The outbreak of World War II brought a change in priorities and adjustments in the curriculum. The debate between the merits of technical training and education in the liberal arts gave way to plans for condensing the traditional four years of undergraduate study. A Wartime College Training Program enabled undergraduates to complete their educations in about one-half the usual time. The University added courses, including war-mobilization courses and summer sessions. Boston University was selected as one of the first sites for the Army Specialized Training Program and, as part of its contribution to the war, provided room and board for the trainees. The University also trained army officers for the occupation of Germany. The desire to be in the service of the city had expanded to the service of the country. When the war ended, 223 students and alumni had given their lives for freedom, and 1,132 had received military honors.

The University enjoyed another peacetime influx of veterans, this time funded by the G.I. Bill. With 30,000 students at Boston University alone, housing in Boston was at a premium. The University purchased the Charlesgate and Myles Standish Hotels, and bought other properties for additional dormitory space. During these years, the University created the School of Nursing, the School of Public Relations (later renamed the College of Communication), and the General College (now the College of General Studies). The two-year program of the General College attempted to answer the needs of veterans whose education had been interrupted and whose college preparation may have been inadequate. The students could transfer into the regular programs of the University once they were academically prepared.

There was increased attention to science and engineering after the war, in response to the nation's need to retain scientific and technical superiority during the Cold War. A new College of Industrial Technology (later to become the School of Engineering), the Physical Research Laboratory, and the Institute of Aerial Photography advanced education and research in areas essential to defense. The University continued to centralize on the Charles River Campus by purchasing more buildings and moving colleges.

• Introduction
• History
• Beginnings
• The First 50 Years
• Between the World Wars
• WII and its Aftermath
• University Life
• A Vision for a World University
• Facts
• City

Bostonia poster, 1944

War mobilization courses flyer, 1942