| Q: |
Are professors accessible? |
| A: |
Professors are required to keep at least two
office hours for each class they have per week, but most make themselves even
more available and are willing to make additional appointments as well. They will also
give you their office and sometimes home phone numbers and e-mail addresses, in case
you can't make their office hours.
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 |
| Q: |
How big are the classes? |
| A: |
The student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1. Eighty
percent of our classes have fewer than 30 students, and
4 percent have more than 100 students. You should expect
both lecture-style and smaller, seminar-size classes,
all depending on your School or College and your major.
The classes that require an intimate discussion setting
will be smaller, while others lend themselves to a larger
setting along with a smaller lab or discussion section.
|
|
| Q: |
Do graduate students teach classes? |
| A: |
Almost every course at the University is taught by professors. In some cases, introductory-level foreign language classes or required writing program seminars may be taught by part-time faculty or graduate students who are usually working on their doctorate degrees. And if any class enrolls more than 90 students, it is broken down into discussion sections in addition to the lecture. In this case, the professor leads the lecture and the discussions are usually led by graduate students. |
|
| Q: |
Will I have my own advisor? |
| A: |
Yes, each student has an advisor in the student's School or College. Once you choose a specific major or field of study, you may elect a faculty advisor from that area; you can change your advisor if another
faculty member better suits you.
|
|
| Q: |
Can I double major? Are there any restrictions? |
| A: |
You can double major in your own School
or College, as well as between two different Schools or
Colleges through the Boston University Collaborative Degree
Program (BUCOP). This will result in your earning two
bachelor's degrees. Some programs are easy to combine, but others may require an extra semester of coursework or be
more difficult to combine, due to the requirements of different curricula. You can also create your own
crossdisciplinary major through the Independent Concentration
at the College of Arts and Sciences. |
|
| Q: |
Are there services for students with disabilities? |
| A: |
Yes. Our Office of Disability Services is
located at 19 Deerfield Street, Boston,
Massachusetts 02215; 617/353-3658 (Voice and TTY).
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|
| Q: |
Do many students go on to law school, graduate school, or medical school? |
| A: |
The paths Boston University graduates take
are as diverse as the different programs we offer, and there are many resources available to students interested in furthering their education. The Pre-Professional Advising Office, for example, counsels students interested in continuing on to medical or law school. The Office advises students about their curriculum choices, helps with the application process, and provides information about students' professional goals.
The Office of Career Services helps those students interested in applying to graduate school by hosting graduate school fairs and providing online resources, workshops, and counseling. |
|
| Q: |
Do I need to take a foreign language? |
| A: |
The requirement depends on the individual
School or College and may range from four semesters to two semesters to no requirement. Many students feel that study of a foreign
language is an experience that will help them personally
and professionally. |
|
| Q: |
Is there a freshman writing requirement? |
| A: |
All Boston University students take Writing Program seminars to satisfy their School or College writing requirements. Writing Seminars (WR 100) and Writing and Research Seminars (WR 150) are offered in fields across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. WR 100 focuses upon primary works and satisfies the first writing requirement throughout Boston University; WR 150 adds a semester-long emphasis on library and internet research and satisfies the second writing requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences and other Schools and Colleges that have a two-semester writing requirement. Some students may require introductory work in composition prior to the first writing seminar. We offer introductory courses and tutorials for ESL students and non-ESL students, with placement based on the Boston University Writing Assessment (BUWA), administered to freshmen and transfer students during University Orientation. |
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| Q: |
What is the Core Curriculum? |
| A: |
The Core Curriculum is an integrated series of courses that provides the foundation of a liberal education by combining the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences into a single structured curriculum. While maintaining its base in the classics of Western thought and literature, the Core Curriculum introduces students to important and profound works of Eastern thought and art. The Core is one of two ways of fulfilling the general education requirement for all students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Like the other option, a more traditional divisional studies program, the Core accounts for about half of a student’s courses during the freshman and sophomore years. The Core is not a major, nor does it preclude a student’s taking other courses as electives. For more information, please visit the Core Curriculum website.
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|
| Q: |
Where can I study abroad? |
| A: |
Boston University has semester-long and
academic-year programs abroad.
Some of the places students may study and/or complete
internships are: Australia, China, France, Germany, England,
Ecuador, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Niger, and Spain. Students
are not limited to traveling to these areas, however.
They can use other study-abroad agencies and resources
to find other programs. |
|
| Q: |
Is there an internship office? |
| A: |
Yes. Each individual School and College
has an office in which internship opportunities are listed.
There is also the University-wide Office
of Career Services. |
|
| Q: |
Is there an honors program? How does it work? |
| A: |
The College
of Arts and Sciences and the School
of Management offer honors programs into which qualified
students are invited. |
|
| Q: |
Are there integrated bachelor's/M.D. programs available through the Boston University School of Medicine? |
| A: |
There are several programs. Students can
apply to the Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum Program (MMEDIC) in
their sophomore year. The program takes eight years to
complete (four undergraduate and four medical school),
allowing students to begin medical school as part of their
undergraduate curriculum. A similar program for biomedical
engineering exists in the College of Engineering. If you
want to start earlier and are very well prepared academically, you
can apply to both Boston University and its School of
Medicine through the Accelerated Medical Program, in which
the bachelor's degree and M.D. are earned in seven years.
The first three years are in the College of Arts and Sciences,
with the final four years in the Boston
University School of Medicine. This program is highly
competitive, with approximately 1,000 applicants each year for twenty-five
slots. |
|
| Q: |
How many years does it take to complete the physical therapy program? What degree will I get? |
| A: |
The physical therapy program, one of the
top-ranked programs in the country, is a six-year program
in the Sargent
College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, awarding
both the bachelor's degree and the doctorate of physical therapy. |
|
| Q: |
What is the Sargent Clinic? |
| A: |
The Sargent College Clinical Centers
(SCCC), is where students in the Sargent
College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences can
observe actual therapy work in a clinic that serves the
Boston area. |
|
| Q: |
Some communications schools allow their students to run agencies. Is this true for the College of Communication? |
| A: |
Yes. PRLab and ADLab are full-service public
relations and advertising agencies, respectively, run
by Boston University students who are typically enrolled in the College
of Communication. |
|
| Q: |
What kind of professional experience will I gain at the College of Engineering? |
| A: |
In addition to various research
opportunities available as early as your freshman year, the Engineering Pre-Professional
Practice Program allows students in the College of Engineering
to take a year off from school and work in their field.
|
|
| Q: |
What is the College of General Studies? |
| A: |
The College of General
Studies offers an innovative and rigorous two-year core curriculum,
providing a solid interdisciplinary liberal arts foundation that successfully
prepares students for continuation into the School or College of their choice
in their junior year.
|
|
| Q: |
Can I design my own major? |
| A: |
Yes, through an independent concentration
in the College of Arts and Sciences. |
|
| Q: |
How much teaching experience is possible for School of Education students? |
| A: |
Students in the School of Education
start acquiring classroom experience in their freshman year with required observation and hands-on time in a local school and continue through their student teaching as seniors. What's more, students may choose to student teach overseas in Australia, Ecuador, or England. |
|
| Q: |
Is there a pre-law program? Pre-med? |
| A: |
At Boston University, pre-med and pre-law programs are curricular pathways, not majors. An extensive advisory system for all students interested in law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and other health-related fields is available at the Pre-professional Advising Office. Here, students can seek advice about their curricula and information about professional school admission requirements and application processes. Advising begins as early as University Orientation the summer before your freshman year at Boston University and continues the entire time you are here.
|
|
| Q: |
Do you offer an architecture major? Nursing? Criminal justice? |
| A: |
Boston University does not offer architecture
or nursing programs, however Boston University does offer
a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in criminal
justice through Metropolitan
College. |
|
| Q: |
Is there a Marine Biology program? |
| A: |
Yes, the Marine Biology program operates
through the Biology Department. For more information, please visit the
Boston University Marine Program website.
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| For more information about academics
at Boston University, visit Discover
Academics. |
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