Living Learning Communities

Our learning communities are an excellent way to connect with other students who share similar interests or academic majors with you. You’ll forge new and lasting friendships as you work together toward common goals with members of Rider’s faculty and the staffs of student life and residence life.

Learning Communities

Baccalaureate Honors Program (BHP)

This Freshman learning community in Ziegler Hall (1st floor) fosters intellectual growth and a social community among students who enroll in Rider's BHP-100: Great Ideas I - the gateway course in the Baccalaureate Honors Program (BHP). Students share challenges and opportunities with classmates studying the same texts, doing similar assignments, and participating in some of the same co-curricular events.

Communication and Journalism

Longstreet House brings academic and social programs directly to where our majors live - it is a hub for students interested in communication, TV & radio, graphic design, journalism, public relations, and sports media. Activities are designed to unite students and faculty outside the traditional classroom through interesting films, guest speakers, trips, career-building workshops, and informal social gatherings.

Events are also coordinated with dynamic and award-winning extracurricular organizations, including The Rider News, the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), The Rider University Network (RUN), the Bronc Radio Station, Lambda Pi Eta communication honor society and the Tapestry, A Blending of Cultures program. Open to freshman majors in Communication Studies, Journalism, Graphic Design, Public Relations, Sports Media, Radio and Podcasting, and Social Media Strategies.

Fine Arts

Lake House is the creative hub for freshmen in the School of Communication, Media, and Performing Arts. State-of-the-art practice rooms and a keyboard lab allow music instruction and mentoring to occur where students live and learn. Additional practice rooms are also located in Kroner Hall. Open to freshmen majors in Acting, Arts & Entertainment, Dance, Dance Science, Music Production, Musical Theatre, and Theatre. 

Norm Brodsky College of Business

The Norm Brodsky College of Business's Learning Community incorporates cohort learning with community living in  Ziegler Hall (2nd & 3rd floors). The Business LLC program is open to Freshman business majors and fosters intellectual and social growth. The learning community incorporates the "Business in Action" program—a hands-on learning experience where students are provided starting capital to develop and execute a business concept. Read more information about the Business LLC.

Psychology

Open to freshman psychology majors, this learning community in Switlik Hall (1st floor) offers students the chance to interact with faculty and participate in psychology-related programming and activities that focus on student success. The RA is an experienced psychology major, and upper-level majors will serve as mentors.

Westminster Choir College

Westminster Choir College of Rider University is one of the world's leading music schools. A division of the College of Arts and Sciences, Westminster Choir College is a residential music college in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. At Westminster's core is a four-year music college and graduate school that prepares men and women for careers as performers and as music leaders in schools, universities, churches, and professional and community organizations. This Freshman learning community in Kroner Hall (1st floor) allows students to interact with faculty and participate in programming and activities focusing on student success. Open to freshmen majors in Music, Music Education, and Voice Performance.