The BU Advantage
As you consider the academic programs offered by different colleges and universities, ask yourself these questions: On the day you accept your diploma, what will you know? What will you be prepared to do? The Boston University approach to academics could make a real difference in your answers.
Because of our long heritage and strong commitment to the liberal arts, you’ll have a rich, broad background in the humanities, math and the sciences when you graduate from BU. This foundation, we believe, is the preparation you’ll need to enter any field and enjoy a full life as an educated citizen of the world.
But unlike most universities, we also believe in helping undergraduates explore many interests at once. So we offer a rare fusion of liberal arts and professional education. We call it the BU Advantage.
If you already know the field you plan to enter, enroll in that program as a freshman and begin immersing yourself in your chosen area from the start, right along with your liberal arts coursework. If you haven’t yet focused on a single field, enroll as an Undeclared major. Then take classes in various programs, explore your options and take two years to decide which one or ones are right for you. (You can have two majors at BU—even in different schools or colleges.)
Either way, you’ll be better prepared on graduation day to launch your career or continue training in a field you’re truly committed to.
Up until that day, we’ll give you nearly unlimited opportunities to study, grow and pursue multiple interests. The result might be a unique career advantage. For example, while majoring in painting, you could take business management courses to help you open your own gallery. Or maybe you dream of becoming a reporter on economic issues for a major TV news station. At BU, you could pursue a collaborative degree in economics and broadcast journalism.
On the other hand, the rewards of exploring multiple interests can be entirely personal. A promising microbiologist can also develop a talent and love for playing the flute. An international finance major can pursue a passion for acting with a minor in theater. In fact, you can spend your entire four years at BU learning what you love and who you are.
And that, we believe, could make them the most exciting years of your life.
Learn more about the difference in BU academic programs:
Here’s a small sample of how our undergraduates use the BU Advantage to pursue their individual goals:
is pursuing a double major in biochemistry and molecular biology. She does research through the School of Social Work, studying HIV testing behavior among women.
started at BU in the College of Engineering but discovered he was more interested in business. He transferred easily to the School of Management, majoring in finance and management information systems.
is a triple major: biochemistry, molecular biology and philosophy, all in the College of Arts & Sciences. His current research project is in DNA regulation.
is an advertising major (College of Communication) with a cultural anthropology minor (College of Arts & Sciences). She spent a summer in India and China studying the effects of population growth on culture, society, economics and politics through a BU study-abroad program.
is working toward a collaborative degree in history (College of Arts & Sciences) and broadcast journalism (College of Communication).
