School of Arts and Sciences

Art & Art History | Biology | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Communication & Media | English | Environmental Sciences & Sustainability | Gender, Diversity and Social Justice | History | Languages & Cultural Studies | Mathematics | Neuroscience | Philosophy | Physics | Political Science & Public Policy | Psychology | Public Administration | Religious & Theological Studies | Spiritual Direction | Spirituality | Visual & Performing Arts

Nurture Critical Thinking

The School of Arts and Sciences is the bedrock and intellectual core of Merrimack’s Augustinian values and academics. Through the arts, humanities and life sciences, students are exposed to diverse ideas, theories and perspectives that nurture critical thinking and problem-solving skills transferable to many careers and fields.

Fueled by collaboration, creativity and curiosity, we nurture a scholarly environment energized by spirited classroom discussions, mentorship, service-learning, emerging research, study abroad and internships.

Photography for Merrimack College.

Undergraduate Open House

Sunday, October 20, 2024 
from 10:30 am 
to 3:30 pm

Learn more about our schools and programs, tour campus and residence halls, check out our student clubs/organizations and meet members of our community!

Recognizing Merrimack's Community of Scholars

Research & Creative Achievement Conference

The Research & Creative Achievement Conference (RCAC) highlights original creative and innovative work by students, faculty and staff.

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Career Outcomes Rate

94% of the undergraduate class of 2023 in Arts and Sciences were either employed, participating in voluntary service, or continuing their education within nine months of graduation.

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Student-Faculty Ratio

With a 14:1 student-faculty ratio, you’ll get to know your professors — experts who have literally been there and done that and want to help you do the same.

Graduate School

Merrimack, New England School of Law, George Washington University and Boston College are just some of the graduate programs Arts and Sciences graduates are attending.

TOP HIRING & INTERNSHIP COMPANIES

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Biology Professor Receives NSF Grant

Associate Professor, Dr. Azam Noori, will use the nearly $400,000 award from the National Science Foundation to study how nanomaterials impact plant life and human health.

Undergraduate Majors and Graduate Programs

The School of Arts and Sciences offers a number of undergraduate majors, minors, master’s degrees and graduate certificates. With online, hybrid and on-campus options, you’ll find a program that works best for you.

Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A.)
Bachelor's Degree Completion Program
Online
Applied Physics (B.S.)
Combined major
On Campus
Biology (B.A.)
On Campus
Biology (B.S.)
On Campus
Biology (M.S.)
We are currently redesigning our biology master's degree.
On Campus
Business Communication (B.A.)
Combined major
On Campus
Chemistry (B.S.)
On Campus
Communication (M.A.)
On Campus, Hybrid
English (B.A.)
On Campus
Environmental Data Science (B.S.)
Combined major
On Campus
Forensic Science (B.S.)
Combined major
On Campus
Health Sciences and Spanish (B.S.)
Combined major
On Campus
History (B.A.)
On Campus
Humanities (B.A.)
On Campus
Interactive Design (B.A.)
Combined major
On Campus
International Policy Studies (B.A.)
Combined major
On Campus
Mathematics (B.A.)
On Campus
Music (B.A.)
On Campus
Philosophy (B.A.)
On Campus
Psychology (B.A.)
Bachelor's Degree Completion Program
Online
Psychology (B.S.)
On Campus
Public Health and Spanish (B.S.)
Combined major
On Campus
Spiritual Direction (M.A.)
Choose from online (synchronous), on-campus or a combination.
On Campus, Online, Hybrid
Spirituality (M.A.)
Choose from online (synchronous), on-campus or a combination.
On Campus, Online, Hybrid
Strategic Communication (B.A.)
Bachelor's Degree Completion Program
Online
Undecided (B.S. or B.A.)
Undeclared major? Undecided students can explore different fields of study while staying on track for graduation.
On Campus
CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE

EXPLORE ARTS AND SCIENCES

Explore all the School of Arts and Sciences has to offer inside and outside of the classroom to tailor your experience to your unique needs, goals and dreams. 

Author reading book at the Writers House

The English House is a place where students can attend English classes, stop by to chat with English faculty, make tea and take a book to a quiet corner, or connect with the Merrimack community.

Rogers Center For The Arts

Explore all facets of artistic expression at the Rogers Center for the Arts on the Merrimack campus where you can enjoy or participate in theater, music, film and visual art.

Photography for Merrimack College.

If you're an undeclared major, you'll be encouraged to discover the direction you want to pursue in your life and career with this academic advising program.

Student smiling in lab wearing lab coat and lab glasses

With an arts and sciences fellowship at Merrimack College, you are reducing the cost of your tuition while expanding your professional network and job experience.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Deana’s time spent with Dr. McDowell helped spark her interest in environmental science, and she gained a great deal of skills because of their time working together.

“Dr. McDowell has taught me a lot of really valuable skills and concepts throughout the years I’ve gotten to work with him, but I think one of the most important things he’s taught me is that the questions we ask in science are more important than the answers. Sometimes we don’t get the answers we might think we need or want, but if we focus on curiosity and passion for learning, we can truly never go wrong.”

Deana Hutcheson ’22, M’23
Biology Major  
Environmental Scientist at VHB

Student, Faculty & Staff Highlights

Mariia Diahilieva ’26
Undergraduate Student
Mariia is Merrimack’s Student Government Association president, a member of the honors program, and a double major. "If you want to make lasting connections and have a college experience that feels like family, the Honors Program is the place to be."
B.S., Chemistry and Data Science
Tim Leahy
Graduate Student
"Merrimack is providing me with the exact program, learning and growth environment, and resources with great faculty that I was looking for at this transition time in my life.” Tim feels the program has exceeded his expectations and given life to his “third career.”
Certificate, Spiritual Direction
18144_LauraKurdziel
Faculty Member
“I take it as a personal challenge to make ions moving across a membrane sound as exciting as I possibly can,” said Kurdziel, a member of the psychology faculty. ”I kind of take it as a badge of pride if I can convert my students into liking neuroscience.”
Associate Professor, Psychology
Grace Pimental '24
Undergraduate Student
"During my internship at Northeast Arc, I developed a variety of valuable skills. I honed my ability to apply psychological concepts to real-world situations, gaining a deeper understanding of how to tailor support to individuals with diverse needs."
Grace Pimental '24
B.S., Psychology
Njuakom Romaric
Graduate Student
"I assist a professor, MT Davila, in the undergraduate class Quest for Meaning. It has really been an exciting time getting to listen to the young people in this class and seeing their interest and their desire to really participate in this program."
M.A., Spiritual Direction
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Faculty Member
"My research is aimed at addressing the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant infections by both understanding how antibiotic resistance spreads in the environment and how we can develop novel antimicrobial drug therapies."
Associate Professor & Chair, Biology
Matthew Dacey 2025
Undergraduate Student
"In my internship, I created building blocks for new organic compounds that were being made to target certain active sites in the body. I have the opportunity to join research projects with my professors at Merrimack and get to work with cutting edge instruments that will prepare me for work in my field."
B.S., Biochemistry
Marissa Myers M'24
Graduate Student
“My career goal is to eventually become a campus minister or Catholic spiritual director. I want to be a safe person for those seeking the religious or spiritual path, one who isn’t judgmental and can help them grow closer to their higher power. By getting a master’s degree in Spirituality, I can make this a reality."
M.A., Spirituality
18140_AllisonSeitchik
Faculty Member
"I want to understand how various factors like stereotypes and biases, evaluation, internal or external pressure, concussions, and goals influence our behavior and performance. If I understand the how, then I can create interventions to prevent negative or enhance positive influences on behavior."
Associate Professor, Psychology
Trym Kyvaag
Undergraduate Student
“I had two internships for a Norwegian Tech company named “Tunable”. My first year I worked with automating that data processing and machine learning workflows Tunable use to train spectroscopic models for our analyzers. The work ranged from scripting in bash and programming in python, to configuring Jenkins pipelines."
B.S., Mathematics and Computer Science
Laura O'connor
Graduate Student
"The Master's of Spirituality focused on your personal relationships with your higher power. The program was interfaith, & open to everyone from all different backgrounds. One of the best parts of this program is that you get close within your cohort due to the nature of the classes."
Laura O’Connor M'23
M.A., Spirituality
Manikandan
Faculty Member
After working for more than 20 years in life sciences and research in the pharmaceutical industry and academia, Santhanaraman is the first manager of Merrimack College’s Shared Instrumentation and Research Facility (SIRF).
Shared Instrument Facility Manager
Bella Perrotta '26 standing with a guitar.
Undergraduate Student
"I chose Merrimack after meeting the welcoming faculty and staff within the Visual and Performing Arts Department. I have always felt encouraged to pursue my dreams at Merrimack, and know I have support from my instructors."
Bella Perrotta '26
B.A., Music
Jackson McCarty
Graduate Student
"Getting my master's degree at Merrimack means that I can learn with professors who can build relationships with me, making it easier to understand my strengths and weaknesses with more personalized attention."
Jackson McCarty '23, M'24
M.A., Communication

Division 1 Football Player

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Faculty Member
Associate Professor and Master's of Communication Program Director Dr. Andrew Tollison's passion for research in healthcare communication has brought him 16 publications and 69 peer-reviewed conference presentations.
Associate Professor,
Communication & Media
Clare Bowen grey background
Undergraduate Student
“Merrimack, for me, was special because where labs were hands-on from your first year. This is something I did not see at other schools, and it made me excited and confident about the skills I would learn here at Merrimack.”
B.S., Biochemistry
connorpowell
Graduate Student
"Getting my graduate degree at Merrimack has allowed me to prepare for the workload of a full-time job and it gave me extra experience through my fellowship to just get much more knowledge in the field I wanted to pursue.”
M.A., Communication
Employer: Boston Bruins
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Faculty Member
Assistant Professor Jonathan Latiano, MFA, has curated the current exhibition "The Space Between Things" at the McCoy Art Gallery featuring brand new artwork by three Boston-area artists, on display until November 17.
Assistant Professor,
Art/Art History
sedonagillard2
Undergraduate Student
"My summer internship held at Cape Anne Whale Watch is doing a fantastic job of preparing me for my future professional work, as it is giving me great hands-on experience of what collecting data within the field is like."
B.S., Biology
JPHR
Graduate Student
"When the opportunity to continue my education arose through the Master's of Science in Biology program at Merrimack, I was able to continue on with my research and learned a lot through my experience."
M.S., Biology
noori
Faculty Member
As a result of hard work, Dr. Noori recently received a three-year, $399,338 grant to study how microscopic materials impact the cells and essential nutrients of selected plant species from the National Science Foundation.
Associate Professor,
Biology
Addams Family Theatre Production

Get Involved: Clubs & Organizations

There are endless opportunities to get involved at Merrimack and right within the School of Arts and Sciences.

Gain different perspectives, put learning into action and learn from peers and faculty advisors through one of our School of Arts and Sciences clubs:

  • Art Warriors
  • Club Sports at Merrimack
  • Criminology Club
  • Film Club
  • Gaming Club
  • Gender Equality at Merrimack
  • Graduate Student Senate
  • Live to Give
  • Mackapella
  • Merrimack Television Club
  • Onstagers Dramatic Society
  • Panhellenic Council
  • Unity House
  • WMCK Radio

SCHOOL NEWS

Merrimack’s Bachelor of Arts in Humanities degree will allow students to select from two dozen concentration areas while developing critical skills sought after by employers.

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE

Dr. Daniel Herda, Chair and Interim Associate Dean, has published an article titled Population Innumeracy and Anti-Immigrant Violence: The Case of South Africa in International Migration Review.