Catalog

About Boston University

Boston University, the third-largest independent university in the United States, is a hub of intellectual, scientific, and cultural activity. With more than 2,500 faculty members and more than 29,000 students, it pursues the ideal of a research university--that knowledge is best acquired in the pursuit of new knowledge, and that both undergraduate and graduate students benefit by learning from individuals who are actively engaged in original research.

The University traces its roots to a school founded in Vermont in 1839, which moved to Boston in 1867 to become the first American university to be modeled on the European system. Today the University retains its dual character: Yankee independence combined with a cosmopolitan outlook. Within the University, 15 Schools and Colleges offer a total of more than 250 degree programs. Academic departments and research institutes serve as small communities for students and scholars, who also participate fully in the excitement and variety of the larger University community.

Boston University is coeducational and nonsectarian. Its campus extends over 71 acres from the historic Back Bay section of Boston westward along the south bank of the Charles River. From the townhouses of Bay State Road to state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms, and from peaceful parks and esplanades to the city life of Commonwealth Avenue, the University offers a clean, safe, and attractive environment in which students live and study. A separate medical campus in the South End of Boston is home to world-renowned medical researchers and teaching physicians.

Founded by a group of Methodist lay leaders, Boston University has always been strongly committed to equality in opportunity, without regard to race, color, creed, sex, or national origin. It was the first institution of higher education in Massachusetts to grant degrees to women, and it graduated the first African American woman MD and the first woman PhD. It stood nearly alone in its early years when it opened its doors to African Americans and international students from all continents. The University's commitment to the recruitment of minorities and women continues today within the student body and the faculty.

The University is a progressive, recognized innovator in health care, science, engineering, communications, management, and education. The two-year College of General Studies introduced the first college program in the country organized around a team method of instruction. The University initiated accelerated programs in liberal arts/medical education, liberal arts/dental education, and liberal arts/law education. Numerous interdisciplinary programs offer broad possibilities for combining career goals and personal interests.

Boston University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. Individual Schools and programs are accredited by other professional associations. Please see School bulletins for information.

An urban institution from its inception, Boston University has always recognized that its future is linked with the future of its city. The University fosters programs that promote the well-being of Boston's citizens and improve its environment. Major undertakings such as the Chelsea Schools initiative illustrate the University's commitment to the community.