Massachusetts

Massachusetts (officially, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts) is a state in the New England region of the United States of America. Its nickname is the Bay State. Other nicknames are the Old Colony State, and less commonly the Puritan state and the Baked Bean state. On December 18, 1990, the Legislature decided that the people of the Commonwealth would be designated as Bay Staters.

Education and research

The central role of education

Massachusetts contains only 2.5% of the U.S. population, but is home to many of its most renowned preparatory schools, colleges, and universitieshttp://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/ (see full list of colleges and universities in Massachusetts). Eight Boston-area institutions (Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, and UMass/Boston) are recognized research universities; in the eyes of many they became engines of economic growth following World War II, and currently contribute $7 billion annually to the local economy http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/econimpact.html. The population of metropolitan Boston surges noticeably during the school year due to the concentration of colleges and universities in the area (see list of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston).

Related Topics:
Preparatory school - List of colleges and universities in Massachusetts - Boston College - Boston University - Brandeis - Harvard - MIT - Northeastern - Tufts - UMass/Boston - List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston

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Prominent colleges and universities

According to U.S. News & World Report, five of the nation's top-50 national universities are located in Massachusetts: Boston College, Brandeis University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University. Massachusetts is also home to five of the nation's top-50 liberal arts colleges : Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Wellesley College and Williams College.

Related Topics:
U.S. News & World Report - National universities - Boston College - Brandeis University - Harvard University - Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Tufts University - Liberal arts colleges - Amherst College - Mount Holyoke College - Smith College - Wellesley College - Williams College

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Public schools

Massachusetts is known for having one of the best public school systems in the nation. It has one of the lowest high-school dropout rates in the nation and is tied with New Jersey for having the 2nd highest percentage of students who go on to college after high-school. It is also one of the highest scoring states on advanced placement tests.

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