at night and on weekends showing independent and foreign films, and serving lunch and dinner. The College Is also home to the Avron B. Fogelman Sports Memorabilia Museum, which offers Internship opportunities for students, and the MetroLAB, both a community design collaborative and a storefront exhibit and assembly space, which is a hub for design activities and presentation of student and faculty work.