Brandeis

Brandeis University

Brandeis
#125 / #45
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#167
Most Desirable School
Private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University Featured Rankings

About Brandeis University

Featured Alumni

David Weisburd ranks among our Top Influential Criminologists Today.

Edward Witten ranks among our Top Influential Physicists Today.

J. Ann Tickner ranks among our Top Influential Political Scientists Today.

By James Barham, PhD

Brandeis University was founded in suburban Boston in 1948. Its founders intended to provide a top-rank research university that would be friendly to Jewish students and faculty—at a time when the American Ivy League schools all restricted the number of their Jewish students according to a strict quota system.

The circumstances of Brandeis’s founding are unusual and rather complicated.

In 1914, the Middlesex College of Medicine and Surgery was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Later, it moved to Waltham and changed its name to Middlesex University.

By the end of World War II, Middlesex University was the only university in the US that did not have a Jewish quota. Unfortunately, it was struggling financially and was on the point of having to close its doors, which it finally did in 1947.

At the same time, the American-born rabbi and fervent Zionist, Israel Goldstein, was putting together a group of backers to launch a new research university in America which–while secular in its curriculum and open to all–would take as its special mission the education of the best and the brightest Jewish students, thus circumventing the Ivy League quota system.

Goldstein undertook a massive publicity campaign, for which he enlisted the help of the world-renowned physicist, Albert Einstein, among many others. (Einstein later resigned from the project.)

After long negotiations, Goldstein’s group was able to purchase the land and physical plant belonging to Middlesex University, which had by then shut its doors. Since there was no other continuity between the two schools–in students, in faculty, or in administration–Middlesex is not considered to be the official predecessor of Brandeis.

Goldstein and his associates named the new university after US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish member of that body.

Brandeis is associated with three Nobel laureates:

  • Biochemist and neuroscientist, Roderick MacKinnon
  • Chronobiology pioneers, Michael Rosbash & Jeffrey Hall

as well as the Turing Award winner,

  • Leslie Lamport

and the Fields Medalists,

  • Edward Witten
  • Heisuke Hironaka

Other prominent Brandeis connected individuals include the following:

  • Philosophers, Alasdair MacIntyre, Herbert Marcuse, Michael Sandel, Hubert Dreyfus, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Michael Walzer, Evelyn Fox Keller, Christian Hoff Sommers, Seyla Benhabib & Angela Davis
  • Bioethicist, Arthur Caplan
  • Law professor, Anita Hill
  • Mathematicians, Karen Uhlenbeck, Ruth Charney, David Harbater, Kiyoshi Igusa, Ira Gessel & Paul Sally
  • Computer scientists, Timothy Hickey & Harry Mairson
  • Astronomer, Janet Akyüz Mattei,/li>
  • Physicists, Charles H. Bennett, Paul Townsend, Matthew Headrick & Venkataraman Balakrishnan
  • Biochemists, William Jencks, Judith Voet, Perry Frey & Gregory Petsko
  • Cell biologists, Margaret Fuller & Jason Swedlow
  • Neuroscientist, Larry Abbott
  • Cognitive scientists, Ulrich Neisser, Philip Rubin & Ron Sun
  • Psychologists, Abraham Maslow & Elliot Aronson
  • Linguist, Ray Jackendoff
  • Poets, Adrienne Rich, Frank Bidart, Alicia Ostriker, Allen Grossman & Mark Halliday
  • Novelists, Kathy Acker, Gish Jen & Ha Jin
  • Novelist and memoirist, Frank Conroy
  • Literary critics, Philip Rahv, Elaine Showalter & Margo Jefferson
  • Inspirational author, Mitch Albom
  • Political commentators, Thomas Friedman, Walter Laqueur, Max Lerner & Kay Hymowitz
  • Classical composers, Leonard Bernstein, Peter Lieberson & Irving Fine
  • Popular music producer, Jon Landau
  • Theater producer, Michael Kaiser
  • Film directors, Marshall Herskovitz & Debra Granik
  • TV screenwriters, Marta Kauffman & David Crane
  • Actors, Louise Lasser & Tony Goldwyn
  • Historians, David Hackett Fischer, Deborah Lipstadt, David Oshinsky, Laura Snyder & Joan Wallach Scott
  • Judaica scholar, Michael Fishbane
  • Economists, Thomas Sowell, Stuart Altman, Robert Reich, Gustav Ranis & George Loewenstein
  • Anthropologists, Arjun Appadurai & Lawrence Rosen
  • Sociologists, Philip Rieff & Nancy Chodorow
  • Social activist and co-founder of the Youth International Party (Yippies), Abbie Hoffman
  • Photographer and philanthropist, Bobby Sager
  • Journalist, Guy Raz
  • TV correspondent, Bob Simon
  • US First Lady and philanthropist, Eleanor Roosevelt

According to Wikipedia, Brandeis University is a private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1948 as a non-sectarian, coeducational institution sponsored by the Jewish community, Brandeis was established on the site of the former Middlesex University. The university is named after Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brandeis University's Online Degrees

Graduate Certificate in Learning Analytics
  • Required Credits: 15
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Digital Marketing And Design
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Project And Program Management
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Strategic Analytics
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
EMBA in Executive Mba For Physicians
  • Required Credits: None Reported
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Digital Innovation For Fintech
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Information Security Leadership
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MSE in Software Engineering
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in User-Centered Design
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Technology Management
  • Required Credits: 40
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Learning Experience Design
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Health And Medical Informatics
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Bioinformatics
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Robotic Software
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported

Brandeis University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
9,79639%88%141532

How Much Does Brandeis University Cost To Attend?

Tuition (in-state)
$60,006
Price by Family Income
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$13,389
30K - 48K$19,186
48K - 75K$24,183
75K - 110K$27,781
110K+$51,870

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

How Much Do Brandeis University Graduates Make?

If you graduate from Brandeis University, then you can expect to earn an average of $69,000 per year. You also have a 89% chance of being employed after 10 years.

Brandeis University's Demographics

Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
6,9264,5842,342

Where is Brandeis University?

Brandeis University is located at 415 South St, Waltham MA 02454-9110

How Safe is Brandeis University?

Brandeis University has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%. Waltham has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%.

What Is Brandeis University Known For?

Brandeis University is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

Brandeis University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Sociology
#41
World Rank
#46
Historical Rank
#15
USA Rank
sociology Degrees
Philosophy
#80
World Rank
#107
Historical Rank
#26
USA Rank
philosophy Degrees
Mathematics
#107
World Rank
#163
Historical Rank
#33
USA Rank
math Degrees
Psychology
#68
World Rank
#71
Historical Rank
#39
USA Rank
psychology Degrees
Economics
#151
World Rank
#171
Historical Rank
#41
USA Rank
economics Degrees
Political Science
#134
World Rank
#129
Historical Rank
#42
USA Rank
political-science Degrees
Physics
#144
World Rank
#179
Historical Rank
#42
USA Rank
physics Degrees
History
#119
World Rank
#126
Historical Rank
#43
USA Rank
history Degrees
Literature
#133
World Rank
#178
Historical Rank
#47
USA Rank
literature Degrees
Computer Science
#131
World Rank
#132
Historical Rank
#50
USA Rank
computer-science Degrees
Anthropology
#141
World Rank
#145
Historical Rank
#53
USA Rank
anthropology Degrees
Biology
#154
World Rank
#196
Historical Rank
#55
USA Rank
biology Degrees
Business
#147
World Rank
#147
Historical Rank
#61
USA Rank
business Degrees
Education
#218
World Rank
#223
Historical Rank
#70
USA Rank
education Degrees
Chemistry
#335
World Rank
#362
Historical Rank
#80
USA Rank
chemistry Degrees
Medical
#247
World Rank
#256
Historical Rank
#87
USA Rank
medicine Degrees

Who Are Brandeis University's Most Influential Alumni?

Brandeis University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Sociology, Social Work, and Psychology. Here are some of Brandeis University's most famous alumni:

Edward Witten
Edward Witten
An American theoretical physicist.
Angela Davis
Angela Davis
An American political activist, scholar, and author.
Michael Walzer
Michael Walzer
An American philosopher .
Leslie Lamport
Leslie Lamport
An American computer scientist.
Thomas Friedman
Thomas Friedman
An American journalist and author.
Patricia Hill Collins
Patricia Hill Collins
An African-American scholar.
Abbie Hoffman
Abbie Hoffman
An American activist .
Avital Ronell
Avital Ronell
An American philosopher.
Michael Sandel
Michael Sandel
An American political philosopher.
Elaine Showalter
An American literary critic, feminist, and writer on cultural and social issues.
Deborah Lipstadt
Deborah Lipstadt
An American historian.
Christina Hoff Sommers
Christina Hoff Sommers
An American author and philosopher.

Who Are Brandeis University's Most Influential Faculty?

Brandeis University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Sociology, Social Work, and Psychology. Here are some of Brandeis University's most famous alumni:

Laura Sjoberg
An American scholar.
Thisbe Nissen
An American author.
Matthew Headrick
An American physicist.
Minoru Yoshida
A Researcher.
Kate Larson
An American historian.
Sheida Soleimani
An Iranian-American multimedia artist, photographer, and professor.
Marcelle Soares-Santos
A Brazilian physicist.
Joseph B. Reimer
A .
Richard Beaudoin
An American composer.
Corinna E. Lathan
An American entrepreneur, engineer, and social activist.
Yu-Hui Chang
A Taiwanese composer.