The Collegiate Divisions
In 1930 University president Robert Maynard Hutchins moved to overcome what was viewed as the fragmentation of modern academic life by grouping the forty or so departments in the university into four main Divisions--Biological Sciences, Humanities, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences--each responsible for granting degrees. This divisional structure represents a quest for understanding that resists the confinement of inquiry to any particular department. At that time the College was defined as a fifth Division and charged "to do the work of the University in general higher education." The role of the College was to complement the specialization of graduate faculties by discovering ways to connect the entire universe of knowledge. The outcome was a series of broadly conceived general education courses that came to constitute Chicago's distinctive Common Core.
In 1965 the faculty created five Divisions within the College. These Collegiate Divisions are responsible for both major-of-study programs as well as general education course offerings. The new structure ensured that the tension inherent in contemporary academic life--between the demand for specialization and the need to provide common learning for members of a democratic society--would be resolved in a way consonant with the College's established mission. The masters and the faculties of the Collegiate Divisions are responsible for planning and staffing both the general education courses and the concentration programs in their respective areas.
Biological Sciences Collegiate Division
Humanities Collegiate Division
Physical Sciences Collegiate Division
