Department of World Cultures & Human Experience
Explore Every Era. Every Culture. Every Idea.
Art, history, philosophy, religious studies, and world languages come together in a department built for students who want to understand humanity — past, present, and future.
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Department of World Cultures & Human Experience
The humanities, made for the world you're entering.
What does it mean to be human — across history, across cultures, across belief systems? The Department of World Cultures & Human Experience is built around that question, bringing together art, history, philosophy, religious studies and theology, and world languages into one richly interdisciplinary home.
Pursue a B.A. in Visual Art to develop as a practicing artist through a balance of theory and studio practice, or a B.A. in History to study the people, conflicts, and ideas that shaped the world we live in. From there, sharpen your focus with a minor in Studio Art, History, Ethics, Religious Studies, or Spanish.
This department also carries forward GCU’s identity as a Mercy university — offering a Pastoral Ministry Certificate at the undergraduate level, and Theology and Mercy Spirituality graduate certificates for those called to ministry, chaplaincy, or values-based leadership.
Career Outcomes from this Department
Where degrees in the Department of World Cultures & Human Experience can take you
A humanities degree from this department builds the critical thinking, communication, and cultural fluency that employers consistently say they can’t find enough of.
Visual Art:
Practicing artist, gallery or museum professional, art teacher (K-12), visual designer
History:
Museum & archival professional, history teacher (K-12), law school, public policy & government careers
Religious Studies, Theology &
Ministry:
Pastoral ministry, chaplaincy, nonprofit & faith-based organization leadership, graduate study in theology
World Languages:
Translation & interpretation, international business & nonprofit work, education
The GCU Difference
This Is What Sets You Apart.
Become a Practicing Artist, Not Just a Student of Art
The Visual Art major balances theory with hands-on studio practice — drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and photography — preparing you to think and work like a professional artist before you graduate.
History With a Direct Path to Teaching
B.A. in History students can pair their major with New Jersey teaching certification in Early Childhood, Elementary, or Secondary Social Studies Education — every pathway including a Teacher of Students with Disabilities endorsement.
A Pathway for Ministry & Values-Based Leadership
Whether you're discerning a call to ministry or want to lead with deeper ethical grounding, the Pastoral Ministry Certificate and graduate certificates in Theology and Mercy Spirituality connect GCU's Mercy mission directly to your education.
Find Your Program
Every Path Available in the Department of World Cultures & Human Experience.
Art. History. Philosophy. Faith. These aren’t just academic subjects — they’re the lenses through which we understand what it means to be human. GCU’s humanities programs are grounded in Mercy tradition and designed to cultivate empathy, cross-cultural understanding, and the kind of ethical clarity that every future leader needs.
Undergraduate Programs:
Graduate Certificates:
Minors / Certificates:
Ethics • History • Religious Studies • Spanish • Studio Art
Certificate: Pastoral Ministry, Certificate
Contact us
Undergraduate Admissions
Mercedes Hall
732-987-2700
[email protected]
Graduate Admissions
Mercedes Hall
732-987-2770
[email protected]
Ready to take the next step?
Your GCU journey starts with a single click.