On Purpose: Portrait of the International College

The College of Liberal Arts is the international college at the University of Minnesota.

CLA is the place where languages, cultures, societies, and institutions are studied in depth and at a fine grain.

We can claim an impressive density of diverse scholarship devoted to international and transnational studies.

Our faculty are leaders in producing research and creative work that speaks to critical global issues, from human rights to the environmental humanities to migration.

They produce innovative, creative work that transcends national boundaries through collaboration with colleagues from around the world. They conduct pathbreaking research that has a far-reaching and significant impact abroad and at home.

We are committed to preparing students for life in a globalized world. CLA is home to more than 300 faculty members across 31 academic units offering over 1,400 courses with globally focused content.

The more than two dozen languages that we teach represent cultures found around the globe and in Minnesota. Through language study, our students connect to new cultures or deepen their understanding of their own past.

Our students take advantage of numerous learning-abroad opportunities through formal study programs, international internships, and global research projects.

In an era when many see globalization as threatening, CLA embraces its challenges. We have committed to our role as the international college with the hiring of an exciting cohort of new faculty who are pushing the boundaries of international research and opening students to new worlds.

In CLA, we know that the future is global.