Colleges Brandeis University

Brandeis University www.brandeis.edu

Brandeis University is a private institution that was founded in 1948. The school is set on a 235-acre campus located in suburban Waltham, Massachusetts, just nine miles west of Boston.  Students are guaranteed housing for their first four semesters. The university has an active student government, the Brandeis Student Union, as well as more than 270 student organizations. In addition to student-run TV and radio stations, Brandeis has religious and performance groups, service organizations, cultural awareness groups, performance groups, and more. The Shapiro Campus Center serves as a hub of student activity on campus, housing a theater, bookstore, cafe, library, meeting rooms, and a student art gallery. Cholmondeley’s, the campus coffeehouse, is another hotspot for concerts and comedy shows. Brandeis offers a distinctive model: the personal attention and flexibility of a liberal arts college with the depth and opportunity of a research institution. Nearly 50 percent of students participate in study abroad programs offered in about 70 countries around the world.

Academics

Brandeis is comprised of the College of Arts and Sciences and four graduate schools. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers highly ranked programs in English and history, and The Heller School for Social Policy and Management is notable for its programs in social policy, health policy and management, and international development. Brandeis is classified among R1 Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activities and is a member of the Association of American Universities. Brandeis is academically intense: most undergraduates complete two majors or combine a major with one or more minors, and a number pursue one of 13 combined Bachelor’s-Master’s degree programs. The student-faculty ratio at Brandeis University is 11:1, and the school has 60% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. Popular majors include Biology, Business, Experimental Psychology, and Computer Science.

Special Highlights

Hiatt Career Center. The Hiatt Career Center assists students and alumni in developing the skills to transform their unique backgrounds, liberal arts education and experiential learning into meaningful professional futures and relationships. Hiatt engages employers, colleagues, parents and families and the greater Brandeis community to achieve this mission.

Health, Wellness and Life Skills. How do you balance academic, work, family, social and professional commitments? How do you navigate difficult situations, or stay safe in potentially dangerous ones? Health, Wellness and Life Skills is part of the Brandeis Core; this program helps you build confidence and resiliency, manage challenges and develop a solid foundation of general life skills. Stress management, financial literacy and drug and alcohol education are among the numerous courses that will help you build skills for physical, mental and spiritual health.

School Mission & Unique Qualities

Fraternities and sororities are not officially recognized by Brandeis University, as they are contrary to a central tenet of the university, namely, that student organizations be open to all students, with membership determined by competency or interest. Brandeis was the youngest university to earn Phi Beta Kappa recognition, and is home to what has been cited as one of the country’s few undergraduate-run law publications. The Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society, which consistently ranks as one of the top debate teams in the US, participates across the globe in the World Universities Debating Championships. The Campus Sustainability Initiative seeks to reduce the University’s environmental and climate change impact, which includes a student-organized Farmers’ Market, a single-stream recycling program, and the transition to GreenE certified wind power.

Student Reviews…

“I love my time at Brandeis! As a STEM student there are so many opportunities. All of my professors explained difficult concepts and worked directly with students. I saw people from all different backgrounds interact so naturally and enthusiastically with each other.”