One of the top music schools in the country, Berklee College of Music was founded based on the principle that the best way to prepare students is through the practice and study of contemporary music. Berklee's many notable alumni in the music world include Grammy, Oscar and Emmy award-winning musicians. Founded by Lawrence Berk in 1945 under the name Schilling House, Berklee College was the first school to teach jazz music.
Harvard University is the oldest university in the United States and one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It has separate academic units that focus on medical, dental, business, design, divinity, education, engineering, government, law, arts, public health and graduate degrees. Harvard also has 41 Division I varsity sports teams. An Ivy League school, Harvard has hundreds of famous alumni including Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy, Theodore Roosevelt, Aga Khan IV, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Pierre Trudeau.
Located next to the Charles River, Boston University (BU) has a student population of over 32,000, making it one of the largest private institutions in America. BU offers more than 250 programs of study including arts and sciences, communication, engineering, fine arts, medicine, dental, hospitality and theology. With its beginnings in 1839 as the Newbury Biblical Institute, Boston University is associated with the United Methodist Church. Its faculty include Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners as well as poets laureate and Guggenheim fellows.
Northeastern is a private research university founded in 1898. Its teaching system centers around experienced-based learning and student-driven interdisciplinary research. It specializes in urban engagement and real-world experience. Its nine schools offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs, with access to some of the most advanced research facilities in the world. Northeastern's largest programs are arts, media, design, business administration, computers, engineering, health sciences and social sciences. Its faculty include Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur grant winners as well as Guggenheim fellows.
University of Massachusetts in Boston is Boston's only public university. Beginning in 1852 as a girls high school, UMass is committed to helping students and teachers serve the community through academic programs such as education and nursing. Located at Harbor Point, UMass Boston has more than 15,000 students and 900 faculty members. It offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. UMass' mission entails maintaining intellectual excellence, encouraging public service, using innovation to enrich the city and supporting the ethnic and cultural communities in the Boston area.
Bunker Hill is a community college funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1973. With its main campus located in Charleston, Bunker Hill has five campuses throughout the Boston area. Students take day, evening and online classes to earn their associate's degree, and many transfer to four-year schools. Bunker Hill offers more than 101 associate's programs and is internationally recognized for its alternative methods of teaching. Students from 96 countries attend, making Bunker Hill one of the most diverse and multicultural colleges in New England.