PrincetonUniversity

A Princeton Profile, 1999-2000   [<] [ ? ] [>]

The Undergraduate College

Program of Study

Princeton offers two bachelor's degrees: the bachelor of arts (A.B.) and the bachelor of science in engineering (B.S.E.). Within these degree programs, students can choose from among 66 departments and interdepartmental programs. They may also apply for an independent concentration outside existing programs.

Undergraduates in the A.B. program must successfully complete one course each in epistemology and cognition, ethical thought and moral values, historical analysis, and quantitative reasoning; and two courses each in literature and the arts, science and technology (with laboratory), and social analysis. All A.B. candidates also meet a one-term writing requirement and must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language.

Departmental requirements combine upper-level courses with independent work in both the junior and senior years. A senior thesis is required of all A.B. candidates.

Engineering students take at least seven courses in the humanities and social sciences in addition to satisfying the writing requirement and meeting the requirements in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer programming as specified by the School of Engineering and Applied Science. B.S.E. students are required to take one course in four of the following six areas: epistemology and cognition, ethical thought and moral values, foreign language, historical analysis, literature and the arts, and social analysis.

All engineering departments offer upperclass students opportunities to pursue independent work in lieu of formal course work. In some departments, independent work or a senior thesis is required for completion of the B.S.E. degree.

Departments and Programs

Academic Departments

Undergraduates may concentrate their studies in the following fields:

Anthropology
Architecture
Art and Archaeology
Astrophysical Sciences
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Classics
Comparative Literature
Computer Science
East Asian Studies
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Economics
Electrical Engineering
English
Geosciences
Germanic Languages and Literatures
History
Mathematics
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Molecular Biology
Music
Near Eastern Studies
Operations Research and Financial Engineering
Philosophy
Physics
Politics
Psychology
Religion
Romance Languages and Literatures
Slavic Languages and Literatures
Sociology
Woodrow Wilson School (Public and International Affairs)

Interdepartmental Programs

Undergraduates may supplement their concentration by participating in any of the following programs, most of which grant certificates of proficiency:

African-American Studies
African Studies
American Studies
Applications of Computing
Applied and Computational Mathematics
Architecture and Engineering
Biophysics
Creative Writing
East Asian Studies
Engineering and Management Systems
Engineering Biology
Engineering Physics
Environmental Studies
European Cultural Studies
Finance
Geological Engineering
Hellenic Studies
Humanistic Studies
Jewish Studies
Language and Culture
Latin American Studies
Linguistics
Materials Science and Engineering
Medieval Studies
Musical Performance
Near Eastern Studies
Robotics and Intelligent Systems
Russian Studies
Teacher Preparation
Theater and Dance
Visual Arts
Study of Women and Gender
Woodrow Wilson School

Areas of Concentration

Undergraduate concentration patterns have remained fairly constant over the years. Here, in descending order, are the 12 areas of concentration that were the most popular in the academic year 1998-99:

Department

Number of
Concentrators

 

Economics

277

Politics

235

History

228

English

181

Molecular Biology

159

Woodrow Wilson School

140

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

112

Psychology

108

Civil Engineering and Operations Research      

88

Electrical Engineering

75

Chemistry

66

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

64

Awards and Scholarships

Princeton students do very well in the national scholarship and fellowship competitions. During the past 10 years, 22 Princeton undergraduates have been Rhodes Scholars.

The table below lists seven of the award programs open to graduates and shows the number of Princetonians who have won these scholarships over the past five years.

Awarded
nationally

  94-95

  95-96

  96-97

  97-98

  98-99

 

Churchill

10

1

2

1

1

1

Fulbright

958

15

13

13

10

10

Hertz

23

1

1

0

1

2

Marshall

40

5

3

2

3

1

Mellon

80

5

12

4

4

7

NSF*

1000

25

27

24

27

23

Rhodes**

32

3

2

2

3

1

 

* National Science Foundation
** Totals include Rhodes winners from foreign countries.

Residential Life

All first- and second-year students at Princeton live and dine in one of five residential colleges. Each college consists of a cluster of dormitories (housing between 450 and 500 students) and a dining hall. The colleges have libraries and study spaces, game rooms, seminar rooms, coffeehouses, theaters, and computer clusters.

A senior faculty member serves as master of each college. The staff includes a director of studies, who is responsible for academic advising; two graduate students, who serve as assistant masters; juniors and seniors, who serve as resident and minority affairs advisers; and a senior faculty fellow.

More than 97 percent of Princeton undergraduates live on campus. Approximately 75 percent of juniors and seniors take their meals at one of 11 private, coed eating clubs. Six are open to all students on a sign-in basis; five are selective.

Other juniors and seniors cook their own meals in dormitory kitchens, dine in the residential colleges, join a cooperative, or make other arrangements. Princeton's Center for Jewish Life houses the University's kosher dining facility.

The Third World Center, the Women's Center, and the International Center are important resources and gathering places for Princeton students. In addition, the University recognizes more than 200 student organizations.

Athletics

Approximately 2,400 men and women (50 percent of the undergraduate student body) participate in intercollegiate (varsity and club) athletics on more than 70 teams and crews. Men and women compete in 38 varsity sports. There are also approximately 35 men's, women's, and coed club teams.

In the past four years Princeton's varsity teams have won 10 national championships and 41 Ivy League titles. Princeton has won at least one national championship in each of the last 13 years. Based on the final unofficial Ivy League composite standings last year, Princeton had the highest overall finish of any Ivy school for the 13th consecutive year. Men's teams topped the Ivy League for the 12th straight year, while women's teams have earned seven of the last eight first-place finishes.

Nearly 600 teams participate in the intramural sports program, which schedules team competition among eating clubs, residential colleges, independent groups, and faculty and staff. In addition, a variety of noncredit physical education activity courses are offered each semester.

Princeton offers students a wide range of competitive and recreational athletic opportunities and facilities. The University recently constructed a modern football and track complex, which opened in two phases in 1998. Princeton also has two large gymnasiums, an ice rink, two swimming pools, extensive playing fields, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and a field house. The boathouse used by men's and women's crews is scheduled to receive extensive renovations. Other facilities on the main campus are within easy walking distance of classrooms, dormitories, dining halls, and eating clubs.

ROTC

Army ROTC is a nationally standardized program of pre-commissioning officer education and training that is offered at hundreds of colleges and universities throughout the United States. Army ROTC serves as the primary source of commissioning for U. S. Army officers. Military science courses complement all major areas of study by broadening the student's basic education and helping to prepare students for positions of leadership in the Army. As students earn their academic degree, they also earn a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army.

Cadets may be commissioned into Active Duty or into the Army Reserve or National Guard. In some cases, this decision can be locked in by contract when the cadet enters the ROTC program. In most cases, however, a centralized board makes these decisions based upon the needs of the Army, the cadet's stated preferences, academic performance, Advanced Camp performance, and recommendations of the cadet's director of Army Officer Education.

The focus of the ROTC program is leadership development. Students learn problem-solving techniques, decision-making skills, planning and organizing skills, interpersonal communications skills, professional ethics and responsibilities, and other management and leadership skills. Leadership labs and field training exercises supplement classroom work with practical leadership training and experience. Students receive developmental counseling routinely from their U.S. Army officer and noncommissioned officer (NCO) instructors.

Cadets normally attend a noncredit military science elective course each semester and a five-week Advanced Camp in the summer following their junior year. The military science courses are instructed by U. S. Army officers and NCOs.

Army ROTC sponsors a centralized training and development Advanced Camp conducted each summer at Fort Lewis, Washington. Successful completion of Advanced Camp is a prerequisite for commissioning. Cadets are encouraged to participate in Army ROTC extracurricular activities such as the Ranger Challenge Team or the Princeton Color Guard. Cadets may also choose to attend professional development training programs each summer, such as Airborne School, Air Assault School, Northern Warfare School, Mountain Warfare School, or Cadet Troop Leadership Training. Army ROTC offers merit-based scholarships valued at $16,000 per year. Scholarship cadets also receive a monthly stipend of $150 for the academic year and $225 per semester for books. High school students may apply for a four-year scholarship, and Princeton students may apply for either a three- or a two-year scholarship.

For more information, write the Director of the Army Officer Education Program, P.O. Box 2151, Princeton, NJ 08543-2151, or call (609) 258-4224. Additional information is available on the Web at www.princeton.edu/~armyrotc/.

Air Force ROTC. Princeton students may enroll in the Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) program at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Program courses are taught at Princeton. Students who complete the program successfully are commissioned as a second lieutenant.

Enrollment in AFROTC involves no military commitment during the freshman and sophomore years. The advanced portion of the program (junior and senior years) is contractual, involving future military service. AFROTC scholarships for two, three, and four years are available through this program on a competitive basis. The scholarships cover partial or full tuition and fees, a book allowance, and a $150-per-month, taxfree subsistence allowance. Scholarship students incur a military commitment.

For more information, please call (732) 932-7706. Additional information is available on the Web at http://web.rutgers.edu/rotc485.

Seniors' Plans

Ninety-nine percent, or 1,179 members, of the graduating Class of 1999 completed the Senior Survey. Sixty-nine percent of the respondents planned to enter the workforce. Of the 26 percent who were planning to continue their education, 38 percent were attending professional schools, and 62 percent accepted admission to graduate programs. Sixty-two graduates were pursuing studies in law and 54 in medicine. Seventy-two graduates received admission into doctoral programs, and 50 were accepted into master's programs.

Alumni

There are 72,656 living Princeton alumni, including 17,194 women and 19,416 Graduate School alumni. Princeton graduates live in all 50 states and 117 countries. In a typical year some 6,000 to 8,000 volunteers work for Princeton in class and regional association activities, fund-raising, programs in the local schools, a job placement network and internship program, and community service. Many serve in University advisory and leadership roles. Currently, there are 150 Princeton regional associations throughout the world.