Undergraduate Bulletin

Undergraduate Colleges Introduction

Stony Brook's Undergraduate Colleges are small but vital communities, offering individualized support while tailoring the first-year experience for students with similar interests. Each incoming freshman is assigned to one of six Undergraduate Colleges: Arts, Culture, and Humanities; Global Studies; Human Development; Information and Technology Studies; Leadership and Service; or Science and Society. The Colleges are named for distinct themes around which academic and social life revolve: the system is intended to let students explore a wide range of interests, both within their intended majors and across the academic spectrum.

All Undergraduate Colleges include customized advising and support, special educational and social programs, and opportunities for close interaction with faculty and fellow students around themes of common interest. Each freshman is assigned an academic advisor by Undergraduate College. Both commuter and residential students are a full part of College life. First-year residents are housed together in the same residential quadrangle. First-year commuters have access to study space, offices, and programming in the residential quadrangle. Each Undergraduate College is run by a team of faculty members, academic advisors, and student affairs professionals who develop outside the classroom thematic activities and the College curriculum for the first-year seminars.

Every freshman is required to take two first-year seminars: Introduction to Stony Brook 101 in the fall and Undergraduate College Seminar 102 in the spring. Freshmen register for these seminars based on their undergraduate college affiliation: ACH 101/102 for Arts, Culture and Humanities, GLS 101/102 for Global Studies, HDV 101/102 for Human Development, ITS 101/102 for Information and Technology Studies, LDS 101/102 for Leadership and Service, and SSO 101/102 for Science and Society. Students in the Honors College register for HON 106 (fall) and HON 105 (spring). Freshmen students entering Stony Brook in the spring semester must take first-year seminar 102.