Engaged Liberal Arts

Wake Forest students in the First Year Experience class

Theory meets world.

Wake Forest University embraces the Engaged Liberal Arts.

This philosophy is the cross section where classroom concepts meet real-world experience. It emphasizes the strengths of liberal-arts learning: flexibility, creativity, problem solving, communication, critical thinking, and analysis.

We invite students to explore themselves and their world, as global citizens committed to discovering their passions and talents, and to lead lives in keeping with our motto of Pro Humanitate.

And for our faculty, the Engaged Liberal Arts is a spectrum that invites inventiveness to engage students in experiential learning across disciplines and areas of study. Some include short classroom exercises; others are entire project-based courses. It might be a series of talks interpreting a film through the lens of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Health and Exercise Science, or French. It could be combining literature with physics for a semester-long collaboration to teach STEM to elementary-school students, or even an in-class performance of a scene from a Spanish play to provide perspective and context for an advanced language course.

It’s about embracing the interdisciplinary culture of the liberal arts to achieve deeper understanding in order to meet the world’s needs.

The Engaged Liberal Arts mindset is limitless. We continue to discover new ways to bring a deep, humanity-driven focus to the pursuit of learning and discovery, and we hope you’ll join us.

Did You Know?  

Over the past eight years, 80% of graduates have declared a second major and/or a minor or minors.

Students’ engaged experiences with faculty create a lasting impact not only on what they learn but how they learn, including retention and analysis.
The Engaged Liberal Arts allows students to create structured learning environments beyond the classroom, extending into our Wake Forest community, both in Winston-Salem and beyond.
The Engaged Liberal Arts allows faculty members to create mentorship opportunities between our students, our faculty, and our Wake Forest community.
The Engaged Liberal Arts provides both theoretical and practical exploration, at the intersection of disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge and public life.

What’s next?

Keep Exploring

Exciting things happen at Wake Forest every day! Check out additional topics to discover your niche and where you’ll leave your mark as a Demon Deacon, and learn more about affordability and explore our residence halls.

Secure Your Seat

Learn more about how to enroll and make your deposit.

Register for Campus Day

Welcome home, Deac! Are you ready for a sneak peek into your next four years? Join us for Campus Day on either Friday, April 5, or Monday, April 8. It’s your chance to explore the Forest and get a feel for what makes this place so special.

Connect with Students and Faculty

Start a conversation with a current Wake Forest student or faculty member. We’ll send you a text to see which majors you’re interested in, and we’ll make the connection!

WFU28 Resources

Majors & Minors

Take a closer look at our majors and minors and discover what inspires you.

WFU Facts

Check out our Viewbook and visit our facts and stats page to see what makes Wake Forest special.

Questions?

Reach out to your regional dean, who will be more than happy to answer them.