BAKER UNIVERSITY
Baldwin City, Kansas
The University
Baker University was established in 1858 as the first four-year college in the state of Kansas. With 146 years of tradition, Baker embodies an unusual blend of innovation and tradition, quality, and community. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the University is dedicated to excellence in liberal and professional education, to the integration of learning with faith and values, and to the personal development of each community member.
Twenty-one buildings on a 26-acre tract make up the campus in Baldwin City. The buildings stand around the perimeter of the campus, leaving the interior for rolling lawns, winding walks, and traditional lamps under a canopy of towering trees. The beauty of the campus has been enhanced by the renovation of the campus's earliest buildings. The stained-glass windows and proud tower of Parmenter Hall, the stately neo-Gothic architecture of Mulvane Hall, and the early pioneer architecture of the Pulliam Center remind one of Baker's rich heritage. The George F. Collins Jr. Sports and Convention Center is an outstanding facility for student and community athletics.
There are 3,000 men and women enrolled in the University, with close to 1,000 undergraduates on the Baldwin campus in the College of Arts and Sciences. The University attracts the serious student who expects to encounter challenge in the classroom but also enjoys participating in the multitude of extracurricular activitiessports, forensics, radio, the newspaper, theater, music, and departmental and special interest organizations. Five residence halls, including new student apartments, provide comfortable housing for freshmen and upperclass students. After the freshman year residence hall experience, students may choose to live either in a residence hall or in one of Baker's eight fraternity and sorority houses.
Baker University is a pioneer in the development of accelerated degree programs tailored to meet the needs of the working adult. More than 1,800 men and women from the greater Kansas City area, Lawrence, and Topeka choose Baker's School of Professional and Graduate Studies for its blend of quality, efficiency, and convenience. Students have the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Management, a Master of Science in Management, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Liberal Arts, or a Master of Arts in Education degree. The Baker University School of Nursing offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Baker University is accredited at the bachelor's and master's degree levels by the North Central Association and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The B.S.N. program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission; the Teacher Education Program by the Kansas State Board of Education; music programs by the National Association of Schools of Music; and business programs by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs.
Location
The main campus is in Baldwin City, a community of 3,500 people located 35 miles southwest of Kansas City. Baker students enjoy its college-town atmosphere but also take full advantage of nearby metropolitan areas. Kansas City offers many cultural and social attractions. Lawrence, Kansas, is only 15 minutes to the north, and Topeka, the state capital, is a 45-minute drive to the northwest. The School of Professional and Graduate Studies has its center in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, and offers its programs in a number of locations. The School of Nursing is located at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Care in Topeka.
Majors and Degrees
Baker's College of Arts and Sciences confers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Music Education degrees. Majors offered include accounting, art education, art history, biology, business (finance, management, or marketing), chemistry, computer information systems, computer science, economics, elementary education (secondary education certification), engineering (in conjunction with the University of Kansas or Washington University), English, forestry (in conjunction with Duke University), French, German, history, international business, Internet science and technology, mass communication (broadcasting or journalism), mathematics, molecular bioscience, music, music education, nursing, philosophy, physical education (coaching, exercise science, recreation, or sports administration), physics, political science, psychology, religion, sociology (criminal justice or human services), Spanish, speech communication, studio art, theater arts, and wildlife biology. Pregraduate programs are offered in dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, physical therapy, and veterinary medicine.
Academic Programs
The College of Arts and Sciences operates on a 4-1-4 academic calendar with two 5-week sessions of summer school. The month of January is set aside for Interterm, a period when students enroll in only one class. Interterm classes may be taken on campus or abroad, and internships are numerous. Baker emphasizes the liberal arts tradition through a general education program that develops fundamental intellectual skills and provides experiences and ideas that assist the student in making informed decisions as a member of society. Baker graduates include four Rhodes scholars (more than any private school in the state) and two recipients of the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism. Two recent graduates have been awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for their excellence in the area of science.
To complete a bachelor's degree at Baker, a student must successfully complete 132 semester hours with a Baker GPA of at least 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
The Baker honors program provides an opportunity for highly qualified students to complete advanced work in regular classes for honors credit and take special honors sections of courses. Honors participants are required to have a minimum 3.5 high school GPA and a minimum composite score of 27 on the ACT.
Off-Campus Programs
Students may study off campus during Interterm. Some study within the United States, while others participate in one of several Baker-sponsored Interterms abroad. The Harlaxton Semester program allows students to spend a semester studying in England, enjoying many travel and learning opportunities. The Career Development Center assists students in exploring a variety of professional career options, either off campus for a semester or combined with regular course work, while academic credit is earned. The center also sponsors the Alumni Mentoring Program.
Academic Facilities
The College of Arts and Sciences in Baldwin City offers excellent academic facilities in a traditional campus setting. Three of its classroom buildings are on the National Historic Register. Parmenter Hall, built in 1865 and renovated in 1990, houses an art studio in the loft. Case Hall, built in 1904 and renovated in 1992, serves the humanities and social sciences. Pulliam Center for Journalism and Communications was constructed in 1868. Other classroom buildings include Mulvane Science Hall, Owens Musical Arts Building, Rice Auditorium, George F. Collins Jr. Sports and Convention Center, and Mabee Memorial Hall, which houses the Departments of Business and Economics, History, Physical Education and Recreation, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Mabee Hall was completely renovated in 1995, adding considerable computer lab space and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Collins Library underwent a $6.3-million redesign to make it one of the most state-of-the art facilities in the area. It has a computerized catalog with access beyond its own 65,000-volume collection to more than 2.5 million items in fourteen regional libraries. It provides more than 600 periodicals and makes more than 300 computerized databases available through membership in Dialog information retrieval service. The library houses several special collections, including the Quayle Rare Bible Collection and the Methodist Historical Library. On the lower level, the library houses Baker's continually growing computer laboratories and the Learning Resource Center. Computers in the library and in residence hall computer labs offer Internet and e-mail access.
Costs
Tuition for the 200405 academic year for undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences was $15,200. Double-occupancy room and board for the year were $5450, and the technological fees were $430. Full-time undergraduates should plan to spend up to $400 per semester for books and supplies.
Financial Aid
Ninety-five percent of the College's full-time students receive financial assistance. Special four-year academic scholarships, not based on need, are available for students with outstanding academic, leadership, and test records. These scholarships, up to $6000 in value, are renewable each year if the recipient performs in accordance with scholarship regulations. Baker leads the independent colleges in Kansas in the amount of Kansas State Scholar funds awarded to its students.
Financial assistance is available on both a need and no-need basis to full-time students in the University. Aid based on need is given to students who demonstrate genuine need, as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Applications for financial aid should be submitted as early as possible, since aid is awarded on a rolling basis and may be exhausted by the summer months.
The University participates in all federally supported student aid programs, including the Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Federal Work-Study Programs. Approximately 42 percent of the students secure jobs through the campus-work program. Through the Kansas Comprehensive Grant Program and the Kansas State Scholar Program, special financial assistance is available for students who are residents of Kansas.
Faculty
The College's student-faculty ratio is 12:1. The average class size is about 20 students. Although Baker faculty members are primarily focused on teaching, most also conduct their courses in a way that integrates teaching research and services. This gives Baker students opportunities to participate in the research process and discover how their class content can be used to bring about positive change in their communities. More than two thirds of the faculty have terminal degrees in their fields, and most faculty members have advanced degrees. Professors are readily available outside of class for assisting students. As a residential community, faculty and student participation in extracurricular activities is extensive.
Student Government
The College's official student governing organization is the Student Senate. Members of the senate are elected from organizations on campus, and the president of the senate is invited to attend faculty meetings and general sessions of the Board of Trustees. The Student Senate allocates an ample student activity fund for campus events and student projects and plays a major role in ensuring that student opinion is heard within the University community. Faculty search committees also regularly involve students in the search for new faculty members.
Admission Requirements
Admission to Baker University's College of Arts and Sciences is dependent on readiness for the college experience. Readiness is determined by evidence of ability to do college work at Baker and an interest in acquiring a liberal arts education. Eligibility for admission is determined without regard to race, nationality, creed, color, national origin, age, disability, gender, or sexual orientation.
Applications for admission are reviewed by the director of admissions and in some cases an admission committee. In most cases, applicants with an ACT composite score of at least 21 or a minimum 3.0 high school grade point average are admitted. Other applicants are evaluated on an individual basis. An admission decision is based on a review of the student's academic file and an essay. To be eligible for admission as a transfer student, applicants must have attained a minimum 2.3 college grade point average in all college-level hours attempted, as determined by the Baker University Office of the Registrar. Transfer applicants who do not meet the 2.3 GPA criterion will be evaluated on an individual basis by the committee. If admitted, these student may have stipulations placed on their first semester of enrollment.
Application and Information
A visit to the Baker campus to meet admission representatives and members of the faculty is strongly recommended. Inquiries concerning admission for U.S. citizens and international students should be addressed to:
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