The School of Humanities houses eight departments. The links below will guide you to their websites for information on their faculty members and their undergraduate and graduate courses of study.
For undergraduates, a total of 18 distinct majors are offered by the departments. Check out our centers and programs for more faculty, more majors, and for minors. For graduate students, five of our departments offer the PhD degree, and faculty in the other three departments may be called upon as well.
The Department of Art History offers a lively range of courses on art and architecture from antiquity to the present. Our superb faculty often utilize the museum resources in Houston, which are among the best in the nation. Art History offers the BA and the PhD.
Classical and European Studies is a new and vibrant department, research-centered and student friendly. There are four academic programs in the Cultural and European Studies department: Classical Studies, European Studies, French Studies, and German Studies and our faculty fulfill leadership roles in the interdisciplinary minor Politics, Law, and Social Thought.
One of the largest departments at Rice, English is nonetheless small enough to foster a sense of community, where faculty are aware of and invested in the intellectual development of students as they proceed through its programs. English offers the BA and the PhD.
We are a community of scholars and students passionate about studying the past in order to help us understand our contemporary world. In the History Department, Rice students learn with accomplished scholars in small classroom settings. Our faculty enjoy teaching, and many have been recognized with awards for exceptional teaching. The skills learned in history courses—how to sift through enormous amounts of information, how to read texts critically, how to write effective prose—are broadly applicable to many fields and careers. History offers the BA and the PhD.
The study of philosophy provides a training in expressing thoughts clearly and precisely, in defending one’s ideas, and in evaluating the positions of others. Quite simply, philosophy gives training in critical thinking. Philosophy offers the BA and the PhD.
The Department of Religion is dedicated to describing and analyzing all forms of religion and religious behavior, with a wide variety of philosophical, historical, social-scientific, theological, and literary methods. Religion offers the BA and the PhD. For graduate students, it offers the Graduate Certificate in Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism.
Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies offers two majors. A student majoring in Spanish and Portuguese will graduate with a solid command of language as well as a broad knowledge of some of the world’s richest cultures. A student majoring in Latin American Studies will graduate with language competency and experience abroad. Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies offers the BA.
Visual and Dramatic Arts gives students the opportunity to focus their art education in one of three concentrations: Studio Art, Theatre, or Film/Photography. Visual and Dramatic Arts offers the BA.
The Department of Art History offers a lively range of courses on art and architecture from antiquity to the present. Our superb faculty often utilize the museum resources in Houston, which are among the best in the nation. Art History offers the BA and the PhD.
Classical and European Studies is a new and vibrant department, research-centered and student friendly. There are four academic programs in the Cultural and European Studies department: Classical Studies, European Studies, French Studies, and German Studies and our faculty fulfill leadership roles in the interdisciplinary minor Politics, Law, and Social Thought.
One of the largest departments at Rice, English is nonetheless small enough to foster a sense of community, where faculty are aware of and invested in the intellectual development of students as they proceed through its programs. English offers the BA and the PhD.
We are a community of scholars and students passionate about studying the past in order to help us understand our contemporary world. In the History Department, Rice students learn with accomplished scholars in small classroom settings. Our faculty enjoy teaching, and many have been recognized with awards for exceptional teaching. The skills learned in history courses—how to sift through enormous amounts of information, how to read texts critically, how to write effective prose—are broadly applicable to many fields and careers.
The study of philosophy provides a training in expressing thoughts clearly and precisely, in defending one’s ideas, and in evaluating the positions of others. Quite simply, philosophy gives training in critical thinking. Philosophy offers the BA and the PhD.
The Department of Religion is dedicated to describing and analyzing all forms of religion and religious behavior, with a wide variety of philosophical, historical, social-scientific, theological, and literary methods. Religion offers the BA and the PhD. For graduate students, it offers the Graduate Certificate in Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism.
Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies offers two majors. A student majoring in Spanish and Portuguese will graduate with a solid command of language as well as a broad knowledge of some of the world’s richest cultures. A student majoring in Latin American Studies will graduate with language competency and experience abroad. Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies offers the BA.
Visual and Dramatic Arts gives students the opportunity to focus their art education in one of three concentrations: Studio Art, Theatre, or Film/Photography. Visual and Dramatic Arts offers the BA.
