Our Mission

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences will embrace the shared values of our disciplines: free inquiry and debate; equity and justice; academic and intellectual rigor and integrity; intense curiosity and the pursuit of truth. We will collaborate actively: among colleges, among departments, and with the students and the communities we serve. We will teach and learn in a spirit and practice that is broad-minded, radically inclusive, utterly respectful, and grounded in critical and humane thought.

We will honor knowledge for its own sake and for its ability to make change in the world. We will assert our values, our methods, our standards and our ideas. We believe that the Humanities and Social Sciences are the foundation of good citizenship and good stewardship, locally, nationally and globally.

Julian Schuster
Webster's Strong Academic Foundation

“The reorganization and the formation of the new academic unit will increase the focus on the humanities and social sciences and further strengthen the University’s academic foundation.”

Julian Schuster
Julian Z. Schuster, PhD

President, Webster University

Accolades and Points of Distinction

The BA, MA in legal studies and paralegal certificates, at the St. Louis campus only, are approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Few legal studies programs in the U.S. have received ABA approval.

Students in the Global Languages, Cultures and Societies department can participate in interactive learning in Webster’s lab kitchen and through hands-on courses in which they learn how to use ingredients as well as share the resulting meals in a culturally appropriate way.

Webster has been the recipient of two National Professional Development grants from the U.S. Department of Education, which have provided free tuition for more than 200 teachers across Missouri to complete their Missouri ELL Certification.

Webster University alumni Shirley LeFlore ‘76 and Jane Ellen Ibur '73 were selected as back-to-back poet laureates of the City of St. Louis in 2018. The late David Clewell, a longtime professor of English and creative writing in the former College of Arts and Sciences, served as poet laureate of the State of Missouri from 2010-12.

In 2022, alumna Antoinette Brim-Bell was named poet laureate for the state of Connecticut.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences also houses several specialty and interdisciplinary centers:

  • Le Centre Francophone provides a myriad of educational opportunities from French speakers to film festivals and cooking classes.
  • The Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies houses one of the only Human Rights majors in the country and gives students the opportunity to publish their work in the undergraduate journal “Righting Wrongs: A Journal of Human Rights.”
  • Students from Criminology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies have completed internships with the Webster University WILLOW Project (Women Initiate Legal Lifelines to Other Women). This organization works to offer access to the justice system for people who have been without a voice in it in the past and who have been wrongfully convicted because of the lack of a voice.

Webster University holds membership in the American Association for Paralegal Education.

Learn More

Founded in 1915, Webster University is committed to ensuring high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence. Prepare for your next step and explore our community resources.

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