Brown University - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

At Brown, persistence and personal responsibility play a big role in defining your undergraduate career. Students are rewarded for learning to work within Brown’s small and intimate academic departments. In other words, it is always possible to work the system. Students always have a good chance of getting into high-level classes, even if they are outside their concentration. Many students come to Brown uncertain of their concentrations, and many switch their concentrations more than once in their undergraduate career. Brown’s academic philosophy encourages exploration into new areas of study, which can spark new interests or projects. In general, Brown believes that every student knows what’s best for him or herself.

Unlike other elite universities, Brown’s primary focus is on undergraduate students. In accordance with this goal, all Brown professors are required to teach an undergraduate class, which gives students access to some of the top academics in their field. Most students are able to make strong connections with at least a few professors who provide them with support as they develop their own interests. There are, of course, shortcomings to Brown’s system. The lack of many professional schools, like law or a business school, can make the post-Brown transition a bit jarring. In addition, for a large university, Brown can sometimes seem to have a limited number of courses available, with some departments lacking a large enough staff to support all the students. Often, you have to try for several semesters to get into a popular or limited-enrollment class. However, with persistence, anything is possible at Brown.

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Students Speak Out

BroCF says: Brown University 2012 Physical Sciences

I love my professors. The geology... I love my professors. The geology department is really friendly, and the quality of the teaching is very, very good. My adviser had us over to her house for apple cider and brownies and took us out to dinner one night. It's very welcoming. The open curriculum is also fantastic. There are no requirements! 12345 Academics: March 03, 2009 Report

BroRN says: Brown University 2012 Undecided

The professors here are the... The professors here are the professors that change your life. 12345 Academics: March 03, 2009 Report

Anonymous says:

A lot of classes I have taken in... A lot of classes I have taken in my first two years have been taught by graduate students. You have to take initiative and go to office hours to get to know your professors. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Because there is no core... Because there is no core curriculum, you aren’t typically forced into any bad courses. The skills and styles of teachers at Brown vary widely—as they probably do everywhere. But Brown does tell you to judge for yourself. The first several weeks of every semester is a ‘shopping period’ during which you can try out as many classes as you can pack into your day. Not everyone shops around, but most students shop at least a little. Shopping can be extremely useful for weeding out the incoherent mumblers and the digressive babblers, and for hunting down the best teachers. 12345 Academics Report

BroCN says: Brown University 2012 Undecided

The professors are mostly good.... The professors are mostly good. Like at any large university, there are too many TAs and class sizes are too large. The workload is what you make of it—Brown can be fairly easy or quite difficult. I would say we are known for humanities, although our sciences get far superior funding, but this a fact that Brown would probably like to conceal, based on its reputation as a strong humanities school. 12345 Academics: March 05, 2009 Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Brown does not have any general course requirements. While you must complete a total of 30 courses and specific courses within a concentration (Brown’s word for major), there are absolutely no course requirements. You’ll never have to take another math or English class if you don’t want to. This system, known as the New Curriculum, started in 1969.

In line with this educational philosophy, most classes at Brown can be taken with a grade option of A/B/C/No Credit or Satisfactory/No Credit.

If one of Brown’s hundreds of concentrations doesn’t appeal to you, you can make up your own. An independent concentration is a course of study designed by the student with the guidance of University professors and deans that combines classes from different concentrations to show relations and connections between different studies.

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Justin Kim
Hometown: Austin, TX
Major: Undecided

Fun Fact: Justin ranked internationally in competitive Minesweeper.

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