The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York.The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
The University of Rochester enrolls approximately 6,800 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students. Its 158 buildings house over 200 academic majors. According to the National Science Foundation, Rochester spent $370 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 68th in the nation. The university is the 7th largest employer in the Finger lakes region of New York.
The College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is home to departments and divisions of note. The Institute of Optics was founded in 1929 through a grant from Eastman Kodak and Bausch and Lomb as the first educational program in the US devoted exclusively to optics, awards approximately half of all optics degrees nationwide,and is widely regarded as the premier optics program in the nation, and among the best in the world.The Departments of Political Science and Economics have made a significant and consistent impact on positivist social science since the 1960s,and historically rank in the top 5 in their fields.The Department of Chemistry is noted for its contributions to synthetic organic chemistry, including the first lab based synthesis of morphine.The Rossell Hope Robbins Library serves as the university's resource for Old and Middle English texts and expertise.The university is also home to Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics, a US Department of Energy supported national laboratory.