Juilliard has long been committed to a liberal arts education that provides the humanistic, ethical, social, and aesthetic background essential to personal development and professional excellence. Through their studies in literature, philosophy, the social sciences, the arts, and languages, students attain a deeper understanding of themselves and the complex world in which they live. All humanities courses are conducted in a small seminar format to foster participation. In their first two years, students take four required Core courses: Myth and Meaning, Human Nature and Ethics, the Individual and Society, and Arts and Aesthetics. This Core curriculum introduces them to a significant range of Western and nonwestern texts and traditions.

During the third and fourth years, students have latitude to pursue electives on such topics as art history, creative writing, the Black Arts Movement, the Harlem Renaissance, European history, film, the family, existentialism, and various philosophical traditions. Juilliard also offers courses in four modern foreign languages: French, German, Italian, and Russian.

Through their work in the humanities, students sharpen their skills of thought and argument; they learn to write and to speak with greater clarity and effectiveness. A liberal arts education also helps them to become active, well-informed citizens; develop their awareness of the social and humanistic dimensions of professional work; and acquire the basis for a fulfilling cultural and intellectual life.