As a Newcomb-Tulane College student, you have the opportunity to pursue programs and degrees in over 70 subject areas offered by five undergraduate schools. If you're curious about a given major and its potential career pathways, use the information below to explore.
Do not feel limited to the suggestions, but take this information as a starting point to pursue the myriad opportunities available to Tulane students and alumni.
If you find a major of interest, schedule an appointment with a Newcomb-Tulane College academic advisor to review the major requirements.
*indicates coordinate major (must be pursued in conjunction with a separate primary major)
Africana studies offers a broad course of interdisciplinary study relating to Africans, people of African descent, and the context of the African Diaspora. Drawing on diverse methodologies and disciplinary formations, Africana studies teaches students to think analytically and critically about global Black experiences across space and time. Africana studies also trains students to make intellectual connections among global, national, and local contexts.
Anthropologists study the origin and the physical, social, and cultural development and behavior of humans. They may study the way of life, archaeological remains, languages, music, art, architecture, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. Some compare the customs, values, and social patterns of different cultures. Anthropologists usually concentrate in one of four areas: socio-cultural anthropology, archeology, linguistics, or biological-physical anthropology.
Architecture is the art and science of designing and supervising the erection of buildings and similar structures. Architects consider the engineering, utility, history, location, style, and theme of buildings and built environments. The study of architecture is also the study of the spatial relationship between humans and the natural world or other societies, providing a window into the environment, climate, history, ceremonies, and artistic sensibility of those societies, as well as insight into the activity of daily life.
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The discipline of art history imparts visual and intellectual skills for apprehending and understanding art works past and present. It opens up historical and cultural contexts for critical readings of works of art and architecture. It discloses how objects and spaces were conceived, produced and functioned, as well as how they were discussed and valued over time, and how they themselves became active agents of culture. In reading and thinking critically about art objects, our students learn how to conduct research, analyze visual and written sources, and develop cogent arguments delivered orally and in writing.
Art history at Tulane focuses largely on Europe and the Americas, the latter including the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Art history shares many scholarly pursuits within the humanities, including history, language and literature, film, theater and dance, and architecture.
Art is the study of the various creative means of expressing human thoughts, interests, attitudes, emotions, and ideas.
The Newcomb Art Department offers a diverse yet intensive curriculum with a strong emphasis on mastery of media, formal issues, and conceptual investigation. The formal elements and perceptual skills are emphasized and examined in the Foundations of Art courses offered at the entry level. Intermediate and upper-level courses provide focus in specific media. Students can choose to concentrate in one of the following areas: Ceramics, Digital Arts, Glass, Painting and Drawing, Photography, Printmaking, or Sculpture or they can also create a combination of areas to focus their creative endeavors. Each area is well appointed with excellent facilities, equipment and knowledgeable faculty.
A major in Asian studies at Tulane combines courses offered by several departments: anthropology, economics, history, political institutions, and sociology. Asian studies is a combined major, with a corresponding major from the School of Liberal Arts. Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese are offered with the goal of basic proficiency in at least one language. Coursework and topics range from the fall of the Ming dynasty to contemporary political movements to the sociology of Asian countries. Traditional and historic tenants of Hinduism and Buddhism are explored as well as contemporary reflections on two of the world’s oldest religions. A major in Asian studies is a valuable way to contrast U.S. and Asian culture as well as to better understand the socio-cultural diversity of Asia.
Biological chemistry, or biochemistry, is the study of life at the molecular level. The major in biological chemistry focuses on providing training so students can apply the concepts and methods of the physical sciences to the solution of biological problems. The major provides an excellent introduction to graduate work in biochemistry, biotechnology and medical research as well as a strong preparation for medical school.
The umbrella term “biomedical engineering” (BME) covers any application of engineering techniques and principles to problems and processes of biology or medicine. Students who pursue a major in BME at Tulane first acquire a rigorous engineering education, which becomes a springboard to concentrated study of biomaterials, bioelectronics, bioelectricity, biomechanics and tissue engineering during the second half of their undergraduate career. The undergraduate curriculum is primarily designed to prepare undergraduates for advanced study in clinical medicine, biomedical engineering, or related fields.
Cell and molecular biology (CMB) investigates the structures and functions of the cell, the basic unit of life, as well as the mechanisms by which living systems function, develop, and interact with their environment. Cell biology seeks to explain cell structure, organization of the organelles they contain, their physiological properties, metabolic processes, signaling pathways, life cycle, and interactions with their environment. Students majoring in CMB also study the molecular basis of biological activity, including the interactions between DNA, RNA, and proteins and their biosynthesis, as well as the regulation of these interactions. The CMB curriculum at Tulane prepares students for advanced study and research in medicine, biology, and biotechnology.
Chemical engineering is a branch of engineering that applies the principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and math to solve problems that involve the production or use of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food, and more. Chemical engineers work in almost every industry and affect the production of almost every article manufactured on an industrial scale. The CHEM-E curriculum includes coursework in advanced chemistry as well as engineering-related areas such as heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and process design and control.
Chemistry is a branch of physical science that studies the composition, structure, properties and change of matter. The chemistry curriculum at Tulane combines broad based training in the major areas of chemistry (biochemistry, inorganic, organic and physical) with a firm foundation in mathematics and physics.
A Classical Studies major at Tulane explores the ancient languages (Latin, Greek, and Hebrew), the fields of Greek, Roman and Near Eastern archaeology, ancient history, ancient religion (Greek, Roman, ancient Judaism, and early Christianity), and ancient culture in general. These ancient teachings are the foundation for many modern societies and are the basis of further lines of study such as linguistics, archeology, religion, philosophy, art history, fine arts, sociology, ancient history, communications and law.
The coordinate major in cognitive studies combines a regular major with a core curriculum in three tracks: formal disciplines, philosophical foundations and psychology. The program is designed to provide basic knowledge of current research on mind, cognition, and language.
The major in Communication provides students with an understanding of theories, processes, and practices of human communication. Communication studies the use of language and speech for social purposes. Scholars in communication examine the basic structures and processes of communication by which people manage relationships, maintain social/cultural institutions and structures, and accomplish tasks.
Computer Science is the scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications. It is the systematic study of the reasoning, structure, expression, and mechanization of the algorithms that underlie the acquisition, representation, processing, storage, communication of, and access of encoded information. A computer scientist specializes in the theory behind computation and the design of computational systems.
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The study of dance is the study of various types of movement. At Tulane the types of movement studied include: ballet, modern dance, tap dance, jazz dance, African dance, and Brazilian dance. The Dance curriculum involves not only performance and practicum, but the study of the history of dance and its relative lighting and design in a theater setting.
The coordinate major in digital media production offers students coursework in the art, craft, and technology of film, television, video, animation and sound production. The program is interdisciplinary and can include courses from Music, Theatre and Dance, Communication, Art, and English.
Ecology and evolutionary biology is the study of biological systems using plant, animal, and microbial organisms as models. Students who major in this discipline study the mechanisms and effects of organic evolution; the interactions among plants, animals, and the environment; and the effects of human activities on the biosphere – locally and globally.
Economics is the study of the production, consumption and distribution of goods and services. Economic study attempts to clarify how the use of natural, technological, and financial resources affect human beings. Economics draws on history, philosophy, and mathematics to confront topics ranging from how households or businesses can make solid decisions to societal issues such as unemployment, inflation, crime, and environmental decay.
Tulane’s interdisciplinary engineering physics program provides students with a broad science and mathematics background similar to that of Tulane’s traditional physics major, combined with a strong grounding in engineering design and the application of physics principles to practical engineering problems. The curriculum is characterized by a strong emphasis on modern physics and its application to 21st century technology, including new materials, quantum electronics, nanofabrication, and devices.
The English Major seeks to expose students to a wide range of literary works and critical methodologies, to develop an awareness of the forms, histories, and contexts of literary works, and to cultivate fundamental skills of critical reading and writing.
Environmental biologists study how populations of plants and animals live and interact with their environments. Areas of emphasis include biodiversity, conservation biology, and ecology. The environmental biology curriculum at Tulane is geared towards students who are planning for a career or further study in conservation biology, environmental preservation, human health, and public policy.
The environmental earth science major combines a broad background in the natural sciences with a major curriculum that includes traditional geology courses on rocks, fossils and minerals to courses on coastal environment, natural disasters, river systems, sedimentary environments, and so forth. Students receive broad exposure to environmental problems, as well as training in essential problem-solving skills, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Environmental Informatics (EI).
Environmental studies is multidisciplinary academic field that systematically studies human interaction with the environment in the interests of solving complex problems. It is a broad field of study that includes the natural environment, the built environment, and the sets of relationships between them. The environmental studies major at Tulane is an interdisciplinary major that draws courses from the School of Liberal Arts, School of Sciences and Engineering, School of Public Health, School of Business, and School of Architecture.
A Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Tulane School of Professional Advancement is ideal for anyone interested in promoting a healthy lifestyle and working in clinical healthcare settings. This program provides students with foundational knowledge in the biomechanical, physiological, and psychological aspects of physical activity and its impact on health, society, and quality of life.
This program is a great foundational step for a future career as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, athletic trainer, exercise physiologist, personal trainer, fitness instructor, or chiropractic assistant. It is also a good fit for those who are already working in the healthcare field.
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Film studies adopts a critical, theoretical, and historical approach to the analysis of individual films and to the study of cinema from the silent era to the contemporary period. Courses analyze film as a medium that employs specific formal strategies that shape meaning and they investigate wider debates about cinema as a cultural form and as an industrial and institutional practice. A number of courses also investigate various national cinemas focusing on the history, industrial organization, and cultural implications of cinema in specific national contexts. Film studies may be combined with a range of other majors; and students are encouraged to integrate production-oriented courses and programs with film studies.
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The major in French at Tulane is designed to provide students with the necessary skills to communicate effectively in French both orally and in writing. The French program further seeks to familiarize students with the most influential literary, philosophical, critical, and cinematographic works in French, properly understood within their cultural and historical context; to introduce them to the major social and political developments that have shaped the Francophone world; and to provide them with an understanding of the structure of the French language, attitudes towards its use, and the variation it displays across time, geographical space, and social groups.
The interdisciplinary investigation of gender and sexuality as social, cultural, and political phenomena.
The major in geology provides students with an understanding of the materials that make up the Earth, the history of the Earth, and physical, chemical, and biological processes that have operated on and within the Earth throughout its history.
German studies a field of humanities that researches German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. German studies majors explore the culture, literature, and language of the German-speaking countries and peoples. The Tulane Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies includes classes on German culture, German history, and German politics in addition to the language and literature component.
The Greek major offers students the chance to study the language and literature, art and archeology, and ancient history of Greece and the larger Greco-Roman world.
The study of health and wellness encompasses nutrition, personal fitness, health evaluation, risk behaviors, as well as healthy behavior changes. It is an appropriate major for students interested in working in healthcare or assisted living facilities, for nonprofits or corporations, or even independently. Areas of focus could include nutrition, wellness, stress management, behavioral health, and fitness training.
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History is the study of people, events, belief systems, material realities and cultural values of the past and their influence on the present. The study of history is an exploration of cause-and-effect relationships in human affairs in attempt to understand the power and complexity of the past in shaping the contemporary human condition.
The major combines a series of core courses in security and emergency management skills with elective course options in a range of liberal arts and science disciplines, such as political science, sociology, or earth and environmental science.
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The B.S.in Information Technology offers flexible major tracks aligned with industry employment needs. Students in this program will be prepared to pursue careers in information technology, cybersecurity, technology management, and programming. The curriculum balances advanced problem-solving techniques and business acumen with practical solutions for IT problems.
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Italian involves the study of the language, literature and culture of Italy. The major at Tulane starts with language instruction in each of the four areas of fluency: speaking, listening, reading, and writing; upper level electives include courses in Italian film, literature, history from Roman times to the present day, and culture.
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Jewish studies represents an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Jews, their history, religion, language, thought, culture, literature, and music. The Tulane program uses methods of history to gain accurate insights into the Jews' past; sociological analysis to find the larger patterns of Jewish behavior and social interaction; and the study of philosophy to examine the comprehensive understandings of humanity and nature proposed by Jewish thinkers. In addition, language, literature and musicology are studied in order to explore the diverse cultural creations of the Jews and the method of social anthropology allows students to characterize Jewish religion and to define its impact upon the lives of its past and present adherents.
The Latin major offers students the chance to study the language and literature, art and archeology, and history of Ancient Rome and the larger Greco-Roman world.
Latin American studies is an interdisciplinary study of the culture, history, language, politics, art, and lifestyle of the various peoples and nations of Latin America.
The legal studies in business major allows students to explore the intersection of business and law, while gaining a comprehensive foundation in business subjects through the BSM core curriculum. Specialized topics of study and potential career fields include human resources, insurance, real estate, government, contract negotiations, and global operations.
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Linguistics is the scientific study of language, it's structure and use. It seeks to discover the rules and representations of languages and the interpretation of languages in context. All human languages share some traits, while diverging in particulars. Linguists may describe both universal and specific traits of language and of languages. This knowledge can be applied to a broad spectrum of problems from bilingual education to artificial intelligence, second language learning to conflict resolution.
Management encompasses a series of interrelated steps taken by firms and their leaders to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage over their competitors. These steps include analyzing and understanding the competitive forces in the environment in which the organization operates and assessing and developing the material and human resources capabilities that the firm needs in order to improve individual, group, and organizational performance.
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The American Marketing Association has defined marketing as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."
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Mathematics the study of topics such as quantity (numbers), structure, space, and change. Through the use of abstraction and logic, mathematics developed from counting, calculation, measurement, and the systematic study of the shapes and motions of physical objects. Mathematicians seek out patterns and use them to formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proof. When mathematical structures are good models of real phenomena, then mathematical reasoning can provide insight or predictions about nature.
MEMS is a multidisciplinary program with a focus on the history and cultures of the medieval and early modern world (from the fourth through the seventeenth centuries). Course may be drawn from a variety of departments in the School of Liberal Arts, such as Art History, Asian Studies, Classical Studies, English, French and Italian, Germanic and Slavic Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Spanish and Portuguese
The study of music focuses on the art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, etc.
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The MCGS program at Tulane is an interdisciplinary program that explores the intersection of music and culture in the regional Gulf South. The coordinate major requires courses in Music, Anthropology, History, Theater and Dance, and has elective offerings in English, African Diaspora Studies, Communication, and French.
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The Musical Theatre B.F.A. is a voice-focused program, with additional requirements for acting and dance. The curriculum stresses vocal training and year-round participation in our musical theatre ensemble, Musical Theatre Workshop, as well as courses in music theory, and musicology. Admission to the Musical Theatre B.F.A. program is based on an audition, which takes place during the sophomore year.
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As an academic discipline, neuroscience seeks to understand the role of the nervous system in regulating physiological and behavioral processes. It is a multidisciplinary branch of biology that deals with the anatomy, biochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology of neurons and neural circuits.
Philosophy is a branch of the humanities which involves the study of truths or principles underlying all knowledge. For some 2,500 years, it has inspired us to examine, question, and understand our beliefs and values. Students of philosophy explore cultural ideals, learn to think analytically and critically, deepen their knowledge of ethics, and become familiar with some of the most important figures in the history of thought. Tulane’s philosophy major specializes in ethics and political philosophy, both contemporary and historical.
Physics is the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy, and includes the study of mechanics, heat, light and other radiation, sound, electricity, magnetism, and the structure of atoms. Physics is the foundation for our understanding of the natural world, spanning the ultimate depths within subatomic nuclei to distances beyond the known universe. Physics provides a basis for other sciences, including chemistry, biology, astronomy, and geology.
Political economy is a comprehensive field of study which encompasses the areas of economics, political science, history and philosophy. The discipline is concerned with the role of public policy in influencing the economic and social welfare of a political unit (i.e., a town, state, nation, etc.). Political scientists study production and trade, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth.
Political science is the study of the origin, development, and operation of political systems and public policy. Studying topics such as public opinion, political decision-making, ideology, and public policy, political scientists analyze the structure and operation of governments as well as various political entities. They conduct research on a wide range of subjects such as relations between the United States and other countries, the institutions and political life of nations, the politics of small towns or a major metropolis, or the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, to name a few.
The Portuguese major offers students the opportunity to study the language, culture, literature and history of Portugal and the wider Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) world. At Tulane, Portuguese is a coordinate major, which means it must be paired with a separate primary major.
As an academic discipline, psychology involves the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.
A major in early childhood education allows students to take courses that provide a strong foundation in child development, family studies, and early childhood education.
Public health addresses health at a broad level, and seeks to promote healthy lifestyles, help to develop policies, conduct education campaigns, confront the spread of infectious disease, conduct research to improve methods, and use data to track and measure health status and the effectiveness of health programs.
The Bachelor of Science in Real Estate (BSRE) is a comprehensive undergraduate major that teaches the core concepts of real estate including real estate finance and project management, while integrating unique offerings including design and related environmental concerns. Traditional career paths include real estate investment and financial analysis, project design and development, asset and portfolio management, and urban planning and policy.
The Real Estate Summer Minor Institute is an intensive, 8-week program designed to help students obtain the essential knowledge and skills for entry level positions and careers in the real estate industry, both residential and commercial. The program provides a strong foundation on Real Estate as a business, specifically focusing on careers as a real estate investor, owner or developer, in real estate finance and in real estate consulting. In addition, the minor provides robust knowledge in real estate market analysis, due diligence, legal concepts, project analysis, and tax credits. The program also encourages sustainability by preparing students to take the LEED GA exam.
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The Russian major allows students to study the language, culture, history, and literature of Russia.
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The study and development of social policy, typically within a governmental or political setting, including guidelines, legislation, or activities designed to impact and improve human welfare.
Sociology is the systematic study of the development, structure, collective behavior, and functioning of organized groups of human beings (i.e., societies). Particular attention is payed to the existence and persistence of social problems.
The Spanish major allows students to study the language, culture, history, and literature of the Spanish-speaking world.
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is dedicated to the study of languages, literatures, and cultures of Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. Our department offers a wide variety of undergraduate classes, from basic language instruction in Spanish and Portuguese to upper-level courses in literature, culture, and film. Undergraduates may pursue majors and minors in Spanish and Portuguese, or a Joint Major in Spanish and Portuguese.
The study of theater is both a theoretical and practical exploration of acting, costume design, directing, lighting design, management, scene design, technical production, history, theory and criticism, all as it pertains to live dramatic performance.
