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Brandeis University is a private research institution, located in Waltham, Massachusetts and is the only nonsectarian Jewish-sponsored college or university in the United States. The school is named for the late Justice Lois Dembitz Brandeis o the United States Supreme Court and in keeping with its namesake, the University endeavors to “seek knowledge not only for its own sake, but also in the service of social justice.” Ranked in the top tier of the nation’s universities, Brandeis holds the distinction of earning the Phi Beta Kappa recognition just thirteen years after it’s founding – faster than any institution of higher education in the nation. The school boasts an impressive list of alumni and also held a long and successful relationship with former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt who not only served on the school’s board of trustees but also taught International Relations and delivered the university’s first commencement address.
Academic Programs
Brandeis University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The university is made up of several colleges and schools, including the College of Arts & Sciences; Brandeis International Business School; Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; Heller School for Social Policy and Management; Rabb School of Continuing Studies; and the Rabb School: Graduate and Professional Studies. Brandeis offers students the rare combination of being both a liberal arts college as well as a global research university. As such, Brandeis not only attracts faculty who are leading scholars, scientists, and creative artists working in the forefront of their disciplines and interdisciplinary fields, but by being a liberal arts college, Brandeis is also small enough for students to work closely and directly with faculty at all levels of study, from introductory to advanced.Brandeis awards bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and operates on a two 15-week semester schedule. Approximately two-thirds of Brandies students are enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. Brandeis University boasts an impressive list of faculty members – including American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellows, National Academies, MacArthur Fellows, and more – who are all dedicated to helping students achieve their personal best.
Student Life
Brandeis University boasts a total enrollment figure of approximately 6,000 students – nearly 4,000 of whom are undergraduates. The majority of students live on campus each year and Brandeis Department of Community Living is committed to cultivating an “inclusive, diverse, and symbiotic living and learning environment” in each of its residence halls. First-year students live in several of Brandeis’ traditional-style hall living arrangements, which contain single, double, and triple rooms. Upperclassmen primarily live in university apartments or senior housing – each of which is unique and offer different features and amenities.More than 250 student-led groups remain active on Brandeis’ campus; these include service organizations, cultural awareness groups, performance groups, spiritual and religious groups, sports and games clubs, student leadership and activism groups, student publications, a television station (BTV) and a radio station (WBRS). The main center of student activities on campus is Brandeis’ Shapiro Campus Center, an impressive limestone and copper landmark that houses the student organization offices, a theater for undergraduate productions, a bookstore, a cafe, computer clusters, and lounges with fireplaces. Brandeis varsity sports teams (numbering nearly twenty) compete at the NCAA Division III level and have won NCAA team championships in men’s soccer and men’s cross country.