A Vibrant Living and Learning Community

orthwestern University is a progressive institution where committed scholars and teachers pursue cutting-edge work.

 Academic Program:  There are six undergraduate schools and colleges at Northwestern: Arts & Sciences; Engineering and Applied Science; Journalism; Music; Communication; and Education and Social Policy.  They offer broad and flexible curricular choice with more than 90 different majors. At the heart of a Northwestern education is the strong conviction that a solid foundation in the liberal arts is essential, so every student will take courses in Arts & Sciences. Students often pursue courses in more than one school at the University. In addition to individual majors, there are opportunities for students to pursue double degree programs and honors programs like Arts and Sciences/Music, Music/Engineering, Engineering/Journalism, and Engineering/Management.  There are also highly interdisciplinary programs, including the Integrated Science Program, and American Studies, European Studies, and Gender Studies majors.  Minors and concentrations can be pursued along with a student’s major. There are over 4,000 different courses offered during a typical academic year.  Northwestern’s quarter system provides students the opportunity to take more courses than they would under a traditional semester calendar: four courses in each of three quarters, allowing students greater opportunity to explore the subjects that interest them most.  Students can also initiate their own courses, if their interests are not reflected in current curricula.  Recent student-organized seminars include diversity in higher education, multiculturalism, choreography, and the history of Northwestern.

Residential Life:  The University encourages the growth and development of each student in a variety of living environments.   What this translates to is a vibrant community on campus, where students can choose from 34 different residences and a wealth of extracurricular activities.  Students have a wide variety of living facilities available to them.  Smaller undergraduate residences accommodate as few as 26 students; larger residences house more than 600.  Most rooms are doubles, but singles, triples, quads, and suites are also available.  There are also 11 residential colleges.  Each provides students a place where they can grow intellectually, get to know faculty, and benefit from unique learning and leadership opportunities. Themes include commerce

and industry; communications; fine and performing arts; science and engineering; and public affairs.  Students at Northwestern come from all 50 states and around the world.  Their interests are as broad and varied as their backgrounds and experiences.  Consequently, there is great diversity in the clubs, organizations, and activities that are available on campus…more than 250. They include the nationally recognized daily campus newspaper (entirely student run) and other publications, more than 50 main stage productions each year, music ensembles, sports, professional societies, religious and spiritual groups, service organizations, and special interest groups.

Chicago:  Three miles from the Chicago city limits and twelve miles from the Loop in downtown Chicago, the University is connected by both geography and programming to one of the nation’s great cities.  Chicago provides a wealth of entertainment and cultural opportunities, but is also a great place to learn.  There are more internships available in Chicago than there are students to fill them. The University has collaborative arrangements with some of the major cultural and educational institutions in the city: The Art Institute of Chicago; the Chicago Botanic Garden; the Field Museum; the Adler Planetarium; the Shedd Aquarium; and the Newberry Library.  For more than twenty years, the Chicago Field Studies Program at Northwestern has placed undergraduates in internships in over 350 firms and agencies throughout the Chicago area.

One of the nation’s premier universities, Northwestern is a place where faculty and students eagerly look beyond their own ideas and individual spheres of inquiry, identifying broader and more significant intellectual agendas.