School of Arts and Sciences

Art & Art History | Biology | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Communication & Media | English | Environmental Sciences & Sustainability | Gender, Diversity and Social Justice | History | Languages & Cultural Studies | Mathematics | Neuroscience | Philosophy | Physics | Political Science & Public Policy | Psychology | Public Administration & Affairs | Religious & Theological Studies | Spiritual Direction | Spirituality | Visual & Performing Arts

Nurture Critical Thinking

The School of Arts and Sciences is the bedrock and intellectual core of Merrimack’s Augustinian values and academics. Through the arts, humanities and life sciences, students are exposed to diverse ideas, theories and perspectives that nurture critical thinking and problem-solving skills transferable to many careers and fields.

Fueled by collaboration, creativity and curiosity, we nurture a scholarly environment energized by spirited classroom discussions, mentorship, service-learning, emerging research, study abroad and internships.

Recognizing Merrimack's Community of Scholars

Research & Creative Achievement Conference

The Research & Creative Achievement Conference (RCAC) highlights original creative and innovative work by students, faculty and staff.

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Career Outcomes Rate

92% of the undergraduate class of 2022 in Arts and Sciences were either employed, participating in voluntary service, or continuing their education within nine months of graduation.

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Student-Faculty Ratio

With a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, you’ll get to know your professors — experts who have literally been there and done that and want to help you do the same.

Graduate School

Merrimack, New England School of Law, George Washington University and Boston College are just some of the graduate programs Arts and Sciences graduates are attending.

TOP HIRING & INTERNSHIP COMPANIES

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Biology Professor Receives NSF Grant

Associate Professor, Dr. Azam Noori, will use the nearly $400,000 award from the National Science Foundation to study how nanomaterials impact plant life and human health.

Undergraduate Majors and Graduate Programs

The School of Arts and Sciences offers a number of undergraduate majors, minors, master’s degrees and graduate certificates. With online, hybrid and on-campus options, you’ll find a program that works best for you.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE

EXPLORE ARTS AND SCIENCES

Explore all the School of Arts and Sciences has to offer inside and outside of the classroom to tailor your experience to your unique needs, goals and dreams. 

Author reading book at the Writers House

The Writers House is a place where poets, fiction writers, scholars, journalists, graphic novelists and filmmakers can connect with and inspire the Merrimack community.

Rogers Center For The Arts

Explore all facets of artistic expression at the Rogers Center for the Arts on the Merrimack campus where you can enjoy or participate in theater, music, film and visual art.

Photography for Merrimack College.

If you're an undeclared major, you'll be encouraged to discover the direction you want to pursue in your life and career with this academic advising program.

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With an arts and sciences fellowship at Merrimack College, you are reducing the cost of your tuition while expanding your professional network and job experience.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Earning my bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College has greatly contributed to my personal and professional success post-graduation.

Because Merrimack allowed me to pursue a dual degree in areas of specialty, I was a very attractive candidate for jobs, and I was well equipped to begin teaching multiple history and civics courses. I also maintain contact with some peers and professors who have supported my post-graduate journey.”

Haley Rizzo ’20
History & Political Science Major
Social Studies Teacher, Malden Public Schools

Student, Faculty & Staff Highlights

Trym Kyvaag
Undergraduate Student
“I had two internships for a Norwegian Tech company named “Tunable”. My first year I worked with automating that data processing and machine learning workflows Tunable use to train spectroscopic models for our analyzers. The work ranged from scripting in bash and programming in python, to configuring Jenkins pipelines."
B.S., Mathematics and Computer Science
Laura O'connor
Graduate Student
"The Master's of Spirituality focused on your personal relationships with your higher power. The program was interfaith, & open to everyone from all different backgrounds. One of the best parts of this program is that you get close within your cohort due to the nature of the classes."
Laura O’Connor M'23
M.A., Spirituality
Manikandan
Faculty Member
After working for more than 20 years in life sciences and research in the pharmaceutical industry and academia, Santhanaraman is the first manager of Merrimack College’s Shared Instrumentation and Research Facility (SIRF).
Shared Instrument Facility Manager
Bella Perrotta '26 standing with a guitar.
Undergraduate Student
"I chose Merrimack after meeting the welcoming faculty and staff within the Visual and Performing Arts Department. I have always felt encouraged to pursue my dreams at Merrimack, and know I have support from my instructors."
Bella Perrotta '26
B.A., Music
Jackson McCarty
Graduate Student
"Getting my master's degree at Merrimack means that I can learn with professors who can build relationships with me, making it easier to understand my strengths and weaknesses with more personalized attention."
Jackson McCarty '23, M'24
M.A., Communication

Division 1 Football Player

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Faculty Member
Associate Professor and Master's of Communication Program Director Dr. Andrew Tollison's passion for research in healthcare communication has brought him 16 publications and 69 peer-reviewed conference presentations.
Associate Professor,
Communication & Media
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Undergraduate Student
“Merrimack, for me, was special because where labs were hands-on from your first year. This is something I did not see at other schools, and it made me excited and confident about the skills I would learn here at Merrimack.”
B.S., Biochemistry
JPHR
Graduate Student
"When the opportunity to continue my education arose through the Master's of Science in Biology program at Merrimack, I was able to continue on with my research and learned a lot through my experience."
M.S., Biology
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Faculty Member
Assistant Professor Jonathan Latiano, MFA, has curated the current exhibition "The Space Between Things" at the McCoy Art Gallery featuring brand new artwork by three Boston-area artists, on display until November 17.
Assistant Professor,
Art/Art History
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Undergraduate Student
"My summer internship held at Cape Anne Whale Watch is doing a fantastic job of preparing me for my future professional work, as it is giving me great hands-on experience of what collecting data within the field is like."
B.S., Biology
connorpowell
Graduate Student
"Getting my graduate degree at Merrimack has allowed me to prepare for the workload of a full-time job and it gave me extra experience through my fellowship to just get much more knowledge in the field I wanted to pursue.”
M.A., Communication
Employer: Boston Bruins
noori
Faculty Member
As a result of hard work, Dr. Noori recently received a three-year, $399,338 grant to study how microscopic materials impact the cells and essential nutrients of selected plant species from the National Science Foundation.
Associate Professor,
Biology
Student theatre production at Roger's Center

Get Involved: Clubs & Organizations

There are endless opportunities to get involved at Merrimack and right within the School of Arts and Sciences.

Gain different perspectives, put learning into action and learn from peers and faculty advisors through one of our School of Arts and Sciences clubs:

  • Art Warriors
  • Club Sports at Merrimack
  • Criminology Club
  • Film Club
  • Gaming Club
  • Gender Equality at Merrimack
  • Graduate Student Senate
  • Live to Give
  • Mackapella
  • Merrimack Television Club
  • Onstagers Dramatic Society
  • Panhellenic Council
  • Unity House
  • WMCK Radio

SCHOOL NEWS

Andrew Cote, assistant professor of practice and assistant director of bands, also presented at this year’s National Association of Music Merchants Show in Anaheim, CA.

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE

Dr. Daniel Herda, chair and associate professor in the Department of Sociology, recently published a book titled “Chicago’s Reckoning,” which discusses the complicated history of race, politics, and policing in Chicago to explain how crime works from the top down through urban political machines and the elite figures who dominate them. The book was just awarded the American Society of Criminology Division of Communities and Places’s James Short Senior Scholar Award.