The College of Arts & Sciences currently hosts three schools, the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), The School of the Environment and Society (SEAS), and The School of Integrated and Life Sciences (SILS). Both SIPA and SILS will be primarily located at the University Park Campus, and SEAS will be located primarily at the Biscayne Bay Campus.

SIPA

Launched in Spring 2009, the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) brings together many of Florida International University’s internationally oriented disciplines to provide cutting-edge research, first-rate teaching, and innovative training necessary for the globalized world of the 21st century. SIPA includes four signature departments: Politics and International Relations, Global and Sociocultural Studies, Public Administration, and Criminal Justice. The School also houses many of the University’s most prominent international centers, institutes, and programs.

An integral part of the College of Arts and Sciences, SIPA offers a number of degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, as well as several undergraduate and graduate certificate programs. The School also supports a variety of community outreach programs, study abroad opportunities, and numerous lecture series, including the prestigious Ruth K. and Shepard Broad International Lecture Series..

The School of International and Public Affairs will occupy a spectacular $40 million, five-story building located in the physical heart of the University Park campus that will be completed by 2012. The building will be an architectural showpiece for the University and South Florida. Designed by the internationally recognized, Miami-based firm Arquitectonica, the structure will encompass a 500-seat auditorium, state-of-the-art classrooms, and an international café.

SEAS

We are pleased to announce the establishment of the School of the Environment and Society (SEAS) within the College of Arts and Sciences, effective August 15, 2009.  The school will be based at the Biscayne Bay Campus, but will encompass programs and environmentally-oriented faculty across the university. SEAS will create multidisciplinary synergies and collaborations that will enhance the productivity and impact of FIU scholars and teachers addressing environmental and societal challenges.  The new school will include the Marine Science Program, the newly formed Department of Earth and Environment, and centers and institutes focused on environmental issues; particularly the Southeast Environmental Research Center.

SEAS will provide a focus for all College of Arts and Sciences teaching and research at BBC, drawing upon such diverse departments and programs as Creative Writing, Marine Biology, Environmental Studies, International Relations, Chemistry, Literature, and Psychology. SEAS will complement the BBC Coastal Environmental Initiative in partnership with the other BBC Schools and will also enhance environmental initiatives at other locations including at MMC and through an enhanced partnership with the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

SEAS will provide outreach to local, national, and international communities, disseminating research findings, promoting awareness of environmental issues, and providing leadership for a sustainable future. Its multi-disciplinary approach will highlight the interconnectedness of physical, biological, and social environments as well as the many ways in which human communities experience, participate in, affect and are affected by their environment. SEAS’ multi-disciplinary approach aims to draw faculty, undergraduate and graduate students to an innovative academic program that will be internationally recognized for its excellence and leadership.

SILS

We are pleased to announce the establishment of the School of Integrated Life Sciences (SILS).  SILS will be a premier program for multi-disciplinary research in the fields of the basic biomedical sciences and behavioral sciences research. It will provide a unique educational environment for FIU students via synergistic relationships between the interdisciplinary programs, academic departments and research centers in the school. SILS will provide a focus for planned growth in the College of Arts and Sciences in partnership with other FIU Colleges including Medicine, Public Health and Engineering as well as with outside units.