Class of 2015 Profile
Profile of the Class of 2015, Registered and Settled Through Fall 2011 Final (Official Mid-Semester)
Total Number of Entering Students, Fall 2011: 1,823
| Male | 37.9% (691) |
| Female | 62.1% (1,132) |
The class entering in Fall 2011 was the most accomplished academically to date:
| Credentials | Average | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Critical Reading | 628 | 580–680 |
| SAT Math | 673 | 630–710 |
| SAT Writing | 648 | 600–690 |
| SAT Composite | 1949 | 1850–2050 |
| ACT Composite | 29 | 27.25–31 |
| High School Rank in Class | 89.6 | -- |
| High School GPA | 3.60 | -- |
| Rank in Class | |
|---|---|
| Top 5% | 38.7% |
| Top 10% | 64.6% |
| Top 15% | 78.3% |
| Top 20% | 85.8% |
| Top 25% | 90.6% |
| Top 30% | 93.2% |
| Top 50% | 99.1% |
The Class of 2015 is ethnically very diverse, with a particularly strong international contingent.
| Ethnicity | Number | % of Class | % of Domestic Known |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American | 62 | 3.4% | 4.7% |
| Hispanic | 138 | 7.6% | 10.4% |
| Native American | 16 | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Asian | 284 | 15.6% | 21.3% |
| Caucasian | 822 | 45.1% | 61.8% |
| International | 356 | 19.5% | -- |
| Unspecified | 136 | 7.5% | -- |
| Total: | 1,823 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Pre-professional programs and economics were the most popular with the class that entered in Fall 2011.
| Top 10 Programs/Majors | |
|---|---|
| Undeclared | 451 |
| Pre-medicine | 224 |
| Economics | 127 |
| Biology | 119 |
| International Relations | 103 |
| Psychology | 102 |
| English | 51 |
| Biology—Cell/Molecular/Genetic | 47 |
| Mathematics | 43 |
| Neuroscience | 39 |
Most domestic (U.S.) students entering in Fall 2011 were from the Northeast and California, with Massachusetts leading the way.
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| # of states | 44 |
| % from out of state | 81.2% |
| Top States | |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 342 |
| New York | 216 |
| California | 185 |
| New Jersey | 137 |
| Connecticut | 82 |
| Pennsylvania | 61 |
| Texas | 46 |
| Florida | 45 |
| New Hampshire | 34 |
| Illinois | 29 |
| Other states, D.C. | 272 |
| Territories, APO | 11 |
| Foreign address | 363 |
| Territories represented: | GU, PR |
| State(s) not represented: | IA, ID, MT, NE, SD, WY |
| Region | |
|---|---|
| New England | 27.3% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 24.5% |
| Midwest | 5.6% |
| South | 6.6% |
| Southwest | 2.9% |
| West | 1.3% |
| Pacific | 11.8% |
| Other | 20.1% |
The majority of entering international students in Fall 2011 came from Asia, with the greatest number coming from China.
| Top Countries by Citizenship | |
|---|---|
| China (Incl. Hong Kong) | 176 |
| Republic of Korea | 42 |
| India | 16 |
| Canada | 10 |
| Japan | 8 |
| United Kingdom | 8 |
| Republic of Singapore | 7 |
| Taiwan, ROC | 7 |
| Thailand | 7 |
| Brazil | 6 |
| Turkey | 6 |
College of Arts & Sciences Historical Summary of Semester I Enrollment
| Entering Class (Undergraduate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time | Part-time | Total | |
| 2005 | 1,851 | 1 | 1,852 |
| 2009 | 1,810 | 0 | 1,810 |
| 2010 | 2,024 | 0 | 2,024 |
| 2011 | 1,823 | 1 | 1,824 |
The Academic Enhancement Fund
During academic year 2011/12, the Academic Enhancement Fund (AEF) enabled CAS faculty members to build unique learning opportunities into their undergraduate course syllabi, using historic and contemporary Boston as an extended classroom and taking advantage of the city and University as magnets for leading academics, artists, and experts in their professions. Activities and events sponsored by the AEF included class trips to cultural performances, guided visits to local exhibits and institutions, and encounters—both formal and informal—with distinguished visiting scholars. In some cases, students themselves played an active role in designing and carrying out AEF-sponsored events.
Significant increases in funding and promotion during academic year 2011/12 inspired a record-high number and diversity of proposals to the AEF, providing support to more than 60 CAS classes across a broad range of disciplines. Thanks to the fund, students in Associate Professor Carrie Preston’s English course, Sex and Gender in Literature, were able to see the play The Divine Sister; and students in Assistant Professor Robert Murowchick’s class, Metallurgy of the Preindustrial World, explored a working foundry in Chelsea.
In these and all of the other AEF-supported events, the fund did exactly what it was designed to do: provide added depth to the educational experiences of CAS students by allowing them to take advantage of resources uniquely available through the College, their professors, and the cultural richness of the region.
The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
GRS Registered Students, Fall 2011
| Humanities | |
|---|---|
| Applied Linguistics | 20 |
| Classical Studies | 21 |
| Creative Writing | 30 |
| Editorial Studies | 18 |
| English | 53 |
| French Language & Literature | 19 |
| Hispanic Language & Literature | 30 |
| History of Art & Architecture | 59 |
| Music programs | 20 |
| Philosophy | 49 |
| Preservation Studies | 13 |
| Religious Studies | 72 |
| Natural Sciences | |
|---|---|
| Astronomy | 41 |
| Biology | 90 |
| Biostatistics | 65 |
| Biotechnology | 6 |
| Chemistry | 125 |
| Cognitive & Neural Systems | 36 |
| Computer Science | 62 |
| Earth Sciences | 28 |
| Energy & Environmental Studies | 24 |
| Geography | 41 |
| Mathematics | 58 |
| Molecular & Cell Biology and Biochemistry | 39 |
| Neuroscience | 11 |
| Physics | 110 |
| Social Sciences | |
|---|---|
| African American Studies | 2 |
| American & New England Studies | 49 |
| Anthropology | 34 |
| Applied Anthropology | 2 |
| Archaeology programs | 63 |
| Economics programs | 307 |
| History | 50 |
| International Relations | 123 |
| MBA & Management/MA | 10 |
| MBA—Public Management/MA | 2 |
| Political Science | 57 |
| Psychology | 130 |
| Sociology | 33 |
| Sociology & Social Work | 23 |
| No major | 7 |
| Total: | 2,032 |
Degrees Conferred by Department or Program
| Program Name | MA | MFA | PhD |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | 1 | -- | -- |
| American & New England Studies | 3 | -- | 6 |
| Anthropology | 1 | -- | 1 |
| Applied Anthropology | 1 | -- | -- |
| Applied Linguistics | 4 | -- | 1 |
| Archaeology programs | -- | -- | 2 |
| Astronomy | 5 | -- | 6 |
| Biology | 6 | -- | 16 |
| Biostatistics | 7 | -- | 8 |
| Biotechnology | 16 | -- | -- |
| Chemistry | 22 | -- | 13 |
| Classical Studies | -- | -- | 2 |
| Cognitive & Neural Systems | 3 | -- | 6 |
| Computer Science | 10 | -- | 4 |
| Creative Writing | -- | 24 | -- |
| Earth & Environmental Studies | 31 | -- | -- |
| Earth Sciences | 255 | -- | 1 |
| Economics programs | 152 | -- | 16 |
| Editorial Studies | -- | -- | 4 |
| English | 15 | -- | 6 |
| French Language & Literature | 2 | -- | -- |
| Geography | 5 | -- | 5 |
| Hispanic Language & Literature | 6 | -- | 4 |
| History | 5 | -- | 8 |
| History of Art & Architecture | 8 | -- | 2 |
| International Relations | 27 | -- | -- |
| Mathematics | 7 | -- | 7 |
| MBA & Management/MA | 1 | -- | -- |
| MBA—Public Management/MA | 1 | -- | -- |
| Molecular & Cell Biology and Biochemistry | 2 | -- | 7 |
| Music programs | 2 | -- | 1 |
| Neuroscience | 1 | -- | 4 |
| No major | -- | -- | -- |
| Philosophy | 7 | -- | 7 |
| Physics | 22 | -- | 17 |
| Political Science | 3 | -- | 3 |
| Preservation Studies | 6 | -- | -- |
| Psychology | 43 | -- | 15 |
| Religious Studies | 1 | -- | 6 |
| Sociology | 1 | -- | 2 |
| Sociology & Social Work | -- | -- | 3 |
| Total: | 682 | 24 | 183 |
Graduate Degrees Conferred, Academic Year 2011/12
| Degree | MA | MA or MFA | MA or MA/PhD | BA/MA | Post-MA MA/JD | Post-BA PhD | PhD | Total |
| Number | 287 | 24 | 99 | 43 | 1 | 86 | 104 | 644 |
Research
Applications and Awards for Sponsored Research
| Applications | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 507 | 621 | 581 | 533 | 516 |
| Amounts | $140.3M | $192.7M | $163.2M | $138.6M | $134.8M |
| Awards | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 455 | 478 | 456 | 473 | 454 |
| Amounts | $77.5M | $85.7M | $93M | $76.4M | $85.1M |
Financials/Fiscal Resources
The College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences achieved a balanced, unrestricted expense budget at the close of the 2011/12 fiscal year.
The College provided roughly $650K in one-time gift funds to our departments and centers to support instructional lab equipment and supplies, computing storage space, and computing equipment. Roughly $326K of indirect cost-recovery funds were provided to support cost-share commitments, laboratory renovations, and shared core-facility equipment. The dean provided $528K from her start-up funds to support various academic-related needs, including RULE grants and UROP summer awards.
The College and Graduate School generated $303,248,815 in tuition revenue, which represents a 3.05% increase over the previous academic year. Revenues from graduate school application fees increased by 8% with a total income of $544,978.
CAS/GRS Budget
| FY 2010/11 | FY 2011/12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted expense budget | $100,924,497 | $103,158,556 | CAS/GRS tuition revenue | $294,260,207 | $303,248,815 | GRS application fee revenue | $503,285 | $544,978 |
Annual Report 2011/12
From the Dean
Thanks to the commitment of CAS faculty and staff, great strides were made during academic year 2011/12 toward achieving the College’s fundamental strategic goals.
New Structures for Organizing Discovery and Education
Three new programmatic developments have been introduced to leverage the special strengths of the research and educational expertise of the CAS faculty.
Strengthening the Quality of the Faculty
The College reaches the halfway point in its goal to increase the faculty by 100 new positions, while the latest cohort of faculty members continues to demonstrate superb research and teaching skills.
Strengthening the Quality of Undergraduate Education
This year, the College focused on making sure CAS undergraduates had the best possible start to their academic careers through the First-Year Experience (FYE).
Strengthening the Quality of Graduate Education
Work conducted this year to change the structure of funding for PhD programs will have a major impact on the future of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Strengthening Our Research and Scholarship
Thanks to strong support from the University and public and private sponsors, BU researchers continue to break new ground—literally and figuratively—at the frontiers of knowledge.
Finances and Development
In academic year 2011/12, the College of Arts & Sciences effectively managed its fiscal resources to attract and retain the best undergraduate and graduate students, recruit outstanding academics, and support its research initiatives.
The Class of 2012
After encouraging words from Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences confers more than 2,000 hard-earned diplomas to this year’s graduates.
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