UPRM College of Arts and Sciences


The UPRM College of Arts and Sciences is one of four colleges of University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. The College of Arts and Sciences is the major college of UPRM.

History

The faculty was created when Luis Stefani was heading the Colegio. The School of Science was organized in 1943 according to the provisions of the University Act
of 1942, and was authorized to grant the degree of Bachelor of Science in the fields of Biology,
Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, and Physics. A Division of General Studies was set up later,
independently, with the purpose of offering a series of introductory or basic courses. The School of Science and the Division of General Studies were fused to form the College of Arts and Sciences of the Mayagüez Campus in 1959.

Academics

The Bachelor of Science degree is offered in the areas of Biology, Industrial Microbiology, Industrial Biotechnology, Chemistry, Geology, Pure Mathematics, Nursing, Physical Sciences, Pre-Medical Studies, Theoretical Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics Education. A Minor in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology is also offered by the Department of Physics.
The Bachelor of Arts degree is offered in English, Hispanic Studies, French Language and Literature, Philosophy, Comparative Literature, Plastic Arts, Theory of Art, History, General Social Sciences, Sociology, Political Science, Psychology, Economics, and Physical Education. It also offers a Film Certificate through the English Department.
At present the College offers graduate instruction leading to the degree of Master of Science in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Marine Sciences, Mathematics and Physics as well as the Master of Arts in Hispanic Studies and the teaching of English as a second language.
In 1972, the College initiated a program leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Sciences. The Mayagüez Campus is the only institution in Puerto Rico offering a Ph.D. in this field. The Applied Chemistry Ph.D. program started in 2004. A multidisciplinary doctorate degree in Computer Information Science and Engineering is offered in collaboration between the Mathematics and the Electric and Computer Engineering Departments.

Departments

The College of Arts and Sciences currently consists of 14 departments:

Publication

The Caribbean Journal of Science is a triannual peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal publishing articles, research notes, and book reviews related to science in the Caribbean, with an emphasis on botany, zoology, ecology, conservation biology, geology, archaeology, and paleontology. The journal was established in 1961 with the sponsorship of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.