Shaping Culture, Telling Stories, Making an Impact

Students in the School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts build strong communication skills through writing, rhetoric, and language studies. They explore creativity and expression in art history, dance, drama, design, music, and more, developing their talents and understanding of human culture through performance, scholarship, and hands-on experience.

Departments

Comparative Literature, Languages, and Linguistics

Drama and Dance

English

Fine Arts, Design, Art History

Music

Romance Languages and Literatures

Writing Studies and Rhetoric

Shape Culture. Inspire Innovation.

At Hofstra’s School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts, students sharpen their communication skills through the study of writing, rhetoric, and languages—both classical and modern. With access to studios, stages, and galleries, they explore creativity through art history, dance, drama, design, music, and more. The school’s programs inspire imaginative thinking, cultural insight, and a deep appreciation for the arts, preparing students to engage meaningfully with the world around them.

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All About the School

Hofstra’s dynamic programs help students grow as writers, artists, and creative thinkers. With a strong foundation in the liberal arts, they gain the skills to pursue careers in the arts and beyond—including publishing, grant writing, curating, nonprofit work, web development, and education. Our interdisciplinary approach encourages exploration, innovation, and the confidence to lead in a rapidly evolving world.

Learn About the School

Opportunities and Resources

Contact Us

Office Information

HCLAS Dean’s Office
Heger Hall
Second Floor
516-463-5410

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CREATE, INSPIRE,

MAKE YOUR MARK

Whether you’re shaping ideas, performing on stage, or creating something new, Hofstra is where your passion thrives. Take the next step.

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About the School

Students in School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts may develop their oral and written communication skills in Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and English and other languages – both classical and modern. The School also features a broad variety of stages where they can explore and enhance their talents as well as their ability to learn and think with creativity, imagination, and sensitivity while being exposed to the best that the history of humanity has to offer in the study of art history, dance, drama, fine arts and design, music, rhetoric and writing studies.

Examples include the annual Shakespeare Festival as well as an annual theater season with classical and contemporary plays and musicals; dance concerts; the student gallery in the Fine Arts and Art History Department; the English Department’s “Great Writers, Great Readings” series and the Music Department’s busy schedule of concerts and recitals, all of which give students the chance to perform with more than 20 large and small resident music ensembles.

From these robust and enriching programs, students may develop their writing, literary and artistic talents in preparation for careers in the arts and other fields, such as publishing, grant writing, curating, non-profit administration, web design and development, and education.

Hofstra’s location, 25 miles east of Manhattan, gives students countless opportunities to intern, to network, to learn, and to experience some of the world’s greatest cultural and recreational resources. Average class size is small. This facilitates personalized attention and mentoring, and widens the opportunity for student/faculty collaboration on research and special projects.

The School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts is part of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which is also home to the University’s School of Education, School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Curricula in all four schools are informed by the liberal arts tradition and structured so that graduates gain the skills of critical thinking and effective oral and written communication that are essential to professional success and constructive membership in one’s community. The four schools are also responsible for delivering the general education that virtually all undergraduates must complete to earn their respective bachelor’s degrees.