GSAS Mission

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Fordham University fosters the cultivation of knowledge, wisdom, and a deeper understanding of the human condition.  Guided by its Catholic and Jesuit traditions, we aspire to prepare students for teaching and leadership in a global society, by welcoming learners from diverse religious, economic, and cultural backgrounds into full participation in a scholarly endeavor.

As a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

• We are committed to discovery through research and scholarship marked by theoretical sophistication, critical thinking, and compelling discourse.
• We challenge students to fulfill their scholarly potential, and prepares students to advance knowledge by their research, transmit it by their teaching, and deploy it productively in their contributions to society.
• We guarantee the freedom of inquiry required for rigorous thinking and the quest for truth.
• We educate its students within the context of liberal studies, in order to enlarge the scope of their inquiries, and to help them perceive the place and use of their work amid the network of all disciplines.

As a graduate school in a Catholic University

• We encourage inquiry into the relation of religious faith to the intellectual, scholarly, and professional lives of faculty and students. Such dialogue is not limited to those who are themselves members of a particular religious tradition.
• We are committed to the humanism of the Catholic intellectual tradition. We emphasize the religious and philosophical traditions that have nurtured the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, in order to encourage exploration of the interactions between reason and faith across the disciplines.
• We promote ethical reflection by its students and faculty, recognizing that knowledge becomes wisdom only when guided by moral principles.

As a graduate school in a Jesuit University

• We welcome students as valued members of the intellectual community through collegial and collaborative interactions. We practice cura personalis, emphasizing respect for each individual and affirming the dignity of each member of the community.
• We are committed to rigorous intellectual inquiry that synthesizes the contributions of many disciplines. We seek to go beyond rigid specialization toward an integration of particular specializations into the realm of "wisdom and learning" consistent with the complexities of the modern world.
• We emphasize study not simply for its own sake, but also for service, striving to achieve a balance between study as an end in itself and as a means to other ends. We encourage attention, in all phases of study, work, and life, to the plight of the disadvantaged.
• We draw upon on the world-wide community of Jesuit universities to offer distinctive opportunities for exchange and collaboration. We foster international understanding and respect for other cultures and different peoples.

As a graduate school in New York City

• New York City provides a gathering place for people and ideas from across the globe. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences takes advantage of the resources of the city to develop and disseminate new ideas across the world. 
• We participate fully in the life of the city, fostering partnerships for scholarship and research with the institutions making their home in the city.
• We provide faculty and students with opportunities to contribute their acquired/accumulated wisdom for the benefit of the city, its esteemed institutions, and its diverse populations.