Boston University Arts & Sciences

Art historians at BU employ diverse approaches to the arts of all historical periods of the Western world and of Asia, as well as Mesoamerica and Africa. Faculty strengths include the study of classical, modern, American, and Asian art; architecture; and photography. The department offers BA, MA, and PhD programs, as well as a departmental certificate in museum studies, and also administers the Visual Resources Center, a University-wide collection of more than 500,000 slides and digital images.

Department chair: Fred Kleiner
Campus address: 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 302
Phone: 617-353-2520
Fax: 617-353-3243
Website: www.bu.edu/ah

Biology at Boston University is a broadly based department with faculty interested in biological problems at the molecular, organismal, and population levels, giving students the rare ability to address questions at all organizational levels of biology in ways that combine our knowledge in these areas. The undergraduate program leading to the BA combines a breadth of education with the opportunity to concentrate in one of these areas: Cell and Molecular Biology; Physiology, Endocrinology and Reproduction; Marine Biology; Neurobiology; and Ecology, Behavior and Evolution; or Quantitative Biology. Graduate program areas are Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution; Physiology, Endocrinology, and Reproduction; Neurobiology; Cell and Molecular Biology; and Marine Biology. Affiliated programs in Neuroscience; Marine Science, and Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry also offer graduate degrees.

Department chair: Geoffrey Cooper
Campus address: 5 Cummington Street
Phone: 617-353-2432
Fax: 617-353-6340
Website: www.bu.edu/biology

Faculty and students in the Department of Classical Studies engage with some of the most profound and exciting thinkers and writers of the Western tradition. The department offers BA and PhD programs in specializations including Classical Civilization, Classics and Religion, Classics and Philosophy, Latin, and Ancient and Modern Greek. Undergraduate concentrators have the opportunity to reside in the Classics House, a Bay State Road brownstone.

Department chair: Loren J. Samons II
Campus address: 745 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 414
Phone: 617-353-2427
Fax: 617-353-1610
Website: www.bu.edu/classics

The Department of Computer Science has a distinguished track record of academic excellence and major achievement in an increasingly vital field that is expanding at a rapid pace. Faculty research is published in the most prominent venues and recognized by significant citations and awards, both national and international. BA, MA, and PhD students are recruited for internships and positions by such industry-leading firms as Motorola Labs, Google, and Microsoft, and are also recruited as PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and tenure-track professors by some of the best computer science departments in the country.

Department chair: Stanley Sclaroff
Campus address: 111 Cummington Street, Room 138
Phone: 617-353-8919
Fax: 617-353-6457
Website: cs-www.bu.edu

The Department of Economics at BU is one of the nation’s leading departments, ranking among the largest PhD and MA programs in the country and one of the largest undergraduate concentrations in the College of Arts & Sciences. Outstanding faculty research is considered a critical complement to outstanding teaching; faculty in the Economics Department, working at the frontier of current economic knowledge, engage students with critical questions and exciting new developments in the field.

Department chair: Kevin Lang
Campus address: 270 Bay State Road
Phone: 617-353-4389
Fax: 617-353-4449
Website: www.bu.edu/econ

The field of geography brings together the Earth’s physical and human dimensions in the integrated study of people, places, and environments. Geographical sciences will play an increasingly important role in determining how society tackles the complex challenges confronting the planet, and faculty in the Department of Geography & Environment and its affiliated centers (including the Center for Remote Sensing, the Center for Energy & Environmental Studies, and the Center for Transportation Studies) are leading investigators in the field. BA, MA, and PhD students pursue studies in four broad areas: remote sensing and geospatial technologies; energy and environmental systems; hydrology, biophysical ecology, and climate; and economic geography and transportation studies.

Department chair: Mark Friedl
Campus address: 675 Commonwealth Avenue
Phone: 617-353-2525
Fax: 617-353-8399
Website: www.bu.edu/geography

In today's world, every field of endeavor can have an international dimension, and the Department of International Relations at BU offers a special blend of the academic and the practical applications of international affairs. The department’s multidisciplinary curriculum encompasses the traditional studies of politics, trade, investments, war and peace, but also social-science-oriented studies in history, economics, geography, anthropology, and other disciplines. Among its faculty are former military officers; two retired ambassadors; former Fulbright fellows; a retired Central Intelligence Agency officer; former Foreign Service officers; an international lawyer and best-selling author; and many more distinguished scholars, professionals, and specialists. In addition to the undergraduate BA, the department offers six interdisciplinary MA programs: including a joint MA/MBA and a joint MA/JD. The Department is affiliated with the Center for International Relations, the African Studies Center, and the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, & Policy.

Department chair: Erik Goldstein
Campus address: 152 Bay State Road
Phone: 617-353-9278
Fax: 617-353-9290
Website: www.bu.edu/ir

The Department of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature (formerly Department of Modern Foreign Languages & Literatures) offers instruction (and majors and/or minors) in German, Russian, Near Eastern (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish), and East Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) languages and literatures, as well as in comparative literature.

Department chair: William Waters
Campus address: 718 Commonwealth Avenue
Phone: 617-353-2642
Fax: 617-353-6246
Website: www.bu.edu/mlcl

The Philosophy Department at Boston University has always bucked the trend in academic philosophy—resisting moves toward narrow specialization, overly technical approaches, mere historical investigations, or broad-sweeping speculation about the human condition. The department’s model is Socratic: philosophy is about leading a good life, and in order to accomplish that, we must reflect, with clarity and rigor, on the deep and abiding issues of humankind, in conversation with classmates, teachers, and philosophers of the past. The Department is committed to excellent teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and considerable effort is devoted to training graduate students to become excellent teachers in their own right.

Department chair: Daniel Dahlstrom
Campus address: 745 Commonwealth Avenue, 5th floor
Phone: 617-353-2571
Fax: 617-353-6850
Website: www.bu.edu/philo

Political scientists explore the concerns and issues that animate public life. Using both humanistic and scientific approaches, the Department of Political Science studies how communities attempt to reconcile the claims of justice, power, liberty, and authority. Drawing on history, law, economics, psychology, sociology, and philosophy, political science is a broadly based social science that shares the traditional aims of a liberal arts education while attempting to grapple with the major issues of our time.

Department chair: Walter Connor
Campus address: 232 Bay State Road
Phone: 617-353-2540
Fax: 617-353-5508
Website: www.bu.edu/polisci

Religion matters more than ever today, inspiring individuals both to make peace and to commit unspeakable violence. It transforms cultures and societies and is transformed by them. The Department of Religion at BU explores religion in its many manifestations, offering undergraduate students opportunities for broad-based study of religious traditions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and the religions of Africa, China, and Japan; related literatures; and theoretical and philosophical problems in the study of religion. The department’s Division of Religious & Theological Studies offers MA and PhD programs in twelve areas of specialization in three subject areas: Religious Texts and Traditions; Religion, Philosophy, and Ethics; and Religion, Culture, and Society.

Department chair: Deeana Klepper
Campus address: 145 Bay State Road
Phone: 617-353-2635
Fax: 617-358-3087
Website: www.bu.edu/religion

Sociologists at Boston University confront the relevant issues that societies and civilizations struggle with every day. Faculty are research experts committed to directing students at all levels of study to a broad knowledge of human relations and social systems, examining such issues as race and ethnic relations, law and crime, work and organizations, politics, gender, urban life, ethics, and science and technology. The discipline provides tools for a variety of professional paths, including law, business, education, social work, and journalism.

Department chair: Nancy Ammerman
Campus address: 96-100 Cummington Street
Phone: 617-353-2591
Fax: 617-353-4837
Website: www.bu.edu/sociology