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Academics Expand Programs Academic Calendar Academic Success The Liberal Arts Undergraduate Research Study Abroad Service Learning Honors Program Ramsey Library Admission & Aid Expand Apply Request Information Visit UNCA in Your Town Meet Your Counselor Financial Aid Tuition & Fees Preparing for College Admitted Students Orientation Student Accounts Student Life Expand Campus Map Health and Counseling Living Dining Campus Recreation Highsmith Student Union Multicultural Affairs Transportation Safety Facilities Traditions Wellness Careers Expand Career Center Work at UNCA Athletics Events & News Expand Events Calendar News and Press UNC Asheville Magazine Conferences, Camps, and Events Social Media Directory Annual ReportExpand Mission & Values Quick Facts Rankings Our Location Accreditation Leadership Annual Security and Fire Safety Report Campus Operations For the Community Policies Institutional Research, Effectiveness & Planning Contact Us Giving Login Apply Toggle Menu WELCOME TO UNC ASHEVILLE where it all starts. Request Information This Is UNC Asheville What if you started where exploration and innovation meet? At the heart of undergraduate research and hands-on learning? At the center for curiosity and collaboration? Here at UNC Asheville, you never have to ask What if?” Instead, you ask What’s next?” Education for Tomorrow’s Leaders Encounter the liberal arts and sciences in a dynamically shifting, radically evolving world through UNC Asheville’s 90+ academic programs. Our diverse academic environment nurtures excellence and innovation in popular majors such as psychology, English, business, environmental studies, biology, art, and computer science, along with other unique areas of study such as new media, mechatronics, atmospheric sciences, and so much more. And the classroom is just the beginning. Hone your skills, make connections, and discover new passions in one of our 60+ student organizations and clubs. Discover Majors and Programs Clubs and Activities You can have diverse interests, and you can let yourself go in multiple directions. No one way is less valuable or less valid than any other. It just makes your understanding of that topic so much richer, and I think that makes me a better person and a better historian every day.” Liz Torres Melendez – Class of 2018 Assistant Site Manager at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum Thanks to the McCullough Fellowship, I was able to partner with the Food Justice Planning Initiative to conduct research and analysis on communication around food work in Western North Carolina. I would love to go to graduate school for journalism and continue learning about community-partnered research and reporting.” Addison Wright – Class of 2024 Mass Communication / Political Science double major Being at a small school, I’ve really valued having such a great relationship with my professors and so much one-on-one support. I really love and value that here.” Gabbie Moneymaker – Class of 2023 Biology major After I graduate from UNC Asheville, I plan on going to graduate school to pursue mycological research. I’m really glad I got this opportunity to work on something that I’m passionate about!” Ari Puentes – Class of 2024 Biology Major, Barry Goldwater Scholarship Winner Almost all of my professional development happened while I was at UNC Asheville. The academic environment the professors fostered was so welcoming that I had the time to not only do school, but also do some more extracurricular, professional building. All of the education there really was just top notch. I feel like I’m well prepared and really well connected moving forward.” Evan Fisher – Class of 2023 Atmospheric Science I tell people this all the time, and I really mean this: one of the best decisions that I ever made was to go back to school and to do it at UNC Asheville.” Shawn Winebrenner – Class of 2019 Bachelor of Fine Arts and Teacher Licensure Alumnus, Elementary Visual Arts Teacher UNC Asheville, especially the Political Science Department, will always have my heart. It’s a great program filled with great professors who want to see you succeed, and it’s been very valuable to me to have professors support my path through college.” Jessie Frank – Class of 2023 Political Science major, Student Athlete, Associate Editor of Dignity – undergraduate human rights journal I was at [another school] for my first year, and it was 33,000 people versus 3,300 here, and 300 people lecture classes versus 21 person classes here. I’ve made a lot of great relationships with professors.” Jacob Diehn – Class of 2023 Economics major, Environmental Studies minor Having small classes and being close with my professors, that was definitely one of the positives here. I talked to other people from big universities, and they just didn’t have the same experience.” Veronika Mojik – Class of 2023 Biology and Chemistry double major I knew coming out of high school I liked engineering, but I didn’t exactly know what industry I wanted to work in. This work gave me a glimpse of the future. It helped affirm for me that I want to apply engineering to something that benefits the world. Using engineering to better the environment seems like a noble way to spend your life.” Trevor Goldston – Class of 2025 Mechatronics Engineering major When you have a humanities program, when you have ethics classes, every student in every discipline is being taught that big picture aspect they have in what they do and the effect it has on the world. When that is always front and center in the curriculum here and in the community’s engagement with the campus, that changes the dynamic.” Karen Brinson Bell – Class of 1996 Executive Director of the NC State Board of Elections The biology department here is pretty amazing; it’s small enough to make it a close knit learning environment but we also have so many resources to get hands-on experience, which is a big deal for undergraduates in science.” Michelle Paredes – Class of 2024 Biology Major I really like the way the education program was mostly focusing on getting a math degree with the licensure part added on to it as opposed to education focus with math on the side. I wanted to have my math degree to fall back on. That was part of why I chose UNC Asheville. It’s also small, I do better within a smaller school, so it’s perfect.” Mikayla Wright – Class of 2022 Math and teacher licensure alumna, Buncombe County Beginning Teacher of the Year 2024 Meet Your Mentors Embrace extraordinary experiences in the liberal arts and sciences alongside faculty who are intentional about fostering growth at every turn. At UNC Asheville, dedicated faculty mentors guide you toward your next great adventure, whether it’s developing treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, pitching your social-entrepreneurship business plan, or installing your first art exhibition. Undergraduate Research I think it’s important for students to be engaged in work that can positively impact the community. I think it’s important for those of us in academia to produce information that can help the community, that serves the community, and that is in the interests of the community.” Kathleen Lawlor Associate Professor of Economics I value teaching immensely and believe that engaged, energetic, and thoughtful teaching is one of the most important contributions that I can make. Indeed, my most profound conviction is that learning is transformative and liberatory. ” Keya Maitra Professor of Philosophy Nothing brings more satisfaction to me than seeing my students succeed in their chosen endeavors. This honor is providing the fuel for the continuous pursuit of my lifelong passion of helping my students reach their highest potential.” Lei Han Professor of New Media Asheville Is Your Classroom At UNC Asheville, you’ll find a university that believes in you and a city that inspires you. Asheville is one of the U.S. News and World Report ’s Best Places to Live in the U.S. (2022–23),...