Aerial photograph of Bascom Hall and surrounding buildings. Photo by Jeff Miller, University Communications

Aerial photograph of Bascom Hall and surrounding buildings. Photo by Jeff Miller, University Communications

About the College of Letters & Science

The College of Letters & Science teaches students to make a good living and lead a good life.  We are the  largest academic unit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the heart of this great institution.

The strength of Letters & Science is the people.  L&S is home to more than 800 faculty, 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 190,000 living alumni.

We invite you to learn more about our strategic priorities and discover how our liberal arts tradition is helping Wisconsin and the World.

On Wisconsin!

Gary Sandefur, Dean
College of Letters & Science

Fast Facts: An Overview of the College of Letters & Science at UW-Madison

Dean
Gary Sandefur

Faculty

Students

Credit Hours

Academic Offerings

The College of Letters & Science is comprised of 39 departments, 22 non-departmental academic programs, 70 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes, and five professional schools across three broad divisions: arts and humanities, physical and natural sciences, and the social sciences. 

Popular Majors

UW Madison's five most popular majors are in L&S.

1. Economics 462 
2. Political Science 449
3. Biology* 431 
4. History  362 
5. Psychology  361 

 

*The Biology major is offered jointly with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Total Degrees Conferred

Alumni

Total living alumni: 178,658 (2012)

Research Funding

Total Extramural Research Awards: $121.0 million (2011-12)
Federal Research Awards: $105.1 million (2011-12)