Learning Spaces - Duke Undergraduate Admissions

Innovative Learning Spaces

Explore in Unexpected Places

Whether you’re in search of a private space to plot out differential equations or an open spot to discuss your most recent Soccer Politics lecture, Duke offers inspirational spaces to accommodate a variety of learning and study preferences. Find inspiration in state-of-the-art and flexible study spaces that encourage creative approaches to both teaching and learning.

Academic Spaces

NOT YOUR AVERAGE COLLEGE CLASSROOM

While Duke’s multifaceted approach to coursework is immersive, flexible, and practice-oriented, every professor has their own unique teaching style. Some embrace traditional classroom practices while others completely discard norms. You may have one class in a seminar-style room and the next in the amphitheater of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. The possibilities are endless.

shot of the rubenstein building from the outside at night

Rubenstein Arts Center

The Ruby is Duke’s on-campus arts hub and creative learning space. Its seminar-sized classrooms and studios are home to over three dozen classes in film, video, dance, acting, and entrepreneurship.

female student examining a mannequin arm in a workshop classroom

Engineering Design Pod

A dedicated 5,000-squarefoot design space, the Design Pod is outfitted with workbenches, rapid prototyping machines such as laser cutters and 3-D printers, and various other power and hand tools that allow first-year engineering students to get hands-on design experience.

students collaborating with professor in a classroom

Interactive Classrooms

Largely used for digital art and music courses, Duke’s interactive computer classroom (ICCs) are equipped with course-specific software and specialized multimedia equipment and are located across campus.

Libraries

EXPLORE THE WORLD FROM DUKE’S CAMPUS

With 6.8 million collections, Duke’s libraries offer endless opportunities for exploration and form one of the nation’s top ten private university library systems.

Lilly Library

Located on East Campus, Lilly Library is home to Duke’s Residence Hall Librarian Program, designed to introduce first-year students to our library’s services and collections. Each East Campus residence hall is matched with librarians who work with students throughout their first year.

Perkins & Bostock Libraries

The central hub of our library system, Perkins and adjoining Bostock Libraries, together with the university archives and the business, divinity, law and medical school libraries, comprise one of the nation's top 10 private research library systems. The Libraries’ services and resources include more than six million volumes, 18 million manuscripts, 168,000 electronic resources, 115,000 items in digital collections and tens of thousands of films and videos.

The Rubenstein Library

Home to more than 350,000 rare books and 10,000 manuscript collections, The David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library is a place of exploration and discovery. With a distinctive collection of original materials from around the world, The Rubenstein Library strives to introduce new perspectives and provide a tangible connection to our shared past.

Labs and Research Spaces

Immerse Yourself in Research

With unique opportunities for investigation, Duke students push the boundaries of traditional research on campus and beyond. Our dedicated research spaces allow curious minds to wander outside of the box, execute creative strategies, and solve real-world problems.

Fitzpatrick Center

The Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine, and Applied Sciences emphasizes interdisciplinary activities and encourages cross-departmental interactions. Research facilities focus on the fields of photonics, bioengineering, communications, and materials science and engineering.

Marine Lab

The Duke University Marine Laboratory campus overlooks the waterfront of historic Beaufort, North Carolina and provides an immersive learning and living experience for undergraduates and graduate students.

Smart Home

Sponsored by the Pratt School of Engineering, The Duke Smart Home Program is a residential and research-based approach to sustainable living. Primarily for undergraduates, the program encourages students from different academic disciplines to explore smart ways to use technology in the home.

Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

The Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS) is a scientific institute with a collaborative spirit and a commitment to education, service, and knowledge across disciplines. With more than 200 faculty members involved in brain-sciences research across the campus, the Institute works closely with the Department of Psychology & Neurosciences in the Trinity College School of Arts & Sciences. 