Weinberg College Facts
With twenty-five departments
and as many specialized programs, Weinberg College intersects
with every part of the University and enrolls students
from all of Northwestern’s undergraduate schools.
Our students, in turn, may take courses from faculty
in the schools of Engineering, Communication, Journalism, Education
and Music, as well as in Northwestern’s professional
schools of Management, Law and Medicine. As the heart
of Northwestern’s diverse intellectual cultures,
the College of Arts and Sciences rightly sets the high
standard by which the University’s greatness is
judged.
Curricular
choices
The academic year is divided into three ten-week quarters,
which retain the depth of semesters but encourage greater
breadth. Students take as many as 50% more courses than
the two-semester system provides, and they enjoy a more
diverse educational experience.
A wide
range of majors and minors
The required College major concentration, selected from
40 fields, ensures depth of study. More than forty optional minors
foster breadth. Faculty advisers help students navigate
the abundant choices.
Staying
at Northwestern and graduating on time
Freshmen return for their sophomore year (96%) and graduate
from Northwestern (91%). No student's graduation is
delayed by overcrowded or canceled courses.
Career
choices of recent graduates
According to our most recent exit survey, 61% of the
class planned immediate employment. Of those searching
for positions, 70% had jobs or job offers by graduation.
Of those planning further study, 90% were admitted to
one or more schools (63% to their first choice); 41%
sought a medical degree, 22% a law degree, 14% a Ph.D.,
and 23% a master's degree.
What our
graduates liked
Weinberg College graduates reported highest satisfaction
with library and athletic facilities; courses in the
humanities, social sciences, and their major field;
opportunities for extra-curricular activities and intramural
athletics; overall quality of instruction; lab, computer,
and foreign language facilities.
What our
graduates learned
Graduates said the abilities and knowledge most enhanced
at Northwestern were thinking analytically and logically;
acquiring knowledge and skills on their own; understanding
their own abilities, interests, and personalities; working
independently; gaining in-depth knowledge of a field;
synthesizing ideas; writing effectively.
Long-term
success
Most recent graduates (75%) plan eventually to take
a post-graduate degree. Northwestern ranks ninth among
universities educating the nation's leading business
executives, and it is seventh among the institutions
from which individuals listed in Who's Who in America
have graduated.
Professors
who teach
Students work with leading scholars. All faculty members
in Weinberg College teach undergraduate students. Less
than 3% of student enrollments are in courses taught
exclusively by teaching assistants, and those are mostly
small introductory courses in foreign languages.
Encouraging
and rewarding excellent teaching
Superior teaching is recognized and rewarded. Students
evaluate courses and those assessments are part of each
faculty member's performance evaluation for raises in
salary and promotion. Nine College faculty members occupy
professorial chairs expressly honoring excellence in
teaching.
A diverse
student body
The numbers of men and women in Weinberg College are
nearly equal; 30% of undergraduates belong to racial
or ethnic minorities. Students come from all 50 states,
more from California (followed by Ohio and New York)
than from any state except Illinois; 7% are from other
countries.
Special
programs for talented, highly focused students
Fifteen interdisciplinary programs offer minors or majors.
American Studies, European Studies, Integrated Science, Legal Studies,
Mathematical Experience for Northwestern Undergraduates,
Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, and the
Writing Major are programs with competitive admissions
for superior students with special interests.
For freshmen,
two small courses and a wide variety of choices
Each freshman takes two Freshman Seminars, 15 or 16
students in each, focused on the development of first-rate
writing and discussion skills. A freshman's typical
schedule each quarter includes a small class of 15 students,
a class of 20-25 students, and two larger lecture courses.
Last year fewer than 10 of more than 2000 courses in
Weinberg College enrolled over 300 students.
Many small-enrollment
courses for juniors and seniors
Last year more than half of advanced undergraduate courses
enrolled fewer than 10 students. Special, small-enrollment
courses include Junior Tutorials and Junior Research Seminars, research-oriented
classes taught by faculty, and Professional Linkage
Seminars, bridging the gap between academic training
and real-world application and taught by members of
the Chicago business and the professional communities.
Participation
in faculty research and off-campus study
Recent graduates have averaged 2 enrollments in research
seminars, independent studies (one-on-one with a faculty
member), and other on-campus research opportunities.
Credit-bearing internships, field-study experiences,
and study abroad are popular options.
Electives
in Northwestern's undergraduate professional schools
Faculty associated with the Kellogg Graduate School
of Management offer courses in accounting, finance,
and marketing especially designed for Weinberg students.
Law School faculty each year teach several undergraduate
courses in Weinberg. The College has special agreements
with Chicago's major cultural institutions, including
the Field Museum, Art Institute, Adler Planetarium,
and American Bar Foundation, to offer courses taught
by experts. Each year Weinberg students represent over
2000 enrollments in undergraduate courses in Northwestern's
professional schools of education, engineering, journalism,
music, and speech. In turn, undergraduate students in
these professional schools are enrolled in numerous
Weinberg College courses.
OFFICE OF
THE DEAN (August 2003)
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