Emmanuel College

Emmanuel College is the first Catholic college built for women in New England. It was established by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1919, and is therefore preparing to celebrate its Centennial in 2019. The student population was mainly composed of commuters until the 50s and 60s when the building boom occurred. On June 7th, 1923, 26 women became the first graduates from Emmanuel College. By 1968, residential students outnumbered commuters for the first time in the college’s history. The college emphasizes its Catholic identity and core values, which are to “provide a dynamic education in the liberal arts and sciences within a learning community shaped by strong ethical values.” Students at Emmanuel have historically demonstrated democratic involvement and values. In 1977, students participated in a teach-in as a way to support the anti-war movement. Following this in the 80s, Emmanuel hosted the Democratic presidential primary debate on women’s issues. From its beginning, the college focused heavily on professional studies such as business, law, medicine, and social work. Also following the trend of higher education in Boston, the college started to offer degree completion programs to adult learners. In 2001, Emmanuel College became an coeducational institution, opening up the college for men in its undergraduate arts and science programs. Internships are also a part of the core curriculum, and 100% of the student population participate in internships before graduating. Three years later in 2004, Emmanuel would form a partnership with Merck Research Laboratories-Boston. Merck opened up a 12 story, 300,000 square-foot facility, and now Emmanuel is the only college in the country that has a private research facility on its campus. Emmanuel currently has 2,200 students and an acceptance rate of 78%. Emmanuel has over 60 majors, minor and concentrations, and the staff to student ratio is 13:1.