Hofstra University - Overview
Largest Private College on Long Island, New York
Hofstra University, founded in 1935, is Long Island, New York's largest private college. The university offers about 140 undergraduate programs, small class sizes of 22 with a student-to-teacher ratio of 14 to 1, and all of the cultural and career opportunities of New York City at its beautiful 240-acre campus. Exceptional library resources, extensive wireless internet access, and state-of-the-art classrooms, learning, and laboratory facilities are a few of the many resources available to students.
Hofstra holds 23 accreditations, including the American Bar Association (ABA), the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), and the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA).
Multitude of Undergraduate Offerings
The 12,100 undergraduate and graduate students attend classes in one of 8 colleges and schools at HU: Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Frank G. Zarb School of Business; School of Communication; School of Education, Health, and Human Services; School of Law; School for University Studies; Honors College; and Hofstra University Continuing Education.
There is also a proposed 9th school, Hofstra University School of Medicine in Partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System. Once established, the School of Medicine in Partnership with North Shore-LIJ Heath System will be the first allopathic (MD) medical school on Long Island in more than 35 years.
Hofstra's Zarb School of Business is one of the nation's only programs with dual AACSB accreditations in business and accounting.
The School of Law at Hofstra was one of the first schools in the country to embrace clinical education and goes beyond teaching students the doctrine and analysis of law, by preparing students to practice law upon graduation.
A Passionate Faculty
1,180 faculty members teach at Hofstra University and range from Emmy Award winners to elite scientists, with 91 percent of full-time faculty members holding the highest degrees in their fields. Virtually all faculty members teach undergraduate classes, a practice which sets HU apart from many other colleges. The Hofstra faculty is composed of writers, artists, scientists, scholars, and professionals, many of whom partake in research in their fields while encouraging students to adopt their passion for the subject they teach.
Making Important Connections as a First Year Student
Hofstra University recognizes the importance of making connections with fellow students and faculty from the beginning of a student's first year at the school. Therefore Hofstra has designed seminars and clusters to introduce students to the academic and social life on campus while satisfying many of the general education requirements for all majors.
First-year seminars are courses limited to 15 students which allow them to interact with faculty members who may later become their advisers once students choose their major. Seminars are designed to fit a wide variety of interests ranging from legal studies to hip-hop.
First-year clusters are 3 courses grouped around a common theme, such as Fairy Tale in Literature and Film or The Psychology and Philosophy of Everyday Life. Students attend all 3 courses with the same classmates thereby promoting the development of new friendships to aid in making the students feel more at home at the school and to help create study groups.
Many of the first-year clusters participate in the "living/learning communities" which allow students participating in a cluster to live together in the Netherlands First-Year Complex. Through these communities, students are exposed to a diverse and supportive environment which promotes social well-being and academic excellence.
Seminars and clusters often involve activities located in New York City since Hofstra feels that all students should be comfortable navigating the city. Faculty members accompany students to events held in New York City that are relevant to their courses, such as visits to government offices for students involved in political clusters, trips to museums and laboratories for science seminars, and theatre performances for dance and drama clusters.
A Wide Variety of Social, Athletic, and Cultural Activities
Hofstra University offers more than 170 student clubs and organizations, including academic, media, performance, political, pre-professional, religious, social, multicultural, and sports clubs, as well as nearly 30 local and national fraternities and sororities. Hofstra is one of only 276 institutions nationwide to support a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.
Hofstra's Office of Student Leadership and Activities was created to help students become more involved with campus events and strives to insure that students receive the most out of their college experience by becoming well-rounded individuals. Hofstra offers something for everyone by providing more than 500 cultural events per year such as concerts, workshops, lectures, cultural programs, conferences, seminars, socials, and dance parties.
Hofstra also provides 17 varsity sports, 8 for men and 9 for women, including basketball, golf, tennis, and cross-country, with all sports competing at the NCAA Division I level in the Colonial Athletic Association.
A Prolific Study Abroad Program
Students may also participate in one of three unique "Odyssey" programs, where small groups of students travel through Europe, Mexico, or Italy, while studying with Hofstra faculty. During these journeys, students study the culture, history, economics, and politics of the countries they visit.
To be eligible for the study abroad program, students must be in good standing, be a sophomore or junior classman, have some proficiency in the language, have a valid passport, complete all prior academic coursework, submit a medical form to the appropriate program director, and have health insurance that extends outside of the United States. The programs can last for either a semester or an entire academic year.