Harvard University, the oldest university in the United States, is one of eight institutions that constitute the prestigious Ivy League athletic conference. Harvard encompasses 12 schools--including graduate schools for law, medicine and business--and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Approximately 6,400 of the more than 20,000 students who attend Harvard at any given time are Harvard College undergraduates. The university offers more than over 400 student teams and organizations, including a variety of athletic opportunities.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge was tied for seventh place with the California Institute of Technology on the "U.S. News & World Report" rankings of national universities for 2011. MIT offers 32 undergraduate majors in architecture, engineering, management and science, as well as the humanities, arts and social sciences. Graduate options include doctors of philosophy (Ph.D.), science (Sc.D.) and engineering (D.Eng.), as well as masters of science (M.S.), engineering (M.Eng.), architecture (M.Arch.), city planning (M.C.P.), business administration (M.B.A.) and finance (M.Fin.). For more than two decades, "U.S. News & World" report has also deemed MIT's undergraduate engineering program the best in the country.
Named the top liberal arts college in the country by the 2011 "U.S. News & World Report" rankings, Williams College is located in northwestern Massachusetts, 135 miles from Boston, the state capital. Founded as a men's college in 1793, Williams became coeducational in 1970. Williams, a private, residential college, offers 36 undergraduate majors in three academic divisions--humanities, sciences and social sciences--in addition to several concentrations and special programs. The college has 32 varsity intercollegiate teams and boasts a student-faculty ratio of 7:1.
Amherst College, located in its namesake city, ranked second among liberal arts colleges in the "U.S. News & World Report" rankings for 2011. Founded in 1821, Amherst is a member of the Five Colleges educational consortium, which also includes the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Smith College, Hampshire College and Mount Holyoke College. Amherst students are not subject to any core or general education requirements. Students can take classes at any of the five colleges. Amherst has an enrollment of approximately 1,700. It awards baccalaureate degrees in 36 fields of study and has a faculty-student ratio of 1:8.
Founded in 1870, Wellesley, a women's college located 12 miles west of Boston, is the fourth best liberal arts college in the country in 2011, according to "U.S. News & World Report." Wellesley's enrollment consists of approximately 2,300 undergraduates, who have 56 majors to choose from. The average class size ranges from 17 to 20 students. Wellesley also has thirteen varsity teams and more than 150 student clubs and organizations.