Distinctive Academic Opportunities
It is essential that students meet with faculty advisors and academic counselors to pursue the academic opportunities listed below. Careful discussion and planning are required to ensure these are feasible options.
Faculty advisors ensure these opportunities fit into your curriculum, and academic counselors facilitate the process so that all requirements are met. We recommend that you investigate these options and familiarize yourselves with procedures and deadlines to make the most of your appointments with both advisors. You should always meet with your faculty advisor first and then follow up with the appropriate academic counselor.
International Service Learning
Now Accepting Applications for our 2023 Experiences in Cambodia and Guatemala!
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.
Students have the opportunity to leverage their classroom knowledge to assist health care providers and community health workers in delivering basic healthcare needs to an underserved community. 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
Want to spend a semester 14,000 miles away, working at a hospital in New Zealand? Maybe you’d prefer to study biomedical ethics in Ireland, or use the skills you’ve learned at the World Health Organization in Geneva?
Boston University Study Abroad offers an unmatched variety of international education options for BU students. BU offers a variety of study abroad programs for you to choose from including the following tailored specifically for Sargent students:
Students considering studying abroad should begin the process of exploration early in their academic career to ensure they plan their course of study appropriately. To get started, schedule a meeting with an Academic Services Counselor here at Sargent College.
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.
Sargent internship sites include:
- Academic Speech, Language & Hearing Center
- Aphasia Resource Center
- Center for Neurorehabilitation
- Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
- Physical Therapy Center
- Ryan Center for Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation
- Sargent Choice Nutrition Center
Please note: a one-time $100 internship fee per undergraduate internship course will be applied. This fee will cover all administrative expenses incurred for the student’s participation in this academic requirement.
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.
You must apply to the program in the spring of your 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:
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. Some general policy considerations for double majors within BU Sargent College:
- Students must meet all requirements in both programs, including minimum GPA, all coursework (major and elective), and internships, where applicable.
- Both degrees must be completed before the student can graduate from Boston University.
- Students must complete no fewer than 36 courses (144 credits) for a double major.
To apply, students must complete their freshman 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).
- Contact an academic counselor to discuss the feasibility of declaring a double major. You can make an appointment by calling the Sargent Academic Service Center at 617-353-2713 or emailing sarugrad@bu.edu.
- The application will then be reviewed by academic advisors who have knowledge of both programs.
- As part of the application, an essay (one-page, typed) must be submitted that describes why the double major is academically beneficial.
Thesis for Distinction
The Senior Thesis for Distinction provides 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.
Please note the following:
- Discuss the minor with an academic counselor to help you determine whether a specific minor fits your interest areas and will work within your chosen major coursework. Questions regarding the process for declaring a minor will be answered at this time.
- Obtain your faculty advisor’s signature on the Minor Declaration Form and also from an advisor in your chosen minor.
- Return the form to the ASC office, Room 207 Sargent College. The minor will appear on your Student Link degree advice after the form is turned in with appropriate signatures.
- If all required coursework is completed before graduation, your minor will become a permanent part of your transcript. If you are missing any coursework to complete the minor, it will be removed from your record, and will not appear on your transcript.