What’s it like to study a Masters in Boulder?
Boulder is referred to as a “city nestled between the mountains and reality”. It is close to the busy capital of Colorado, Denver, and yet is surrounded by the idyllic pine forests and foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Studying in Boulder offers great opportunities for scenic drives and tours around the rolling Colorado plains and tRocky Mountains. The area is famed for the striking jagged rockface of the Rockies’ foothills known as the Flatirons. This landscape is beautiful in all seasons, with verdant pine forests that develop Autumnal hues later in the year, and the snow-topped peaks of the Rockies in the Winter. Outdoor activities are so popular in Boulder that ploughing the Boulder Creek bike path is prioritised ahead of the city streets!
The city has a strong reputation for food and drink, regularly ranked as one of “America’s Foodiest Towns”. The historic brick-paved Pearl Street has many shops, bars, cafés and restaurants, and the area has 24 craft breweries, too (reportedly the largest beer-producing triangle in the world). Boulder also hosts the famous Colorado Music Festival, complete with hooting owls!
Universities in Boulder
Boulder is home to the largest of the four campuses of the University of Colorado (CU-Boulder) with over 33,000 students. This top-tier public research university was established in 1876 and boasts links to several Nobel Laureates, MacArthur Fellows, Grammy nominees and astronauts.
Although CU-Boulder offers degree programs across many subject areas, it is most renowned for its work in Aerospace Engineering (the university receives significant investment from NASA and the Department of Defence), Physics (four Physics Nobel prize winners from 1989-2012), Biosciences and Energy.
CU-Boulder is known as one of the most active and sports-loving universities in the US, with its athletics, sports and recreation groups playing a significant part of the student experience. Collectively, they are known as the Colorado Buffaloes and have a unique mascot – an actual buffalo called “Ralphie”.
The Boulder campus is also considered one of the most beautiful colleges in the whole country, with stunning seasonal views of pine forests and mountains.
Boulder also the setting for Naropa University, a Buddhist-inspired private non-profit liberal Arts university.
Careers in Boulder
The city of Boulder, and nearby Denver, have developed a reputation for technology start-up businesses and entrepreneurship. There is a strong partnership with NASA in the area thanks to partnership with CU-Boulder. There are also significant career opportunities in the environmental and green technology industries.