Boston University

Overview

Boston University is a preeminent private teaching and research university situated in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1839, the university has continually developed to become one of the largest independent, non-profit institutions in the United States. In fact, it has earned the top-tier Carnegie Classification of higher education in research activity.

The journey to the top began with a group of Boston methodists establishing the Newbury Biblical Institute. Later that year, the institution was renamed BU School of Theology before moving its main campus from Newbury, Vermont to Boston in 1867. Two years later, the institution was chartered as Boston University by the Massachusetts legislature, creating the earliest form of the modern university.

The charter stipulated that no instructor or student at Boston University will be required to follow a certain religion. This was an unprecedented move, back then, but it created a solid basis for the formation of the non-sectarian institution. The university, however, maintains its historical association with its founding church—United Methodist Church.

Leveraging its solid foundation, Boston University has morphed into a go-to prestigious university for students both in the U.S. and across the globe. The main campus occupies 169 acres with 317 buildings, 834 classrooms, over 1,680 laboratories, and a housing facility with 11,732 total residence capacity. In addition, the institution has 21 libraries stocked with over 5.5 million volumes of print and electronic books and 2.6 million ebooks. These facilities comfortably accommodate BU’s over 34,000 students and more than 10,000 employees (including 4,000+ faculty members).

With 17 schools and colleges, Boston University offers more than 300 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs of study. Besides, the university’s vast and varied academic options include more than 80 study-abroad programs. Some of its highly-rated graduate schools include Law, Management, Education, and Engineering. In addition, the Boston University School of Medicine is the countries first combined cancer teaching and research laboratory, making it a popular choice among students who wish to pursue a medical degree.

The University has thousands of alumni, 398,000 of which are living. Some of the notable BU alumni include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr (civil rights activist), Howard Stern (radio host), actresses Geena Davis and Julianne Moore, Tipper Gore (cofounder Parents Music Resource Center), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (politician), and Billy O’Reilly (commentator, journalist).

Boston University is also a force to reckon with in Athletics. Its school teams, popularly known as the Terries, have won more than 20 NCAA Division 1 titles, including multiple national hockey championships. Interestingly, the institution is home to one of the most famous landmarks in the U.S.—The Boston University bridge. The bridge is the only place in the country where a plane can fly over a motor vehicle driving over a train that’s going over a boat.