Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

What Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences does

Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is the largest constituent college of Wayne State University, a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. The college enrolls traditional undergraduate and graduate students in 100+ degree programs spanning disciplines including Physics and Astronomy, Nutrition and Food Science, Philosophy, Sociology, Public Health, Psychology, and Urban Studies and Planning. Specialized cohorts include the ACEND-accredited Master of Science Coordinated Program in Dietetics (MS-CPD), which combines graduate coursework with 1,032 hours of supervised practice in a two-year format with cohorts capped at 15 students per year, and the AGRADE accelerated dual-degree pathway allowing completion of bachelor's and master's degrees in as little as five years.

The college operates specialized research and educational facilities including the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory — a robotically-controlled 20-inch PlaneWave remote telescope on Palomar Mountain, California, equipped with a FingerLakes Instruments ProLine 23042 CCD camera with Sloan ugri, PanSTARRS z, LRGB, and H-alpha filters, supporting faculty and undergraduate research in time-domain astronomy and black hole physics. Additional infrastructure includes the on-campus Wayne State Planetarium, the Solar Observing in Schools (SOS) program loaning ten Coronado solar telescopes to Detroit K-12 schools, the QuarkNet program engaging grades 10–12 students in particle physics research, and faculty participation in experiments at Fermilab and CERN's Large Hadron Collider.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees (e.g., MS-CPD in-state graduate tuition of approximately $8,484 per 9-credit semester), state appropriations, federal research grants (NIH, NSF, DOE), and philanthropy including the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory donated by the 419 Foundation. The distribution model relies on direct undergraduate and graduate enrollment through Wayne State's central admissions portal, the DICAS centralized application for dietetics, and K-12/community outreach channels. As a constituent college of a state-funded public university, CLAS operates as a non-profit educational unit with no venture or private-equity ownership.

Name

Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Legal name

Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Website

https://clas.wayne.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1868

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a public research university college in Detroit, Michigan offering 100+ undergraduate and graduate degree programs across physics, astronomy, nutrition, philosophy, sociology, public health, psychology, and urban studies, including the ACEND-accredited MS-CPD dietetics program and the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Liberal Arts and Sciences

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Graduate degree programs
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Astrophysics research
• Dietetics education

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and fees: As a public university college, primary revenue is generated through undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees. In-state graduate tuition for the MS-CPD program is approximately $8,484 per semester (9 credits) and $9,383 (10 credits) for subsequent semesters. Additional fees include Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics student membership ($58), physical examination/lab fees (~$751), and textbook/materials costs.
2. Government appropriations and grants: Public university funding derived from state appropriations, federal research grants (NIH, NSF, DOE), and other governmental sources supporting research programs in physics, astronomy, nutrition, and other disciplines.
3. Philanthropy and donations: The college receives donations through Wayne State's development office (go.wayne.edu/give-clas), including major gifts such as the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory donated by the 419 Foundation (Russ and Stephanie Carroll). Endowed scholarships support students in nutrition, physics, and other programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across disciplines including physics, astronomy, nutrition and food science, philosophy, sociology, public health, psychology, urban studies and planning, criminal justice, political science, and communication sciences. It operates specialized research and outreach assets such as the ACEND-accredited Master of Science Coordinated Program in Dietetics (MS-CPD) with 1,032 supervised practice hours, the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory (a robotic 20-inch PlaneWave telescope on Palomar Mountain), the on-campus Wayne State Planetarium, and K-12 outreach programs including Solar Observing in Schools (SOS) and QuarkNet.

Product overview

Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is an educational institution offering over 100 degree programs through multiple academic departments. The Physics and Astronomy Department provides undergraduate and graduate programs including Bachelor of Science in Physics, Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Physics, and Bachelor of Science in Astronomy degrees, along with minors in Physics, Biomedical Physics, and Astronomy. The Nutrition and Food Science Department offers the Master of Science Coordinated Program in Dietetics (MS-CPD), a two-year accredited program preparing students for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist credentials. The college operates specialized facilities including the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory (a robotic remote telescope in California), the on-campus planetarium, and the Solar Observing in Schools (SOS) program providing telescopes to K-12 schools. The AGRADE program enables accelerated completion of bachelor's and master's degrees simultaneously.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Accelerated Graduate Enrollment (AGRADE): Program allowing top students to simultaneously enroll in undergraduate and graduate programs, saving time and money by applying up to 16 credits towards both degrees
• Master of Science Coordinated Program in Dietetics (MS-CPD)

Products and services

• 100+ Degree Programs More than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across physics, astronomy, nutrition and food science, philosophy, sociology, public health, psychology, urban studies and planning, criminal justice, political science, communication sciences and disorders, and related disciplines, available to prospective and continuing students.
• Master of Science Coordinated Program in Dietetics (MS-CPD) A two-year graduate-level coordinated dietetics program that combines academic coursework with 1,032 hours of supervised practice across clinical, food service, community, long-term care, and sports settings for prospective Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.
• Physics and Astronomy Department Degree Programs Undergraduate and graduate degree programs (BS Physics, BS Biomedical Physics, BA/BS Astronomy, and associated minors) offered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy for students pursuing physics and astronomy careers or graduate study.
• Accelerated Graduate Enrollment (AGRADE) Accelerated combined-degree pathway that allows high-achieving undergraduate students to begin graduate coursework concurrently and apply up to 16 shared credits toward both a bachelor's and a master's degree, completing both in as little as five years.
• Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory Remote research observatory housing a 20-inch robotically-controlled PlaneWave telescope with a FingerLakes Instruments ProLine 23042 CCD camera, supporting nightly imaging of galaxies and time-domain astronomy research by undergraduate and graduate students and faculty.
• Wayne State Planetarium On-campus planetarium supporting astronomy education, curriculum integration for academic courses, and public outreach shows for students and the broader Detroit community.
• Solar Observing in Schools (SOS) Program K-12 STEM outreach program that loans ten Coronado Personal Solar Telescopes and accompanying curriculum to Detroit-area middle and high schools, providing hands-on solar astronomy observation for students and professional development for teachers.
• QuarkNet Program National STEM outreach program that engages Detroit-area high school students (grades 10-12) with Wayne State physics faculty for hands-on research exposure in particle physics, astrophysics, and condensed matter physics.
• WSU Athletics Fueling Station Athletic nutrition service operated by the Department of Nutrition and Food Science that delivers fueling support to Wayne State Warrior athletes while providing supervised practical experience for nutrition students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% of MS-CPD graduates find employment in the field within three months of graduation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEND is the accrediting agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The MS-CPD program received full accreditation status in July 2023 for eight years (through December 31, 2031).
• Fermilab and CERN (Large Hadron Collider)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWayne State physics faculty are active collaborators on international experiments at Fermilab and CERN's Large Hadron Collider, participating in particle physics and nuclear physics research. QuarkNet program students gain exposure to these global scientific projects.
• Detroit-area hospitals and health centers (MS-CPD clinical rotation partners)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MS-CPD program maintains working relationships with highly rated health centers in Detroit and surrounding communities for supervised practice rotations. Five practicum experiences cover clinical, food service, community, long-term care, and sports settings.
• Detroit Justice CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA movement lawyering organization focused on working alongside communities. Philosophy student Adeline Navarro gained legal and advocacy experience through work with the organization, helping confirm her interest in combining philosophy, legal studies, and public advocacy.
• Detroit Sports Teams (Nutrition Rotations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMS-CPD students have access to sports nutrition rotations with Detroit-area professional and school sports teams, contributing to career pathways in sports dietetics.
• Michigan Science CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Ed Cackett serves as astronomer in residence at the Michigan Science Center, contributing to public science education and outreach alongside Wayne State's academic mission.
• WDET (Public Radio)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWDET public radio serves as a media partner providing coverage of Wayne State research, faculty interviews, and community programming, including the CuriosiD segment series.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences: An urban public research university's central arts and sciences college offering comparable disciplinary breadth including physics, nutrition, philosophy, and public health — a structural peer in size and mission.
• University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts: The College of LSA at the University of Michigan is the closest comparable — a public research university's central liberal arts and sciences college offering 100+ degree programs with strong STEM, social science, and humanities research output, located in the same Michigan market as Wayne State.
• Michigan State University College of Natural Science: MSU's STEM counterpart offering comparable physics, astronomy, and nutrition science programs, including ACEND-accredited dietetics options — a direct competitor for STEM applicants in Michigan.
• Michigan State University College of Arts and Letters: MSU's humanities/social sciences college; comparable in size, mission, and Michigan market position to Wayne State CLAS, with shared competitive dynamics for in-state undergraduate and graduate applicants.
• University of Illinois Chicago College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: An urban public research university liberal arts and sciences college in the Midwest, comparable in mission and urban-setting emphasis to Wayne State CLAS, including similar disciplinary coverage and recruitment dynamics.
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Letters and Science: UWM's central liberal arts and sciences college at an urban public research university with comparable disciplinary mix, R&D activity, and Midwest urban-recruitment positioning.

Regional players

• Eastern Michigan University College of Arts and Sciences: A Michigan regional public university college directly competing with Wayne State for in-state students in arts, sciences, and select professional programs, though with a less research-intensive profile.
• University of Detroit Mercy College of Liberal Arts & Education: A Detroit-based private university college offering overlapping programs in philosophy, sociology, and other humanities/social sciences, competing for the same Detroit-metro student population.

Broad incumbents

• Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences: Indiana University's large central arts and sciences college, comparable in disciplinary coverage but with broader scale, larger endowment, and stronger national recognition — a key Midwest competitor.
• University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts: UMN's College of Liberal Arts is a similarly named and structured public-research-university college, comparable in disciplinary breadth and STEM offerings but with broader scale and stronger national brand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WayneStateCLAS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WayneStateCLAS
• Facebookfacebook.com/WayneStateCLAS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/waynestateclas
• Instagraminstagram.com/WayneStateCLAS
• TikToktiktok.com/@waynestateclas

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences