Making a Difference, Making a Life
Saint Mary's College offers a world class liberal arts education where you will encounter great thinkers and ask big questions. We graduate students who are curious, capable, and ready to lead in a changing world.
In the School of Liberal Arts, you can follow that curiosity and shape your own path. We offer more than 30 undergraduate majors and four graduate and professional programs. Whatever path you choose, you will learn to think critically, communicate effectively, and approach complex problems with creativity and empathy. Studying the liberal arts at Saint Mary's will prepare you for a meaningful career and also for a life of purpose and informed citizenship.
Saint Mary's College is proudly designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution or HSI which means our fulltime undergraduate student body contains 25% or more individuals who identify as Hispanic/Latinx. The School of Liberal Arts is a fervent supporter of the HSI and oversees the Institute for Latino and Latin American Studies (ILaLs) to promote and raise awareness to issues relevant to the Latino/a/x population at Saint Mary's and the surrounding communities.
Spring 2026 Liberal Arts Classes
Our School of Liberal Arts Spring 2026 Look Book showcases our upcoming classes. Check it Out.
SOLA Undergraduate Programs
Choose from 21 departments, 30 majors, 39 minors, and 6 certificates. With curriculum rooted in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences students are free to pursue their interests by mix and matching areas of study.
SOLA Graduate Programs
Looking to continue your education in graduate school? Explore the Liberal Arts Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts Programs.
School of Liberal Arts Highlights
Liberal Arts Bridge (LAB)
A career readiness program for Liberal Arts majors.
LAB helps students secure internships, explore interests, and build skills that create professional networks and connections.
Gain the experience and confidence needed for a successful transition to life after graduation.
Click here to learn more about LABBeyond your Bachelor of Arts Classes
We are so much more than these four walls
SOLA Centers and Institutes
Institute for Latino and Latin American Studies
The Institute for Latino and Latin American Studies (ILaLS) promotes intellectual inquiry and collaborative efforts to raise awareness about issues relevant to Latin America and the U.S. Latino/a populations at Saint Mary’s College and its surrounding communities.
Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism
Since its founding in 2008, the Center has been dedicated to the civic engagement of religiously diverse voices and promoting interfaith leadership in and for the public square and the professions grounded in pluralism as an American value.
Give to SOLA
Direct your giving to SOLA
Gifts to a program in the School of Liberal Arts play an important part in sustaining our academic mission. Such support is essential to the ongoing strength of our programs. You will be supporting:
- Performing Arts to create opportunities for off-campus performances.
- Tuition Assistance Program for current and former professional dancers in LEAP (Liberal Education for Arts Professionals), a national bachelor of arts degree program.
- Scholarships for emerging writers in the MFA in Creative Writing Program.
- Professional exploration, development, and internship for post-graduation success through LAB, the Liberal Arts Bridge program.
- Faculty and student scholarly travel grants through the Dean's Fund for Academic Distinction.
- Internships for students at the Smithsonian Institute, and educational partnerships with local schools promoting public history to future Gaels.
To learn more, please contact Heidi Stornetta Butler, Executive Director of Gifts, at (925) 631-8666.
Contact Us
Molly Metherd, Interim Dean
Dante 109B, x. 4166
mmetherd@stmarys-ca.edu
Ellen Rigsby, Interim Associate Dean
Dante 109
erigsby@stmarys-ca.edu
Karen Chew, Operations Manager
Dante 109, (925) 631-4145