Academics and Research

Majors/Academic Programs : University Bulletin | Combined Degrees | Early Assurance Programs | Design Your Own Major | Study Abroad | Research

Your life at Binghamton University is anything but textbook. You’ll create knowledge, not just read about it.

In our classrooms, labs and residential communities, question and learn alongside faculty who include Pulitzer Prize winners, Fulbright Scholars and members of the National Academic of Sciences.In fact, high-quality faculty and coursework combined with Binghamton University’s research initiatives create an incredibly stimulating learning environment. 

Our foundation of a liberal arts education within each Binghamton School prepares you for lifelong learning. While technical skills can become obsolete over time, skills gained through liberal arts coursework will not. Almost every profession and graduate level of study requires you to communicate, write, solve problems, adapt to new situations, analyze information, and interact with a wide variety of people from not only around the corner but around the world. These are skills gleaned through your liberal arts education, and are of greatest value to employers, especially those with global reach. 

Combined Degrees

Many students attend Binghamton with more than a four-year degree in mind. About 25% of our undergraduates go on to complete advanced degrees offered by our Graduate School while other students participate in our Early Assurance Programs that grant entrance to medical, dentistry, optometry and special health care within the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

3/2 and 4/1 Programs

As demand for master’s degrees rises, more and more of our students seek opportunities to earn graduate degrees quickly to successfully attain careers requiring knowledge breadth as well as depth. Our growing number of 3/2 and 4/1 Programs allow focused students to complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in five years rather than six years.

The time-saving 3/2 and 4/1 programs at Binghamton University require well-defined and rigorous academic plans established as a freshman. Commitment and motivation to complete one’s major and all-college requirements by the end of a student’s third year of academic work is required. Each semester's course load is carefully planned with the rigorous goal in mind. During a student's fourth year, admittance to the graduate school is sought. Admitted students go on to complete elective requirements to fulfill a baccalaureate degree and also the first year of the master's curriculum. A final year of study, as an official graduate student, completes the master's degree.

Early Assurance Programs

Many other Binghamton students plan to go on to pursue advanced or specialized degrees in medical, dentistry, optometry and health care. Our Early Assurance Program offers the following undergraduate and graduate study opportunities:

Pre-Medicine / SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse and SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine

Pre-Special Health Care / SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse

Pre-Dentistry / SUNY Buffalo School of Dental Medicine

Pre-Optometry / SUNY College of Optometry

Design Your Own Major

An undergraduate student sometimes find that his or her academic interests are not served as well as one would like by conventional departments and majors. Binghamton University offers an opportunity for a student to design a major The Individualized Major Program (IMP) is supported by a standing committee of faculty, students, and administrative staff which reviews student proposals for innovative, academically sound majors, provides student guidance and direction, and determines satisfactory completion of the major. Acceptable majors are interdisciplinary, combining coursework from three or more departments, and demonstrating as much breadth and depth as conventional majors. Harpur College of Arts and Sciences offers such an opportunity to design your own major.

Undergraduate Experience 

Your key to college success is our core curriculum or General Education, which every student completes. Then within your major, our University Bulletin outlines the requirements that details the specific coursework needed to complete your degree and graduate. The Course Guide gives you specific information about the courses offered at Binghamton and within the six colleges and schools within the university:

Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, College of Community and Public Affairs, Decker School of Nursing, School of Education, School of Management and Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Plus, Binghamton University offers a lots of extra support and services especially for undergraduate students:

Career Paths
Internships and advising and mentoring programs are readily available to help students explore and choose their educational and career paths. Plus, the Career Development Center provides extensive information, counseling and internship and job search assistance and opportunities. Such companies as Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, Peace Corps, Frito-Lay and Emerson recruit students on-campus. Nearly one-third of all university students attend the career fairs and company recruiters are often Binghamton University’s own graduates!

Discovery Program
The Discovery Program is all about opportunities to challenge yourself. You’ll develop competence in making your education and career choices while easing into your college life. Discovery Assistants are on hand at Discovery Centers in each residential community to provide academic advising, mentoring and direction on accessing campus resources.

Study Abroad and International Studies Certificate
Nationally recognized for an international focus that permeates our campus, Binghamton provides exceptional international experiences for students that run the gamut from classroom experiences to cultural events sponsored by student organizations to study abroad. Access to more than 400 study abroad programs through the State University of New York system and beyond. Plus, Binghamton offers an International Studies Certificate, combining academics with a study abroad experience.

Research
Binghamton students are involved in some of the most vigorous collaboration they’ve ever known with people engaged in discussion, energized by new challenges and working together to find answers. Whether it’s creating an electronic nose that can detect toxins or understanding the evolution of laughter, research, scholarship and creativity span all of our academic programs and are an integral part of the undergraduate experience. It’s just what an ambitious mind like yours needs to think outside the box. The University funds undergraduate research awards for students in any discipline who are conducting an independent study project sponsored by a faculty member. Our Division of Research works with faculty and students to create this knowledge. To learn more about our cutting-edge research today.

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