At Princeton University, your field of study is called a concentration. The university offers a deep, rigorous education across a vast array of disciplines, all within the framework of a liberal arts curriculum. This structure encourages you to explore widely before declaring a concentration, usually at the end of your sophomore year for Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) candidates, or the end of your first year for Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) candidates.

Princeton offers over 37 concentrations, split primarily between two degrees: the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) and the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.).

The Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) Concentrations

The A.B. degree provides a broad-based education in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Many of the departments listed below offer the A.B. degree, providing flexibility and intellectual depth.

These programmes explore language, history, philosophy, and creative expression, encouraging thoughtful consideration of what it means to be human:

1. African American Studies: Explores the political, economic, and cultural forces shaping the historic achievements and struggles of African-descended people globally.
2. Architecture: Offers an introduction to the discipline within a liberal arts context, known for its rigorous and interdisciplinary approach.
3. Art & Archaeology: Provides a foundation in the visual arts, spanning ancient Egyptian art to contemporary theory and criticism.
4. Classics: Studies Greek and Roman history, culture, literature, and philosophy, and their modern relevance. No prior knowledge of Greek or Latin is required.
5. Comparative Literature: Strengthens cultural connections by approaching literature and culture across languages, media, and time periods.
6. East Asian Studies: Offers a cosmopolitan knowledge of the languages and cultures of China, Japan, and Korea.
7. English: Provokes thoughtful consideration of deep questions of being human—power, beauty, identity, and love—through literature, from Shakespeare to Toni Morrison.
8. French and Italian: A global experience in the rich literature and culture of the French and Italian-speaking worlds.
9. German: Features a strong focus on literature, literary theory, and philosophy, with new strengths in media studies and visual arts.
10. History: Spans all parts of the globe and time periods, ranging from late antiquity to the present, covering social, political, economic, and intellectual history.
11. Music: An emphasis on writing music or writing about music, situated at the epicenter of a vibrant campus musical culture.
12. Near Eastern Studies: An immersive experience in a Near Eastern language, combined with a broad knowledge of the region's civilizations, history, and literatures.
13. Philosophy: A full survey of logic, philosophy of science, metaphysics, ethics, and the history of philosophy.
14. Religion: Examines religious life, its diverse forms across cultures and history, and its implications for theoretical, ethical, and political reflection.
15. Slavic Languages and Literatures: Explores the cultures, societies, and languages of Russia and Eastern Europe, often using Russian as a gateway to the study of literature, politics, and film.
16. Spanish and Portuguese

These concentrations use rigorous analysis to understand human behaviour, institutions, and global systems:

1. Anthropology: Studies human experience, social change, and how people make sense of their "lifeworlds" through situated and relational methods.
2. Economics: Drives inquiries into social issues like employment, growth, globalization, and poverty using theoretical and statistical analysis.
3. Politics: Focuses on the analysis of political institutions, beliefs, and policies from the perspective of both domestic and world politics.
4. Psychology: Provides a rigorous understanding of human behavior and mental processes, encompassing sensation, language, reasoning, and social interaction.
5. Public Policy (Princeton School of Public and International Affairs): A multidisciplinary liberal arts major for future leaders in public and international affairs, focusing on policy research and fieldwork.
6. Sociology: A cutting-edge concentration interested in the social dimensions of politics, economics, history, and big data.

While the B.S.E. focuses on applied science, several fundamental sciences are offered as A.B. degrees:

1. Astrophysical Sciences: Coursework and research exploring the universe's hidden secrets, from planetary science to cosmology and dark matter.
2. Chemistry: The "central discipline" revolving around making, measuring, modeling, and understanding the chemical compounds of the world.
3. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: A collaborative unraveling of how animals, plants, and microbes function, evolve, and interact with the environment.
4. Geosciences: Applies chemistry, biology, physics, math, and computer science to understand Earth's deep interior, oceans, and climate.
5. Mathematics: A versatile exploration of pure and applied mathematics with some of the best mathematicians in the world.
6. Molecular Biology: Explores the central questions of 21st-century biology, ranging from molecules to genomes.
7. Neuroscience: A serious study of molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience as it interfaces with cognitive and behavioral research.
8. Physics: A comprehensive understanding of the physical world, allowing students to take part in the discovery of physical law.
9. Computer Science (A.B.): Encourages students to learn fundamental concepts of the discipline with a flexible curriculum that incorporates a liberal arts foundation.

The Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) Concentrations

The B.S.E. degree is offered by the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and focuses on the principles of engineering science and design. These programmes prepare students to address 21st-century societal issues.

1. Chemical and Biological Engineering: Surveys the chemical, biological, and physical processes used to develop pharmaceuticals, pollution control, solar panels, and biopolymers.
2. Civil and Environmental Engineering: Prepares students to be creative leaders in addressing challenges related to the built and natural environment, focusing on resilience, sustainability, and livability.
3. Computer Science (B.S.E.): A more technically-focused path within Computer Science that aligns with the B.S.E. degree's rigorous math and science requirements.
4. Electrical and Computer Engineering: Addresses crucial societal issues like efficient computing, communications, smart power grids, machine learning, and medical imaging.
5. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: A hands-on opportunity to design, build, and test devices and vehicles, including cars, aircraft, satellites, and robots.
6. Operations Research and Financial Engineering: Uses quantitative theories, models, and algorithms for specialized topics like the regulation of financial institutions, energy, and transportation systems.

Customizing Your Journey

Remember that regardless of your concentration, you will have access to Princeton’s over 50 interdepartmental minors and certificate programmes. These allow you to formally pursue a secondary area of study (like Finance, Robotics, or Gender and Sexuality Studies) that can complement or diversify your main academic focus.

The vast range of concentrations ensures that every student can find their intellectual home and pursue a path that prepares them for global leadership and innovation.

Reference

1. Degrees & Departments - Princeton University Admission
2. Majors & Minors | Office of the Dean of the College - Princeton University