About School Arts and Humanities
Introduction
The School of Arts and Humanities is one of six academic schools at the University of Cambridge and comprises eight faculties, the University’s Language Centre, and various interdisciplinary research centres including the ground-breaking interdisciplinary centre CRASSH (Centre for Research in Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities). The School is proud to support excellence across a wide breadth of arts and humanities disciplines – ranging from the practical in Architecture to the highly theoretical in Philosophy. As one of the smaller Schools at Cambridge, but diverse in subject coverage and with a wide scope of expertise, the School provides a unique environment for intensive collaboration and sharing across the faculties in all aspects of teaching, research, student supervision and external partnerships. We also work closely with our sister School, Humanities and Social Sciences, to host joint undergraduate degrees and collaborative research projects.
Vision
Our vision is to uphold the excellence of the School of Arts and Humanities in research, and in undergraduate and graduate teaching and supervision, while enhancing our capacity to undertake world-leading and life-changing innovative, interdisciplinary research and teaching.
Our Environment
Sidgwick site
Most of the School’s faculties, along with a number of faculties from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, are located on the University’s Sidgwick Site, west of the city centre. The site is situated across from the University Library, one of only five legal deposit libraries in the UK, and home to more than eight million books, journals, manuscripts and other items.
The City of Cambridge
As a city with a rich cultural heritage and beautiful historic built environment, Cambridge has a reputation for its history and tradition, but also a centre of innovation. Cambridge is located 50 miles north-east of London and less than one hour by train.
Cambridge is a diverse city with an international outlook. It is renowned for its innovation ecosystem, termed ‘The Cambridge phenomenon’ comprising over 1,500 companies employing 50,000 people.
Cambridge is home to the world’s first association football match and the place where James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA.
Alongside a rich cultural tradition, Cambridge also boasts a lively arts and culture scene.
The University of Cambridge has eight museums which contain more than five million works of art, artefacts and specimens, making it the UK’s highest concentration of internationally important collections outside of London.
Our Partners
The School’s faculties, research centres, research groups and individuals have a wide range of partnerships with universities, companies and public organisations in the UK, Europe and throughout the world. Our academics and students attend and host international conferences, visiting scholars and exchange students from countries around the world.
The School has partnerships with the following organisations:
The School in Numbers
The School is home to:
- Over 2,500 undergraduate students
- 400 masters-level students
- More than 600 students at doctoral level
- 600 members of academic, research and administrative staff
Governance
School committees are part of the University’s governance structure which, as an exempt charity entrusted with public funds, has a duty to manage its finances, estate and people in an open, transparent and legally compliant manner.
More information about University governance is available on the Governance website.
The School committees provide the School with strategic leadership and executive management. They are chaired by the Head of School and involve representatives from our faculties, the Language Centre and CRASSH.
The School committees are:
- The School Council
- Graduate Education Committee
- Research Committee
- Resources and Planning Group
The School also manages a number of forum and working groups which are not part of the formal governance structure:
- Arts and Humanities Research Strategy Forum
- Heads of Institutions
- Joint Space Planning Group
- Joint Undergraduate Admissions group
Alumni and Philanthropy
The School of Arts and Humanities supports excellence across the full breadth of arts and humanities subjects, providing a unique environment in which innovative, collaborative research and teaching contributes to the study of human culture, informing and enriching how we live.
Alumni are able to support directly each of the School’s eight faculties, and to have a direct impact on the lives of students through bursaries, graduate studentships and teaching posts.
By choosing to give towards the School of Arts and Humanities, you will enhance the intellectual lives of students, preserve some of the finest library and museum collections in the UK, and enable researchers to push the boundaries of knowledge in the pursuit of excellence.
To support the School of Arts and Humanities, click here.