The Learning Environment

The UB learning environment reflects its nature as a major public research university. A core of general education courses provides a grounding in the liberal arts tradition and encourages fluency in mathematics and effectiveness in written expression. Students are able to choose from a vast variety of more specialized majors, including combined, joint, double, and special major programs. A number of minors make it possible to combine both humanistic and more career-oriented fields into a broadly based educational experience.

There is great diversity in class size. Freshmen usually find that they are enrolled in a variety of class sizes and types. Recent analyses suggest that most classes are small, encouraging in-depth interaction between faculty and students; larger lectures are complemented by small recitation groups. In general, as students choose a major field and advance beyond basic courses into their specialties, they find smaller classes the rule. Some disciplines offer one-on-one studio sessions, and the option of individual independent study is available to most upper division undergraduates.

A large university like UB is particularly suited to well-motivated students who are clear about their goals and can take advantage of the vast wealth of educational resources available on campus. Moreover, the demanding, high-quality curriculum at UB is best suited to students whose high school preparation is strong. In particular, students will find it helpful to have taken as much English, mathematics, science, and foreign language as their high school makes available. For such students, well prepared both motivationally and academically, UB can provide an educational experience second to none.

The University at Buffalo provides a wide range of services to support students in this complex environment with its intense intellectual demands. Beginning with the orientation programs provided for new students, and continuing with a comprehensive system of professional and faculty advisement, the University at Buffalo offers all students the advice they need to find their way through its many departments and programs. Students whose academic preparation needs supplementation will find extensive tutoring services, as well as the necessary basic instruction in English and mathematics, in the Thomas J. Edwards Learning Center.

An undergraduate education should be more than training leading to a job; it should be an intellectual challenge, a source of joy, an adventure. No two students have the same experience at UB. But any serious student can find the resources needed for an education that is both vocationally and personally rewarding. Students coming to UB will find, in its classrooms, laboratories, gymnasiums, libraries, computer labs, and faculty offices, an unending source of the stimulation they need to learn and grow.