Student-Faculty Ratio
13:1
Full-Time Student Population
25,578
Part-Time Student Population
5,921
Full-Time Instructional Faculty
1,643
Part-Time Instructional Faculty
1,112
Faculty with Terminal Degree
78%
Average Faculty Salary
$106,881
Full-Time Retention Rate
92%
Programs/Majors Offered
216
Academic/Career Counseling?
Yes
Class Sizes
- Fewer than 20 students: 56%
- 20 to 49 students: 34%
- 50 or more students: 10%
Instructional Programs
Occupational:
NoAcademic:
YesContinuing Professional:
NoRecreational/Avocational:
NoAdult Basic Remedial:
NoSecondary (High School):
NoSpecial Credit Opportunities
Advanced Placement (AP) Credits:
YesDual Credit:
NoLife Experience Credits:
NoUndergraduate Schools/Divisions
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Communication
- College of Engineering
- College of Fine Arts
- College of General Studies
- College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
- School of Education
- School of Hospitality Administration
- School of Management
- University Professors Program
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor's degree
- Doctorate - Professional practice
- Doctorate - Research/scholarship
- Master's degree
- Post-bachelor's certificate
- Post-master's certificate
Most Popular Majors
- Business Administration and Management: 7%
- International Relations and National Security Studies: 2%
- Psychology: 2%
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric: 2%
Special Study Options
- Distance learning opportunities
- Study abroad
- Teacher certification (below the postsecondary level)
- Weekend/evening college
Best Places to Study
- BU Beach (when it's warm outside)
- George Sherman Union, especially BU Central, Howard Thurman Center, or the third floor
- Ingall's: Engineering Library
- Mugar Library
- Pardee Library at the School of Management
- Seventh-floor study lounge of the Hojo
- Shelton ninth-floor study lounge
Tips to Succeed
- Don't wait until registration day to choose your schedule. For some things, such as studying abroad or double majoring, all the general requirements you are forced to complete (especially in the College of Arts and Sciences) might get in the way of having that semester of travel and adventure in another country.
- Stay off campus. While the University provides plenty of opportunities for meeting other students, most of my best friends, and all of my relationships, have been found during trips away from campus life. There are so many people in Boston; do not make the mistake of limiting yourself to the occasionally homogenous BU crowd.
- Talk to your professors. This is the number-one piece of advice for any student at BU. As I approached my senior year, I regretted the fact that I had allowed my first years at the University to slip by without getting to know my professors. Do not wait until the panic of recommendations to become your professor's best friend.
- Use the BU Job Board. Quickie Jobs are perfect for making some easy and fast cash. BU offers its students a list of odd jobs (one-time, temporary, permanent, part-time, and full-time options) posted by people and businesses in the Boston area who are looking for help. This is a great way to make enough money to really enjoy city life. Here, money disappears frighteningly fast.
Did You Know?
- The Core Curriculum Program is an option for the top candidates entering the College of Arts and Sciences, and an excellent opportunity for those of us lacking specific direction or major. Core consists of eight historically-based, integrated courses providing an in-depth study of classic works in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. While Core does emphasize a higher ability for analytical thinking, and certainly requires higher levels of writing and reading comprehension than other programs, it allows students to pursue a coherent interdisciplinary approach to literature, art, music, social, religious, scientific, and philosophical thought, therefore enabling you to sound extra-intelligent at social gatherings and heated debates. Core lectures are always accompanied by small seminar discussions and labs, so get ready for a rocky time at registration. Beware, scheduling around Core classes can prove to be difficult.
- BU was the first to open all its divisions to women (1872); open a college of music in the United States (1873); admit women to its medical college, the School of Medicine (1873); award PhDs to women in America (1877); offer a college degree in public relations (1947); open a graduate school in dentistry (1963); combine cancer research and a teaching laboratory (1965)