Bard-Rockefeller Programs

In 2000, Bard College and the Rockefeller University in New York City established a collaborative program in the sciences.
Bard-Rockefeller Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program
Photo by Chris Kendall '82

Bard-Rockefeller Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

In 2000, Bard College and The Rockefeller University in New York City established a collaborative program in science education. Rockefeller faculty offer courses to Bard students on subjects at the intersection of biology and medicine and reserve places for them in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, which allows college students to work in Rockefeller research laboratories. Bard faculty may obtain adjunct status at Rockefeller, which enables them to participate in research projects in the university's laboratories.

SURF Program

Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science

Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science

Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science

The Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science in New York City (BRSS) is an intensive one-semester program designed for advanced science students, particularly in the fields of neuroscience, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology, biophysics, and genetics. Students spend a semester in New York City working in the laboratory with faculty from Rockefeller University and taking specially designed classes at Rockefeller and with Bard’s Globalization and International Affairs Program. BRSS takes place in the spring semester; students apply in early fall, and decisions are made by late fall.

BRSS Student Life

BRSS Student Life

BRSS students share living accommodations with students in Bard’s Globalization and International Affairs Program. They live in the de Hirsch Residence of the 92nd St YMCA, only a few blocks from Museum Mile and Central Park. The facilities offer on-site laundry, gym, pool, 24-hour security, and fully equipped kitchens. The Upper East Side is a historic, safe, residential neighborhood in which students can take advantage of many different aspects of city life. Students are also able to live off campus. Students take classes in the BGIA Suite, conveniently located in West Midtown, near all transportation hubs and the beautiful Bryant Park and historic New York City Public Library. 

Admission and Academics

  • Curriculum
    The BRSS academic program is centered on an intensive laboratory experience, but also features science and non-science courses. Students must take at least 12 credits, but may take as many as 16, constituted as follows:
  • Research Opportunities
    The BRSS program is centered on an intensive laboratory research experience. Students work 20–25 hours per week doing research in a laboratory at Rockefeller University. Ahead of the program, students will receive information about investigators who will host students that semester.
  • Applying and Tuition
    Due Monday, September 30, 2021
    BRSS is designed for Bard students in their third or fourth year of study. In exceptional cases, second-year students are accepted into the program. Participation must not coincide with a semester in which the student is conducting the Senior Project.

Contact Us

Brooke Jude, Academic Director
Phone: 845-752-2337
E-mail: [email protected]

Send Applications To:
Brooke Jude, BRSS Program
Bard College
PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson NY 12504-5000

About Rockefeller University

Founded by John D. Rockefeller, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research was incorporated on June 14, 1901. It was the first institution in the United States devoted solely to biomedical research—to understanding the underlying causes of disease. Today, renamed Rockefeller University, it is one of the foremost research centers in the world, contributing to 23 Nobel Prizes as well as numerous other awards. In its first century of accomplishment, Rockefeller was a leader in basic scientific research and graduate education.

Rockefeller University