What Academic Programs and Areas of Study Does Union College Offer?

Union College offers more than 62 areas of study, spanning the liberal arts and engineering, with particular strength in its non-doctoral engineering programs. If you are looking for a small college where you can combine fields like engineering and the humanities, or pursue undergraduate research across labs, archives, studios, and field sites, Union's academic structure is built around that kind of cross-disciplinary flexibility.

Areas of Study

Union describes itself as a union "of the liberal arts and engineering," and its academics section points to 62+ areas of study. That breadth means students are not limited to a single track — the college positions its curriculum so that different disciplines "come together" rather than sit in separate silos.

The site does not publish a full department-by-department list in the material available here, so the most reliable next step is to browse the "Academics" section of union.edu directly for the current catalog of majors, minors, and concentrations.

Engineering Strength

Union's engineering programs are a defining feature, and the college cites external rankings to support that:

Note that the engineering rankings appear twice with different numbers (#22 and #21), which likely reflects two different ranking years. Treat these as the college's own cited figures rather than a current, independently verified ranking.

The "non-doctoral" label matters: it means Union's engineering programs are evaluated in a category separate from large research universities that grant engineering PhDs. For a prospective student, that typically signals a focus on undergraduate teaching and hands-on lab access rather than graduate-level research output.

Research and Cross-Disciplinary Learning

Union emphasizes that research is not reserved for upper-level or graduate students. According to the college, "no matter your major(s), you'll dive into hands-on research alongside expert faculty in labs, archives, studios, or out in the field."

That phrasing is worth reading closely for what it implies about the academic model:

• Any major can lead to research — not just the sciences.
• Faculty collaboration is the norm, not an exception.
• Research settings vary widely — a lab, an archive, a studio, or fieldwork — which fits a college that blends liberal arts and engineering.

The featured news item about a Union research team discovering evidence in Peruvian caves related to global long-term drought is one example of the kind of faculty-led undergraduate research the college highlights.

How to Decide If Union Fits

Because the site does not list every major in the material available, use these steps to evaluate fit:

1. Check the full program list on union.edu's Academics section to confirm your intended field (or a close equivalent) is offered.
2. Look at whether you can combine interests — Union's identity is built on pairing liberal arts with engineering, so it suits students who want both rather than one exclusively.
3. Ask about undergraduate research access in your specific department, since the "research reigns" message is general and department-level availability can vary.
4. Use the admissions pathways the site provides — Request Info, Visit, and Apply — to get current, program-specific answers.

If your priority is a large research university with extensive graduate programs, Union's non-doctoral engineering profile and small-college structure may not match. If you want a liberal arts setting with strong engineering and early undergraduate research involvement, it is designed for exactly that.