Changing the face of STEM education and leadership starts here, where one of the most diverse student bodies in the country explores science at the highest levels. Where our faculty receive more research grants than those at any other college. And where our new Science Complex invites science majors and nonmajors alike to discover its research labs, observatory telescopes, maker spaces, and greenhouses.
This is why our students go on to attend top graduate and medical schools. It’s also why Wellesley ranks highest among U.S. liberal arts colleges in the number of women graduates who go on to earn Ph.D.s in the sciences—and is the only liberal arts college to be ranked in the top 50 of all undergraduate institutions. Our graduates include the first woman dean of science at MIT, the first woman dean of engineering at Stanford, and so many of the world’s most promising astrophysicists, computer scientists, and experts in climate change and public health.
By the Numbers
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#1 Wellesley graduates earn more Ph.D.s in science and engineering than women from any other liberal arts college.
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2x Through inclusive pedagogy, we have doubled the number of diverse women majoring in STEM fields.
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30 Thirty students have been awarded National Science Foundation Fellowships in the past three years.
the science complex A Crossroad of Sciences
The 275,000-square-foot Science Complex is a vibrant hub of collaboration, discovery, and interdisciplinary study for the entire campus community. It includes state-of-the-art STEM classrooms, research facilities and gathering spaces to support world-class teaching and learning.
Highlights
An award-winning greenhouse that embodies architectural sustainability and interdisciplinary education, the stunning Global Flora Conservatory is home to the College’s preeminent collection of plants in dry and tropical biomes. Photo: Webb Chappell
Whitin Observatory has a PlaneWave 0.7-meter reflector telescope that helps researchers search for planets orbiting in other solar systems. Photo: Lisa Abitbol
From the light-filled Chao Foundation Innovation Hub, students and faculty have access to all corners of the Science Complex—including new classrooms, teaching labs, research suites, and faculty offices. Photo: Dave Burk © SOM
The Environmental Science Shared Faculty Research Lab is just one of many research and teaching spaces in the Science Complex that facilitate collaboration across disciplines to shed light on complex global challenges like sustainability and climate change. Photo: Dave Burk © SOM
The Anchor Point Data Lounge draws together faculty and students from every department in the building, as well as colleagues from other disciplines. Photo: Dave Burk © SOM
Invitation to discovery
The research opportunities available to you at Wellesley are more like those at a major research university than a typical liberal arts college.