Brown’s flexible yet rigorous approach to education pushes undergraduates to be deeply creative thinkers, intellectual risk-takers and entrepreneurial problem-solvers.
For the last half century, the freedom enabled by Brown’s distinctive approach to undergraduate education has propelled generations of graduates into high-impact lives and careers.
At most universities, students must complete a set of core courses. At Brown, our students develop a personalized course of study — they have greater freedom to study what they choose and the flexibility to discover what they love.
Brown’s distinctive approach asks much of students — as the architect of their own education, Brown students are responsible for their own intellectual and creative development. Most undergraduates sample courses in a range of subjects before diving into one of 80-plus academic concentrations for in-depth, focused study.
While undergraduates often find the rigor of building a self-directed course of study demanding, the result is a vibrant intellectual environment in which students are fully engaged as they explore courses in any and every discipline, priming them to think creatively and to develop innovative solutions to critical issues.
Graduates leave Brown prepared to thrive as independent, innovative leaders no matter what path they choose.
Hear from current students how the Open Curriculum opens minds.
Our goal is a high one — that each and every one of our students is engaged, empowered and transformed by their education. What’s unique about Brown is that we elevate the role of students in achieving that goal as active participants in framing their own education.
At Brown, Nadia Goldberg found a supportive community of collaboration where she can explore a wide range of academic disciplines.
California native Garrett Robinson came to Brown to play football. He’s leaving with a whole new perspective on sports, masculinity, urban development and social justice.
A native of Korea, Daniel Choi came to Brown for the Open Curriculum; what he discovered was a passion for scientific research.
