Take control of your education with the Arts and Letters self-designed major. This flexible program lets you create a customized course of study that combines different areas of the arts and humanities, giving you the freedom to explore your interests and prepare for your goals.
Choose a primary and secondary concentration from art, art education, communication, dance, design, English, languages, music, philosophy, or theater. By bringing multiple disciplines together, you can develop a broader set of skills and create an academic path that reflects your interests, strengths, and career plans.
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Degree Offered
Arts and Letters, B.A.: The B.A. in Arts and Letters gives you the flexibility to build a customized major around your interests and goals. Explore human expression, creativity, and culture across multiple disciplines while developing strong communication, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. With this broad foundation, graduates are prepared for careers in areas such as marketing, business, law, human resources, event planning, customer relations, and cultural tourism. An internship can provide valuable experience and help you stand out to employers.
The arts and letters program teaches students to think critically, analyze core beliefs and values, write and present ideas clearly, read comprehensively, and recognize and respect different cultures and modes of expression. These critical skills make graduates valuable employees and valuable members of society, no matter which paths they ultimately pursue. Students who combined disciplines within the humanities have pursued multiple professional positions including:
- Actor
- Artist
- Art Administrator
- Communication Specialist
- Community Educator
- Dancer
- Graphic Designer
- Music Director
- Set Designer
- Television Producer
- Theater Director
- Writer
There are countless clubs, events, internships, and scholarships available to arts and letters students across all fields of study.
ART
Community Access to Art: More than 21 museums, galleries, and art studios are located throughout historic Buffalo.
Creative Expressions Learning Community: This is a residence hall for art majors.
Visual Arts Board: This board is dedicated to uniting Buffalo State’s visual arts community.
ART EDUCATION
Art Partners: Buffalo State students teach and engage Buffalo Public Schools students who have developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and/or have experienced adverse life circumstances such as poverty.
Art Education Association Student Chapter: This active nationally affiliated group initiates numerous professional development activities that help students polish leadership skills, work with seasoned teachers, and socialize with their peers.
Czurles-Nelson and Margaret Eschner Bacon Galleries: Two on-campus galleries dedicated to supporting visual arts at Buffalo State provide forums for student and faculty creative expression and exhibition space. There are opportunities throughout the year for students to exhibit.
COMMUNICATION
The Record: Buffalo State’s student-run newspaper provides a venue for students to work as reporters and editors covering all aspects of campus news.
WBNY 91.3FM: The student-operated radio station broadcasts music, news, and sports. Students serve as DJs, news and sports reporters, talk show hosts, and producers.
BFT Productions: The student-run television station, Bengal Film & Television Productions, is a student-run media collaborative owned by United Students Government. It programs campus news, sporting events, and other original programs on-campus and online.
PRSSA: The Public Relations Society of America’s student chapter holds programming and networking opportunities for students interested in public relations and advertising careers.
DANCE
The National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA): The NHSDA Collegiate Program honors the accomplishments of outstanding students in a dance major, minor, or elective program.
The Buffalo State Dance Association: This association provides the chance for all dance students to meet other dancers, work within the community, raise money to benefit dance education, take part in master classes, and host professional events.
DESIGN
Explore Buffalo Partnership: This is an opportunity for interior design student to explore Buffalo’s unique architectural heritage.
Sienna Study Abroad Program: This program provides chances for students to study in Sienna, Italy, for a semester.
Fashion Students Association: This group unites students with an interest in fashion.
ENGLISH
The English Education Student Association: This group, open to both majors and non-majors, provides networking and professional opportunities for students.
Elm Leaves Journal: Buffalo State's renowned literary journal since 1948. An international literary journal, publishing work from authors across the globe. The journal's editing and publication are tied to one of Buffalo State's own publishing courses.
Portrait is the Student Literary Arts Journal at Buffalo State. Portrait, at its core, aims to provide our student body with an outlet to express themselves and share their art, whether visual, literary, or somewhere in between.
LANGUAGES
Journey's End Refugee Services: Students can get involved in this community organization, which provides our students with opportunities to teach English to local children.
Study abroad: Students can engage in study abroad experiences in several countries.
MUSIC
Music Forum: This lecture-workshop series on campus explores topics of interest to music majors.
Study abroad opportunities in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Africa, and beyond.
PHILOSOPHY
The Faculty-Student Colloquia: Each semester, the department hosts a colloquia series to discuss novel concepts, emerging theories, and new ideas. The spirit behind this series is to provide a venue for friendly and focused discussion between students and faculty.
EURO/AURA/USRF: Philosophy faculty have a long history of mentoring qualified students pursuing research through the Early Undergraduate Research Opportunity (EURO), Advanced Undergraduate Research Award (AURA), and Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship (USRF) programs.
THEATER
Casting Hall Productions: The student-operated theater production company provides students with practical experience in all aspects of the campus theater production, including publicity, costume and set construction, technical staffing, and production management.
The Anne Frank Project: Inspired by the wisdom of the Holocaust victim Anne Frank, this annual campus festival uses storytelling as a vehicle for community-building, conflict resolution, and identity exploration.
Bengal Pause Thursday Performance Series: This platform for theater students to perform short works on Thursdays during the academic year.