Boston University

Boston University (BU) is a private nonsectarian university located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Although chartered by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1869, Boston University traces its roots to the establishment of the Newbury Biblical Institute in Newbury, Vermont in 1839. The University organized formal Centennial observances both in 1939 and 1969.

Boston University

With nearly 4,000 faculty members and more than 30,000 students, Boston University is the fourth-largest private university in the country and Boston's fourth-largest employer. The University offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees, and medical & dental degrees through 18 schools and colleges and operates two urban campuses. The main campus is situated along the Charles River in Boston's Fenway-Kenmore and Allston neighborhoods, while the Boston University Medical Campus is in Boston's South End neighborhood.

History

Boston University was chartered in 1869 by Lee Claflin, Jacob Sleeper, and Isaac Rich, three successful Methodist businessmen whose abolitionist ideals led them to envision and create a university that was inclusive—that opened its doors to the world—and engaged in service to and collaboration with the city of Boston.

From the day of its opening, Boston University has admitted students of both sexes and every race and religion. It is with pride that we count Martin Luther King, Jr. among our alumni. What makes us prouder still is the fact that when he received his doctorate from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1955, Dr. King was taking his place in a long line of individuals that stretches back to the University’s founding. Other notable alumni include the first woman to earn a Ph.D., the first woman admitted to the bar in Massachusetts, the first Native American to graduate with a doctorate in medicine, and the first African-American psychiatrist in the United States.

Campus

Most of the buildings of the main campus are located on or near Commonwealth Avenue. The Kenmore Square area of campus (including the Boston University Bookstore, Shelton Hall and Myles Standish Hall) may be accessed using the Kenmore Station Stop on the MBTA Green Line B, C and D trains. Most of the rest of the main campus may be accessed using the B trains of the Green Line between the Blandford Street and Pleasant Street stops. The 57 Bus runs along Commonwealth Avenue and into Allston and Brighton. The MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line also stops near campus at Yawkey Station.

The Medical Campus is served by the 1 and CT1 Buses which runs along Massachusetts Avenue as well as the 47 and CT3 buses which connect the Boston University Medical Center with the Longwood Medical Area. The Silver Line Washington Street Branch runs the entire length of the campus, one block north of most parts of the campus; it connects Boston University Medical Center with Tufts/New England Medical Center and downtown Boston. The nearest underground T station is the Massachusetts Avenue station on the Orange Line, located 3 blocks north of the Medical Center.

The Boston University Shuttle (BUS) serves to connect the Main Campus, Boston University Theatre, and the Medical Campus.

Core Curriculum

Offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Core Curriculum offers an intensive great books program for any incoming freshmen who choose to participate. Occupying two classes a semester during freshman and sophomore years, the program has four humanities sections which start with Gilgamesh and work their way through Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Milton, Dante, Bach and many more. The Social Sciences part of the program includes Hobbes, John Locke, Rousseau, Adam Smith, Marx, and continues through contemporary works. Lastly, the science aspect of the program deals with major ideas such as big bang theory, evolution, quantum mechanics and more. Ultimately, the program seeks to combine science, math, humanities, art, and the social sciences into a cohesive program to give students insight into their world and help them become more refined writers and scholars.

Reputation

U.S. News & World Report ranks Boston University 60th among national universities. Boston University was also ranked 21st among U.S. law schools, 34th among medical schools, 41st among business schools, and 68th among education schools. The Biomedical Engineering Graduate and Undergraduate Programs are ranked #7 and #8 respectively in the nation and rising by U.S. News and World Report. The undergraduate program is also the sixth largest ABET-accredited program in the nation. Additionally, most of the graduate programs in the Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent College) ranked within the top 15% in the country. The Occupational Therapy Program ranked #1 (tied at the #1 spot) out of 152 programs; the Physical Therapy Program ranked #24 out of 199 programs; and the Speech-Language Pathology Program ranked #25 out of 244 programs.

The Financial Times ranks Boston University's MBA program as the #45 U.S. School for Career Progress. The Times Higher Education Supplement ranks Boston University the 20th best university in the United States, and the 46th best university in the world, in its 2008 list of the Top 200 universities in the world. Business Week ranks Boston University's MBA program #15, and its undergraduate business program #37. Newsweek (International Edition), in its August 2006 list of the Top 100 Global Universities, ranked Boston University the 35th best university in the United States, and 65th best in the world.

The Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranks Boston University 47th best overall university, and 45th best undergraduate university in the United States (two schools ranked above BU are graduate schools only; UCSF and Rockefeller), as well as 81st best in the world, on its list of the Top 500 universities in the world.

The Center for Measuring University Performance. ranks Boston University among the top 50 research universities in the country.

The Wall Street Journal ranks Boston University's MBA program 41st nationally and the Information Technology department is ranked 10th in the world for academic excellence (September 2005).

Forbes ranks Boston University's undergraduate program 384th all over America (2008) while its MBA program was recognized as the 46th among domestic MBA programs (August 2005). They also ranked Boston University as the 25th most Entrepreneurial college in America. The School of Management is ranked among the top 25 programs in the US by Entrepreneur magazine (April 2005). BU is one of 96 American universities receiving the highest research classification ("RU/VH") by the Carnegie Foundation

Academics

Colleges and schools at Boston University include:

College of Fine Arts (CFA)
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS)
College of Communication (COM)
College of Engineering (ENG)
College of General Studies (CGS)
College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent College) (SAR)
School of Education (SED)
Division of Extended Education
School of Hospitality Administration (SHA)
School of Law (LAW)
School of Management (SMG)
Metropolitan College (MET)
Boston University Brussels (BUB)
Boston University Science and Engineering Program (SEP)
School of Social Work (SSW)
School of Theology (STH)
University Professors Program (UNI) (will graduate its final class in 2011)
School of Medicine (MED)
Division of Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS)
Goldman School of Dental Medicine (SDM)
School of Public Health (SPH)

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) was formerly named the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). The College of Communication was formerly named the School of Public Communication (SPC). The School of Management (SMG) was formerly named the College of Business Administration (CBA). The College of General Studies (CGS) was formerly named the College of Basic Studies (CBS). The School of Nursing (SON) and the College of Practical Arts and Letters (PAL) are units that have been discontinued.

The University offers a large number of degree programs for bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees. There are also numerous opportunities for students to travel and study abroad, with internships overseas and in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.. As of 2005 it has a 15:1 student-teacher ratio despite its large size. The College of Arts and Sciences also offers a great books-style Core Curriculum that satisfies the general education or divisionl requirements with small classes in classical liberal arts topics.

Boston University ranked 46th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking