Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University

Programme overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Arts and Humanities is an interdisciplinary major in Michigan State University's Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH), where students live and learn together in Snyder-Phillips Hall on MSU's north campus. The major uses the arts and humanities to build collaborative, community-engaged approaches to complex social problems, with hands-on learning in the RCAH Poetry Center, LookOut! Art Gallery, RCAH Theatre and Language and Media Center.

Faculty: College of Arts and Letters | Department: School of Residential Community-Engaged Arts and Humanities (RCAH) | Duration: 120 credits (Bachelor of Arts) | Study mode: full-time | Location: East Lansing, MI, United States

What you will study

Students take 32 credits of foundation courses (including The Presence of the Past, Transcultural Relations, Writing in Transcultural Contexts, Introduction to the Arts and Humanities, Introduction to Community Engagement and Foundations of Language and Culture Studies), then follow one of four pathways: Arts, Community Engagement, Language and Culture, or Humanities. Requirements also include 15 credits at 300-level or above outside RCAH, a minimum 50-hour experiential learning opportunity (internship, faculty-directed project or study abroad), a language and cultural studies requirement and the RCAH 492 Senior Seminar capstone.

Official programme page

Application information

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Most first-year students enter in the fall semester. Admission to other semesters may be limited or not available at all.

Transfer applicants can apply for fall (August start), spring (January start) and summer (May start) semesters. International transfer students are not eligible for summer admission.

First-year early action deadline is Nov. 1 (non-binding), with an admission decision by Jan. 15 and the acceptance fee due by May 1. Regular admission has a Feb. 1 priority deadline (decision by Mar. 31) and a final application deadline of Apr. 1, with rolling decisions after Feb. 1. MSU is test optional: applicants may apply without an ACT or SAT score.

The first-year application fee is $75 (or an application fee waiver if eligible). First-year applicants can apply through the MSU application or the Coalition application with Scoir. The application for fall 2027 opens in August.

International first-year applicants have the same deadlines: early action Nov. 1, priority Feb. 1, final Apr. 1, acceptance fee by May 1.

Transfer application deadlines: fall April 1, spring open until capacity is reached, summer March 1. International transfer applicants for fall have a March 1 deadline and must pay the acceptance fee by April 1.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.msu.edu/apply/first-year

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