Research at Vanderbilt draws on the belief that great breakthroughs happen when different ideas, disciplines and areas of expertise come together.
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Schools & Colleges
Vanderbilt is among a unique set of independent universities that offers both a high-quality undergraduate program and a full range of graduate and professional degree programs. Its world-class faculty consists of more than 2,400 full-time members, and the diverse student body is more than 12,000 strong across 11 schools and colleges.
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Research, Centers & Institutes
In addition to its traditional schools and departments, Vanderbilt supports numerous centers and facilities to promote interdisciplinary research and collaboration, such as the ten trans-institutional centers within the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. These centers—including the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery—provide a vibrant research and training environment through academic expertise spanning a wide range of specialization.
University-wide interdisciplinary centers and institutes include the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt's Innovation Center, the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering, the Center for Digital Humanities and the Data Science Institute, among many others.
“The role of a university is to help its people reach their full potential. This potential is maximized not only through research and academics, but also through acquiring and applying knowledge as broadly as possible.”
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Immersion Vanderbilt
Every undergraduate student completes Immersion Vanderbilt, an experiential learning program that provides mentoring and resources to extend learning beyond the classroom. Through research, study abroad, creative work, internships and other transformative experiences, students explore their interests while developing the knowledge and skills to attain their personal and professional goals. Each student's Immersion Vanderbilt journey begins with one or more immersive experiences and culminates in a faculty-mentored project that demonstrates what they've learned.
Recent Immersion Vanderbilt Projects
- Researching developmental disabilities in children based on hearing profiles
- Creating a children's illustration book about lesser-known pediatric health conditions
- Investigating health disparities among patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries and presenting the findings at a national conference
- Producing a film exploring the intersection of dance, filmmaking and the pressures of performance
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Global Education
For many Vanderbilt students, study abroad programs provide an enriching counterpoint to their time in Nashville. Vanderbilt Global Opportunities is committed to offering hundreds of accessible and academically rigorous programs, regardless of a student’s financial situation or chosen field of study. From studying climate change in New Zealand to researching development and social change in the Himalayas or examining community health systems in South Africa, the opportunities are as diverse as they are transformative.
Vanderbilt is also committed to global research and discovery on a broader scale. In addition to partnering with international programs for undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the university hosts global institutes, including the Center for Latin American Studies, the W.T. Bandy Center for Baudelaire and Modern French Studies and the Institute for Global Health through the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Along with global online learning, faculty research opportunities and other programs sponsored through Global VU, these specific programs reinforce Vanderbilt’s commitment to improving lives around the world—at present and for generations to come.
