Colleges Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University www.vanderbilt.edu

Vanderbilt University is a private institution that was founded in 1873. It’s set on a park-like 333-acre campus located in the heart of Nashville, or Music City. Students have plenty of off-campus options for dining, shopping, music and entertainment. Vanderbilt offers a wide range of student activities as well. All undergraduate students are required to live on campus, and freshmen live together in The Commons. More than 40 percent of students take advantage of Vanderbilt’s study abroad programs, which are offered in more than 35 countries. Through Immersion Vanderbilt, students work with faculty mentors to develop and conduct projects that provide opportunities to engage, to create, and to forge change. These immersion projects might involve a senior thesis, an internship, an experience abroad, a creative performance, a design project, or a research project. Vanderbilt includes four undergraduate schools and six graduate and professional schools covering disciplines from the humanities to music to engineering.

Academics

Vanderbilt offers nearly 70 majors across four undergraduate schools: Blair School of Music, College of Arts and Science, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and the School of Engineering. Students are encouraged to take advantage of Vanderbilt’s interdisciplinary approach, and to take classes and explore interests across schools. Among its graduate programs are the top-ranked Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and the highly ranked Owen Graduate School of Management, School of Engineering, Law School, School of Medicine and School of Nursing. The Vanderbilt University Medical Center is ranked one of the best in the nation. The student-faculty ratio at Vanderbilt is 7:1, and the school has 61% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. Popular majors include: Economics, Social Science Research Methods, and Liberal Arts & Humanities.

Special Highlights

Living Learning Communities. LLCs provide opportunities for students with similar educational interests to live together in residence halls offering structured learning environments. These communities are connected by various academic departments. Specifically, the McTyeire International House is a partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences, and the McGill Project is supported by the departments of Fine Arts and Philosophy. Our programs are designed to attract diversity. Students from any school or discipline who wish to live in an LLC are welcome.

Heard Libraries. Comprised of nine libraries, the Heard Libraries rank among the top 50 research libraries in the nation. In addition to materials in support of Vanderbilt’s research and curriculum, special collections include the W.T. Bandy Center for Baudelaire and Modern French Studies; the Emmy Award-winning Television News Archive; the Southern Literature and Culture Collection; Latin American collections; the U.S. Playing Card Company Collection; and the Global Music Archive. The oldest item in Special Collections dates from 2500 B.C.E. The libraries provide opportunities for discovery through these collections plus programs, exhibitions, lectures and workshops.

School Mission & Unique Qualities

The oldest part of the Vanderbilt campus is known for its abundance of trees and green space, which stand in contrast to the surrounding cityscape of urban Nashville. Vanderbilt is home to more than 300 tree and shrub varieties and was designated an arboretum in 1988. One tree, the Bicentennial Oak between Rand Hall and Garland Hall, was certified to have lived during the American Revolution and was the oldest living thing on the campus. The oldest building on the original campus was constructed around 1859. The Peabody College section of campus has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark. Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory, located about nine miles from campus, also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Student Reviews…

“Vanderbilt is an incredible institution that clearly cares about their students! I’ve felt safe, supported and cared for all four years that I’ve been here. I’ve been encouraged to pursue my interests in and outside of the classroom and attended countless events.”