Distinctive Academic Opportunities
Want to study abroad? Declare a minor? Complete an internship or thesis? Sargent’s distinctive academic opportunities allow students to customize a course of study that maximizes their undergraduate experience. Where will your Sargent experience take you?
International Service Learning
The Sargent College Service Learning Program offers our students a unique opportunity to participate in faculty-led service-learning experiences which promote health education, empower communities, and cultivate educated compassionate global citizens. This program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students of Sargent College interested in putting their healthcare skills to work in a developing country.
Study Abroad and Internship Programs
Spend a semester studying biomedical ethics in Ireland or use the skills you’ve learned in the classroom at the World Health Organization in Geneva. Boston University Study Abroad offers an unmatched variety of international education options including the following tailored specifically for Sargent students:
Sargent-Based Internship Programs
BU Sargent’s own in-house clinics offer a wide range of services to BU students, faculty, staff, and the greater Boston community. Located right on campus, an internship in one of our clinics offers you the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research projects as well as develop your skills in a variety of specialty areas.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program is a University-wide academic program that promotes undergraduate participation in faculty-mentored research projects. Students who participate in UROP have a chance to learn experientially through conducting actual research and to become acquainted with the entire research process while working closely with faculty.
Kilachand Honors College
Kilachand Honors College is a four-year undergraduate program that offers students the small classes, personal attention, close interaction with faculty, and communal atmosphere of a small liberal arts college together with the intellectual range and resources of a major urban research university. Qualified students may apply to both Sargent College and the Kilachand Honors College program. This combination will give students access to a wide range of stimulating and accomplished faculty and thinkers inside and outside of Boston University that will guide their education through the next four years.
Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum (MMEDIC)
The MMEDIC program gives you the opportunity for early selection to the Boston University School of Medicine while you are still an undergraduate.
Students apply to the program in the spring of the second year. Upon acceptance, you’ll enroll in courses that let you fulfill undergraduate science requirements and certain requirements of the first and second year of medical school simultaneously. This approach will give you greater flexibility once you’re in medical school.
Combined Undergraduate/Graduate Programs
Sargent College offers several options for accelerated learning through joint undergraduate/graduate programs. Successful completion of a combined program may lead to enhanced career employment opportunities, professional training, or doctoral studies. Combined programs are offered by a number of departments at Sargent College and include:
- Bachelor of Science in Health Studies/Doctor of Physical Therapy (6-year accelerated)
- Combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health
- Combined Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences/Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology
Five-Year Bachelor of Science/Master of Public Health Program
The BS/MPH dual degree program is a five-year program offered jointly by Sargent College and the Boston University School of Public Health. This dual degree program enables qualified students the opportunity to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in one of the specified concentrations at Sargent College and the Master of Public Health degree in any one of the concentrations at the School of Public Health (SPH). Up to 16 credits of graduate-level SPH coursework are completed in the last two years of undergraduate study and applied to both the BS and MPH degrees. At the completion of the BS degree requirements (128+ credits) at Sargent College, the Bachelor of Science degree will be awarded. At the end of the 5th year (32+ additional credits of SPH coursework), the Master of Public Health degree will be awarded.
Dual Degree Programs
Our students can pursue two undergraduate degrees in separate schools through the Boston University Dual Degree Program or double majors within a school.
To apply, students must complete their first year with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Applications can be made during the first or second semester of the sophomore year or by the first semester of the junior year (at least three semesters of enrollment are required).
Thesis for Distinction
The Senior Thesis for Distinction provides exceptional students 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 an understanding of the research enterprise and to prepare for graduate programs. Learn more.
Minors
Sargent College offers several dynamic minors in the following programs:
In addition to the minors offered through Sargent College, BU’s other schools and colleges offer a number of minors that are available to Sargent students. These include Psychology, Sociology, Medical Anthropology, and foreign languages, among many others. And studying abroad is an excellent way to complete a foreign language minor.