College of Arts and Sciences
The heart of the academic experience and home to most of UNC—Chapel Hill's students, the College of Arts and Sciences is where all undergraduates begin their Carolina education. The current unit structure was created in 1935 with the merger of the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Applied Science. The General College, which is the program for the first-year and second-year students, was a separate entity until 1961, when it was merged in the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to the 16,000 plus undergraduates, the college has the largest group of graduate students —more than 2,500 —on campus. Within the college are forty-three departments, divided among fine arts and humanities, natural sciences and mathematics, social sciences, and global programs. In addition, it has multiple research institutes, centers, and interdisciplinary programs. It also houses Honors Carolina, undergraduate research, first-year seminars, academic advising, the Writing Center, and other offices that support undergraduate education.