Communications & Marketing

Academic Departments and Programs

Capitalize academic departments and programs specific to Union College (Anthropology, Mathematics, the Department of Theater and Dance, International Programs)

  • Brenda Johnson teaches in the Department of Mathematics.
  • Lara Atkins is the director of International Programs.

On second and succeeding references, use “the department,” “the program.”

  • The department now offers special courses in puppet theater design and performance, stage make-up and stage combat from the Elizabethan period to the present.

Use lowercase when referring to a field of study or to a department or program at another institution. (She teaches psychology at Colgate University. Exceptions, of course, include names of languages: English, French, Japanese.)

For official names of Union departments and programs, capitalize both the name and the word “department” or “program” (but not the preceding “the”).

  • the Environmental Studies Program (or environmental studies)
  • the Department of English (or the English Department)
  • the Department of Visual Arts (or the Visual Arts Department)

When referring to the department, use lower case.

When referring subsequently to “the department” or “the program,” don’t capitalize it. Note: When referring to Union, we make an exception and capitalize “the College.”

Don’t capitalize general initiatives or undertakings like “the undergraduate program,” “the varsity soccer program,” or “the leadership gifts program.”

Don’t capitalize the names of disciplines or fields of study (except for countries or languages, which are always capitalized).

  • The chemistry curriculum has rigorous lab requirements.
  • She’s a history major, with a minor in American studies.

Capitalize and put quotation marks around the proper names of courses.

  • “The Illustrated Organism” is a popular course for art and biology students.

Some commonly misnamed units, and their correct names, are:

  • Minerva Program (formerly Minerva House System)
  • Minerva Houses (the houses, on second reference)
  • Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (not Greek Life)
  • Parents Program (not Parent Program or Parent’s Program)
  • Women’s and Gender Studies (not Women and Gender Studies)
  • Yulman Theater (not Theatre)
  • Ethics Across the Curriculum (upper case A)
  • Chamber Concert Series