Academic Programs

Overview

Academic Freedom

Stanford students enjoy a remarkable degree of academic freedom. Our academic programs develop the knowledge you need while preserving the flexibility you may want. Consider the following:

• Stanford's unique quarter-system calendar allows students to take advantage of dozens of additional courses not possible under a more traditional semester calendar.
• Approximately 25% of our students pursue interdisciplinary programs such as Human Biology, Earth Systems, International Relations, Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and Urban Studies.
• The student to faculty ratio on campus is 4 to 1.
• 70% of Stanford classes enroll 19 or fewer students.
• Each year over 200 seminars are offered exclusively to freshmen, sophomores and first-year transfer students, with each capped at 16 students.
• Stanford students can pursue double-majors, add a minor, write an honors thesis, take graduate level courses, or graduate with both a bachelor's and a master's degree (often in as little as five years.)
• Pre-professional advising in law, business and medicine is available. Undergraduate students can also participate in seminars taught by faculty from Stanford Law School, Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford University School of Medicine.

The Pioneering Spirit of the American West

Stanford is known internationally for its entrepreneurial culture, and the pioneering spirit of the American West pervades the intellectual climate on campus. The reputation of Stanford's academic enterprise is a globally powerful one.  Consider the following:

• More than $5 million is ear-marked annually for undergraduate research.
• Since the University's founding, 31 faculty members have won the Nobel Prize. 
• The Chronicle of Higher Education ranks Stanford among the top 10 universities in the U.S. for federal research expenditures in science and engineering.
• Stanford's graduate programs in Business, Engineering, Education, Medicine and Law are ranked among the top five in the nation (U.S. News & World Report—Best Graduate Schools).