History of Brown University

The 1764 Charter of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

The history of Brown University spans 260 years. Founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the third-oldest institution of higher education in New England.[1] At its foundation, the university was the first in the U.S. to accept students regardless of their religious affiliation.[2] Brown's medical program is the third-oldest in New England while its engineering program is the oldest in the Ivy League.[3][4][a]

The university was one of the early doctoral-granting U.S. institutions in the late 19th century, adding masters and doctoral studies in 1887.[5]

In 1969, Brown adopted its Open Curriculum—which has since come to define the university's approach to undergraduate education.[6][7] In 1971, Brown's coordinate women's institution, Pembroke College, was fully merged into the university.

  1. ^ "Encyclopedia Brunoniana | Bicentennial celebration". Brown University. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  2. ^ Bronson, Walter Cochrane (1914). The History of Brown University, 1764-1914. Internet Archive. Providence, The University. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-405-03697-2.
  3. ^ Maugin, Gerard A. (2013-04-08). Continuum Mechanics Through the Twentieth Century: A Concise Historical Perspective. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-94-007-6353-1.
  4. ^ Parsons, Charles W; Rhode Island Historical Society (1881). The medical school formerly existing in Brown University, its professors and graduates. Providence, R.I.: S.S. Rider. OCLC 1038137370.
  5. ^ Bronson, Walter Cochrane (1914). The History of Brown University, 1764-1914. Internet Archive. Providence, The University. pp. 346–347. ISBN 978-0-405-03697-2.
  6. ^ Skidmore, Lydia Defusto, Alex (2019-05-24). "Open Curriculum at 50". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 2021-04-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Encyclopedia Brunoniana | Curriculum". Brown University. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.


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