Undergraduate Programs

In the Africana Studies program students will research, acquire and disseminate information about the historical and social experiences of Africans and people of African descent on all sides of the Atlantic basin. This is Special emphasis is placed on those experiences within the United States. Courses are offered for major and minor plans of study.

The American Studies program is an interdisciplinary study of American culture and society, and explores the place of the United States in an increasingly interconnected world. The program places analysis on globalization and encourages a hemispheric perspective by exploring interests in the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin American, the Pacific Rim and other border crossings.

The Program in Cuban Studies at the University of Miami embraces an inter- and multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Cuba’s past, present, and future. Courses in the program are offered in departments across the College of Arts & Sciences as well as several other colleges and schools.

From experts on Cuban history, contemporary politics, and foreign relations, to specialists in Cuban literature, visual art, music, and religious traditions, affiliate faculty study Cuba in all time periods and through a variety of lenses and perspectives. Students of the program have the rare opportunity to develop country-specific expertise at a university with the largest archival collection of Cuban materials outside of the island (the Cuban Heritage Collection), a significant Cuban American student population, and in the heart of Cuba’s diaspora. The program understands the study of Cuban exile and diaspora communities around the world as central to its mission, just as it stresses the importance of understanding Cuba in comparative perspective.

In the Ecosystem Science and Policy program students will acquire a broad background in environmental issues from a variety of perspectives, along with in-depth education in an area of specialization. Students leave the program with the theoretical background and technical skills to pursue environmental careers in teaching, research, government, and private industries.

The Global Health Studies program allows students to examine the underlying problems of health and medicine in pre-COVID and post-COVID society. Three tracks are available: a BS track for Pre-Med majors looking to expand their health education, and both Humanities and Social Sciences tracks for those who wish to pursue a B.A. and dive deeper into the sociocultural conditions that effect wellness around the world.

The Gender and Sexuality Studies program encourages the investigation of gender as a significant issue in all areas of the human experience. It reaches across disciplines to draw on a range of methods, theories, and perspectives that help us to understand how ideas and structures based on gender shape our lives. The program's core objective is to foster the examination, open discussion, and lively debate of gender issues.

Innovation and Society centers the needs of humans facing significant global challenges by infusing design thinking and data science as core competencies within a liberal arts framework. Working in a highly collaborative setting, students are immersed in solving real-world problems across disciplines and majors, often with community partners.

The curriculum for the Innovation and Society Co-Major consists of 24 credit hours (18 credit hours in the co-major and 6 credits generally double counted with the primary major) and is available to any student as a secondary major. The co-major cannot be taken as a stand-alone major. All students must be completing another undergraduate major within the university.

The Judaic Studies program is a broad, flexible, non-theological interdisciplinary program designed for undergraduates to gain an understanding of Jewish civilization and its diverse cultural experiences. The program is an academic exploration of the multi-faceted, socio-historical, 4,000-year record of the Jewish people. Courses highlight the variety of cultural, politcal, social and religious experiences of Jews in different times and places.

The Latin American Studies program is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the politics, economics, cultures and societies of Latin America and the Caribbean. Our students become true experts who can speak to a wide range of issues confronting Latin America; experts who can contribute proactively to development and cooperation as well as to business and political analysis.

The Advanced Program for Integrated Science and Math (PRISM) provides a strong foundation in math and science with an emphasis on scientific research. In the program, students will not just memorize formulas; they will understand how they come together in medicines, treatments, and technologies with a real-world impact. PRISM students will make meaningful connections between disciplines and uncover new solutions along the way. 

The College of Arts & Sciences’ da Vinci Program - inspired by artist, humanist, and scientific genius Leonardo da Vinci - aims to enhance the opportunities for incoming freshman and sophomore students to explore the interdisciplinary connections among the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.

The Native and Global Indigenous Studies (NAGIS) is an interdisciplinary project that aims to make the Indigenous past and present of South Florida, our hemisphere, and the world a meaningful realm of scholarly inquiry and social engagement at the University of Miami.

NAGIS developed out of an understanding that indigeneity comprises a compendium of social, political, and cultural realities and identifications with concrete implications for UM, South Florida, the Americas, and the world. Our commitment to anti-racism and social justice includes acknowledging and addressing the land theft, genocide, ethnocide, cultural erasure, and diverse sociopolitical challenges that Indigenous populations have faced in the US and globally. To this end, NAGIS brings together scholars, staff, and students from many schools and colleges to work together and in collaboration with Indigenous peoples locally, nationally, and internationally.

The Directed Independent Language Study (DILS) program is designed to give motivated students the opportunity to study languages not currently offered through traditional classroom instruction at the University of Miami. The goal of the program is to assist students with gaining linguistic and cultural competence primarily through active conversation in the language of their choice.