Student Resources

Advising

Students are assigned to faculty members in their major area of study for assistance and advice throughout their academic careers. All full-time faculty members assist a group of students. Any student may ask their department chair for a change of advisor if they feel such a change will improve the advising situation.

Faculty advisors are responsible for:

• being available by appointment during office hours when students request meetings;
• consulting with students who have academic problems in order to assist them;
• advising students of available Boston University services, should they need further assistance;
• meeting with their advisees at each registration period to approve courses selected by each student; and
• making recommendations concerning all aspects of course selection and graduation requirements.

Academic Services Center

The Sargent College Academic Services Center offers advising appointments (call 617-353-2713) to assist students with academic and registration processes; general program and degree requirements; and details of the individual student’s academic record. Other services such as processing requests for transfer courses, minors within Sargent or in other BU programs, and Study Abroad options are also handled in the Academic Services Center, Room 207 in Sargent.

Disability & Access Services

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact Disability & Access Services to discuss any support services or accommodations they may need. The office is located at 25 Buick Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02215; 617-353-3658 (voice/TTY).

Student Recognition

The Sargent College Honor Society

This undergraduate honorary society was founded by the SAR Class of 1924. Membership is open to anyone in the junior or senior year with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of their class.

Student Awards

Seniors are also recognized for their service to the community, to Sargent College, and potential for achievement in their professions through a spring award nomination process. These awards are presented to seniors at a recognition ceremony before their commencement date.

Dean’s List

The Sargent College Dean’s list is awarded each term to full-time students who achieve a grade point index of 3.5 with no incomplete grades and at least 12 units of letter grades; Pass/Fail grades are not considered.

Thesis for Distinction

The Senior Thesis for Distinction provides exceptional senior students (see requirements below) in the Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences with an opportunity to participate in a focused research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Each student is responsible for executing his or her own research project. While students may collaborate with others in the mentor’s lab or research group, they must make an active and significant contribution to their own projects. Successful completion of the Thesis for Distinction will help students to gain understanding of the research enterprise and to prepare for graduate programs. Additionally, students will develop technical writing and oral presentation skills through interactions in the laboratory, by writing a final report on their project, and by summarizing their work in a final presentation before students and faculty. For further information, please see the Sargent Thesis for Distinction website.

Learning and Research Centers

The George K. Makechnie Study Center (MSC)

Renovated in 2009 and LEED certified, the MSC is a Sargent facility that provides media production resources for students and faculty as well as a state-of-the-art computer laboratory. The MSC is most importantly a study center for the students of BU Sargent College, and it offers small group study settings. Through the production of audiovisual and digital materials, the MSC supports and enhances teaching, learning, and research in the health and rehabilitation fields. Resources available in the center include media-viewing facilities, computer workstations, rooms for group work, and study space. The MSC also provides classroom media and technical support as well as educational technology instruction to the BU Sargent College community.

Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation

The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation was founded in response to the need for knowledge about the successful rehabilitation of psychiatric disabilities. The center, the first of its kind in the country, is jointly funded by the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research and the National Institute of Mental Health and is a World Health Organization collaborating center. The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation’s staff studies the effectiveness of various mental health and rehabilitation treatment methods; on the basis of this research, the center develops new psychiatric rehabilitation training programs for professionals offering mental health services.

Center for Neurorehabilitation

The Center for Neurorehabilitation includes a team of researchers and clinicians with expertise in rehabilitation and movement science. The center conducts research, clinical, and educational activities with the goal of directly improving the quality of rehabilitation provided to those with neurological disorders. The center offers physical therapy services for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders.

BU Physical Therapy (Ryan) Center for Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation (BUPTC)

Since 1991, BUPTC has been the provider of choice for thousands of patients throughout the greater Boston area and has developed a reputation for clinical excellence. The center’s services combine the highest level of clinical expertise with the most advanced rehabilitation techniques.

BUPTC’s program focuses on maximizing patients’ level of physical function and activity. Highly experienced physical therapists provide comprehensive treatment programs customized to improve strength, endurance, and mobility.

Each treatment program begins with an extensive evaluation that allows the patient to receive a personalized treatment program. The BUPTC therapists also develop extensive home programs that reinforce long-term strategies, allowing patients to maintain gains made at the clinic and prevent future problems.

BU Sargent Choice Nutrition Center (SCNC)

The SCNC is staffed by full-time registered dietitians, graduate student employees, a rotating team of dietetic interns, and undergraduate student volunteers. The SCNC provides a variety of services to the BU community and the general public in many specialty areas, including:

• Risk-factor management (weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes)
• Eating disorders and disordered eating
• Sports nutrition

The following SCNC programs provide excellent courses and other learning opportunities for the BU community and clinical practice for graduate nutrition students:

• Individual and group nutrition counseling
• Weight-Loss Essentials
• Sargent Choice Healthy Dining Program
• Nutrition courses for non-nutrition majors, topics include Healthy Dieting, Sports Nutrition, and Vegetarian Nutrition

For further information, please see the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center website.