Who are the Undergraduate Students of CLA?
Did you know?
CLA creates more job-ready graduates than any other educational institution in Minnesota.
CLA undergraduate students never stop discovering.
They investigate the causes and solutions to some of our most pressing issues, like closing the opportunity gap, building vibrant communities, addressing climate change, and protecting human rights. They gain core competencies to prepare them for whatever comes next—personally, professionally, and publicly. And in turn, they become the future-oriented leaders our community needs.
We are Minnesota's opportunity college
- 12,631 undergraduate students
- 60+ undergraduate majors, 70 minors
- 69% of our students are from MN
- More than 26% of our students are first-gen
- 41% are students of color or American Indian
Some fast facts:
Problem-solvers, world citizens, and changemakers
This spirit of discovery opens the door to some truly transformative and distinct opportunities at the College of Liberal Arts.
Through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), service-learning, publicly engaged teaching and research activities, and other experiences, undergraduates are mentored by instructors and advanced students who can model the process of discovery and innovation inside and outside the classroom. Students earn funding, conduct research, and set their own timeline to complete their projects.
Additionally, the Dean's First-Year Research & Creative Scholars Program (DFRACS) provides exceptional CLA first-year students, freshmen and transfers with the high impact opportunity to engage in a professor's research or creative project.
DFRACS highlighted in The Minnesota Daily
Associate Professor Cindy Garcia invited her Dean's First-Year Research & Creative Scholars Program mentee to join her on an eight-day residency in Cuba during the 2022-23 school year. During this residency, they conducted research on doll makers specializing in black dolls as part of a broader multimedia collective project titled "Contours."
UMN program offers first-year students guided research opportunity
To facilitate both student and faculty participation in undergraduate research opportunities, 15 CLA academic departments now require a research component in their senior capstone course:
- psychology
- global studies
- English
- Spanish studies
- economics
- art history
- linguistics
- developmental psychology
- communication studies
- Jewish studies
- religious studies
- human physiology
- sociology
- anthropology
- art
Undergraduate research with real-world application
The Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Conference returned for its ninth year on April 7, with students from Global Studies and Spanish & Portuguese Studies showcasing their latest research.
Student Research Shines at Ninth Annual Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Conference
Psychology alum and scholarship recipient Elias Drake graduated years ago, but still looks back fondly on the research he conducted for his honors thesis on morphine addiction in rats.
Fourth-year undergraduate student Livia Mickschl shares her hopes for research on the justice norm in the UN Security Council and ICC with the Human Rights Program.
History major Ryken Farr's research project focuses on nuanced consequences of the propaganda and advertising distributed by Zionist organizations and US-based fundraising groups targeting Jewish displaced persons after the Second World War.
Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences major Enengy Schutt traveled to NYU to take a deep dive into research in the field of communication sciences and disorders.
Enengy Schutt's Summer Research Project at NYU on Speech Perception
CLA students are also global scholars.
One in four participate in a study abroad program annually—exploring and recognizing their place in the world.
Though my learning abroad program wasn’t specific to either of my majors, I got to take some incredibly cool English classes at the University of Glasgow last fall. One was on modernism & gender and another explored the fantastic & the real in Scottish literature. I loved hearing the perspectives of peers with lived experiences that are drastically different from mine. It was also interesting to see how much variation there is between the English degree in America and the English degree in the U.K.
— Sarah Horner (BA ‘24, strategic communication; English)
Recent graduates Madlyn Ott and Jasmine Rouzegar had the chance to travel to Sicily to study human rights and immigration. It became an amazing experience to research an issue as it unfolded.
During the Summer 2023 term, Hannah Belyn studied abroad as a part of the Study & Intern in Madrid program, an immersive experience in Spanish culture and politics.
Kaia Brands joined the Student Media Team while studying abroad, helping her connect with friends & family at home, gain community, and engage in her program in new ways.
Did you know?
CLA has collaborated with GREATER MSP to make the Twin Cities a national hotspot for college internships and early talent development.
And CLA students are leaders and changemakers in their communities.
Thanks to our ideal location in the heart of the Twin Cities' business and non-profit communities, internship opportunities are limitless. Nowhere beats the Twin Cities for liberal arts students to put classwork to work, grow their networks, and build their futures, whether interning at the Capitol, a Fortune 500 company, health-related organizations, the thriving arts scene, or within the vast network of nonprofits.
I took a fall internship offer and decided to join the [internship] class in hopes to prepare and be equipped with relevant skills for my internship. I'm glad I did so because the class has taught me work skills and etiquette that helped me remain composed and ready for the internship. It also taught me the roles and expectations as an employee and what I should do when faced with a challenging situation. I'm also grateful to receive the CLA internship scholarship that made my internship experience a lot more enriching and smooth sailing.Yasmeen Iman Junaidi Jaafar, (BA '24, economics)
Get involved with our students by hosting a Pre-Internship Project
We offer pre-internship projects as a stepping stone to future internships and career opportunities. As a participating organization in a pre-internship project, you will be supporting students’ career development, building your brand in CLA, getting a preview of students’ work for your internship opportunities, and you’ll get fresh ideas to enhance a program or initiative; or strengthen your capacity to serve your community.
Sometimes, the community is the classroom
This spring, CLA students traveled together across the South and investigated and interrogated truths from the Civil Rights Movement as they listened to stories from past and present-day civil rights leaders. Check out their journey recap: MLK 3000 Immersion Experience.
Did you know?
All CLA sophomores take CLA 3002, Career Kickstarter: Finding Internships and Other Career-Related Experiences, a course built as part of CLA’s robust Career Readiness Initiative, designed to help students articulate the Core Competencies they develop through their liberal arts education.
Empathetic leaders who lean into curiosity
The liberal arts have always been a foundation to live a good and satisfying life. And now, the economy and society are shifting in the direction where the skills and knowledge developed in CLA are even more in demand.
A liberal arts education gives CLA students the training they need to develop an entrepreneurial mindset; to ask probing questions; to wonder why and what if; and to become empathetic and inventive and future-oriented leaders.
“Once you get your first opportunity, things will lead into other opportunities; you just form a web that gets you to where you want to go.” – Dilshan Rajan
“College should serve as the opportunity for those students to foster their desire to learn and improve their lives, not to feel left out and misplaced.” – Yusra Hassan
“Historical trauma is an actual issue in Ojibwe communities. Reclaiming Ojibwe identity is healing. My community needs that healing. I wouldn't want to spend my time any other way.” – Jaeden King
The new Dakota language major connects both heritage and non-heritage students with the Dakota language and traditions.
Graduates who are prepared for purpose-filled lives
You are ready to lead with empathy and compassion because you have explored the depths of human experience through literature, history, and the arts. And you are ready to make a difference because you understand the power of ideas to shape societies and transform lives.
Interim Dean Ann Waltner to the Class of 2024
After graduation, I am returning to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as I have accepted a job offer from Petronas to work as an executive in the strategy and business development division of the company’s gas sector. I am so excited to start working, and I hope to make a difference and grow professionally within the company.
After I complete my undergraduate degree, I'll be continuing my education here for an additional year of graduate school to get my teaching license and complete my Master's in English Education.
I plan to further my education in psychology at the graduate level, aspiring to become a therapist who intertwines the disciplines of painting and psychology. My goal is to integrate these passions to forge a distinctive therapeutic approach, enriching the healing process through the combined power of art and psychological insight.
I will be returning to the University of Minnesota to receive a graduate degree in social studies education. After completing the program I aspire to be a history teacher!
I plan to further my education in psychology at the graduate level, aspiring to become a therapist who intertwines the disciplines of painting and psychology. My goal is to integrate these passions to forge a distinctive therapeutic approach, enriching the healing process through the combined power of art and psychological insight.
Following my graduation from the University of Minnesota, I will be doing a year of service in AmeriCorps through College Possible as a College Access Coach. I plan to take a few years off to gain work experience in education and nonprofit work before returning to pursue a master's degree in public policy or International affairs.
I want to create a better community for children. I plan to further my research for children and work towards ensuring they receive quality education and nurturing. Additionally, I want to build a community where caregivers can share their concerns, discuss challenges related to raising children, and find the support they need. I believe after graduation, I will be involved in laying the groundwork for this community-focused initiative.
My dream job is to one day become a director of an Ojibwe Immersion school on my reservation in Mille Lacs. I want to write curriculums in the Ojibwe Language. I hope to create history books, children's books and young-adult books in the Ojibwe Language for students to learn from.
87% of 2022 CLA graduates are placed in jobs, military, or graduate degree programs!
