Members of the class of 1880 at the Old Oak. Courtesy of University Archives.
Undergraduate Education at Northwestern
Today's Northwestern University undergraduate students can trace their heritage to November 5, 1855. On that day the new institution, chartered in 1851 by the state of Illinois, opened its doors to 10 students in the College of Literature, Arts and Sciences, the first academic division at Northwestern. Two faculty members were on hand to provide the instruction. Now, Northwestern has approximately 8,100 full-time undergraduate students.
Arts and Sciences
As the first undergraduate college grew in size and expanded its curriculum, its name also changed. It was known in its early years as the College of Liberal Arts and became the College of Arts and Sciences in 1963. It was renamed the Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences in 1998 to honor the contributions of the Weinberg family to Northwestern. Today, the college enrolls 4,149 full-time students and has 621 full-time faculty; it offers more than 50 academic concentrations, plus combined degrees and special programs.
Music
Music became the second undergraduate school in 1895. It had its beginnings in 1874 when the music department of the Evanston College for Ladies became the Northwestern University Conservatory of Music and a department of the College. It was established as an undergraduate school when it "attained so good a standing as would seem to justify it changing its name to that of a School of Music." Seventy students enrolled in the new school.
The School of Music is the smallest undergraduate school, with 408 full-time students. It has six academic concentrations, two combined degree programs and interdisciplinary certificates.
Engineering
Engineering courses were offered in the College as early as 1873. In 1909, the University created the College of Engineering, forerunner to the School of Engineering, Technological Institute and the current McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. McCormick is the second largest undergraduate school, with 13 degree and three dual programs, four special honors programs, and 1,394 full-time undergraduates.
Communication
The School of Communication had its origins in 1878 when a Department of Elocution was established in the College; it later became the School of Oratory, essentially a privately owned and operated institution. The School of Oratory became the School of Speech in 1921, and then became the School of Communication in 2002.
The School of Communication now has 1,193 full-time students, with diverse programs that range from performing arts to learning disorders, and offers four special programs.
Journalism
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications was established in 1921 with a gift from the Chicago Tribune. The new school was named in honor of Joseph Medill, founder of the Chicago Tribune. Medill today is composed of 681 students. Its academic programs include editorial, broadcast news, magazines, news media, newspaper, and teaching media.
Education
The School of Education can trace its origins to the College's Department of Pedagogy. That department became the Department of Education in 1906. The department was renamed the School of Education in 1920, and in 1926 trustees made education an independent academic division. The academic unit became the School of Education and Social Policy in 1988. It offers four programs tailored to individual interests and career goals, and has 275 full-time undergraduates.
Preparatory Department
One of the earliest academic areas from the University's early years no longer exists. The Prepratory Department, renamed the Academy in 1892, prepared high school-age students for the rigors of a Northwestern education. It was the most important source of undergraduates in the early years.
It was closed in 1917 as a result of the growth in public high schools. Northwestern now has an abundance of highly qualified high school students seeking admission as freshmen. In 2008, more than 25,000 prospective students applied for a class of 2,025 students.
They and their modern predecessors are among the best and brightest in the country, maintaining the tradition of high academic achievement that began with just 10 students in the middle of the 19th century.