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The College

Framingham State College offers small, personalized classes to 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students on a traditional, New England campus. Student success is central to the mission of the College. Many options are available for student support, including programs to help freshmen transition to college. The College also has a robust honors program for exceptional students.

The breadth of programs offered by Framingham State College reflects diverse faculty expertise. Although the Colleges traditional focus was teacher education, the majority of students today major in fields ranging from business to the sciences to fashion design and retailing, along with a significant number who continue to major in education. The College offers twenty-five majors and many career-related concentrations.

In addition to its undergraduate program, Framingham State College graduates approximately 500 masters students each year. In 2007, the College added an M.B.A. program to its graduate program mix. In addition, the College is a pioneer in undergraduate and graduate online education, having offered online courses since 1998.

Traditional college-age students as well as nontraditional students seeking higher education on either a full- or part-time basis have opportunities to participate in campus life through a variety of cocurricular programs and activities and to develop the knowledge and skills needed to compete in a global and technological society.

Forty-four percent of Day Division students live on campus. Students of color represent 12 percent of the student body, while students over the age of 25 represent 17 percent of undergraduates.

Framingham State College offers residential housing to more than 1,500 students in six residence halls. Resident students are required to purchase a ten-, fourteen-, or nineteen-meal-per-week plan. Both the Dining Commons and the Snack Bar are located in the McCarthy College Center, the hub of all student activities. The newly renovated College Center is the home for the campus art gallery, game room, meeting rooms, radio station, college newspaper, club and organization offices, and offices for student services and student activities.

The Student Union Activities Board (SUAB), one of the largest and most active clubs on campus, plans the majority of campus events, including concerts, films, special social programs, travel, recreation, concerts, dances, lectures, films, spring break events, cultural activities, and much more. SUAB also sponsors the Annual Semi-Formal, Family Weekend, Spring Show, and the Sandbox Carnival.

The College competes in NCAA Division III athletics for men and women, including baseball, basketball, cross-country, field hockey, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Intramural sports are also offered, including cheerleading and rugby. A 65,000-square-foot athletic facility opened in 2001.

Location

The College is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts MetroWest area just 20 miles west of Boston. It is the only public four-year college between Route 495 and Route 128, close to the heart of the high-technology industry and within reach of hundreds of professional companies and businesses. The 73-acre campus offers students a small- to medium-sized suburban campus with access to the cultural, recreational, educational, and career opportunities of Boston and New England.

Majors and Degrees

Framingham State College confers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Science in Education degrees. Undergraduate majors are offered in art history, biology, business administration, business and information technology, chemistry, communication arts, computer science, early childhood education, economics, elementary education, English, fashion design and retailing, food and nutrition, food science, geography, health and consumer sciences, history, liberal studies, mathematics, modern languages, nursing (post-RN program), politics, psychology, sociology, and studio art. Within the twenty-five major programs are a variety of concentrations and minors. Pre-engineering, prelaw, and premedical professional programs are also offered.

Academic Programs

The mission of Framingham State College is to offer a dynamic and affordable program of educational excellence to its students. The College emphasizes a broad curriculum that blends liberal arts and sciences with several professional fields.

Each student must satisfy a thirty-two-course requirement for completion of any degree program. Up to twenty courses form the basis of a students major area of study. The remaining twelve courses are used to fulfill the general education requirement, which encompasses writing, mathematics, humanities, social sciences, physical and life sciences, foreign language, and the study of federal and state constitutions. The general education requirement ensures that students experience the benefits of a liberal arts education through familiarity with a variety of curricula. Each student is assigned a faculty member in his or her major as an academic adviser. Undeclared students are assigned advisers through the Center for Academic Support and Advising (CASA). Selected students may participate in departmental and College-wide honors programs.

The College operates on the traditional two-semester calendar, with two optional summer sessions as well as a winter intersession.

Off-Campus Programs

Framingham State College students may choose to participate in one or several college-affiliated programs, allowing them to take credit-bearing courses outside of the College. Among the most popular are internships; the College Academic Program Sharing (CAPS) program; the Massachusetts Bay Marine Studies Consortium; the Washington, D.C., Internship; and study abroad.

Internships are available in most majors. Annually, hundreds of Framingham State College students serve as interns in the Massachusetts State House, town and city governments, museums, and a variety of businesses and high-technology firms in the greater Boston area. Internships allow students the opportunity to gain direct, practical experience while applying the knowledge and skills they have acquired in the classroom.

Through the CAPS program, Framingham State College students may take up to 30 semester hours of college credit at one of the seven other Massachusetts state colleges. Students who participate in the Massachusetts Bay Marine Studies Consortium may also attend a variety of credit-bearing classes and symposia at other schools.

Students who seek an international dimension to enhance their undergraduate program can study abroad for a summer, semester, or academic year. In the past, students have studied in Australia, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, and Spain.

Academic Facilities

The Henry Whittemore Library houses more than 200,000 bound volumes, 600,000 volume equivalents in microforms, and 1,600 current periodicals in subscriptions. Electronic databases supplement the librarys in-house journal collection, and students have access to a variety of materials shared within the Minuteman Library Network. The College provides extensive computing capabilities for its students, including a wireless network across the campus.

A child-development center, planetarium, and greenhouse provide students with the opportunity to gain practical experience in related studies. Likewise, the radio station and television studios serve as forums to apply textbook knowledge.

The Challenger Learning Center, established in memory of Christa Corrigan McAuliffe, the nations first teacher astronaut and a 1970 graduate of the College, is located on campus. The center provides a unique hands-on learning experience designed to foster interest in mathematics, science, and technology.

Costs

Tuition and fees for the 200708 academic year were $5799 for in-state students and $11,879 for out-of-state students. Yearly residence hall charges were $4527, and the yearly meal plan was $2600. Students should anticipate additional expenses for books, a laptop computer, supplies, transportation, and personal items. All costs are subject to change.

Financial Aid

Sources of financial aid available to Framingham State College students include federal, state, and institutional programs. Framingham State College students were the recipients of more than $17 million last year in loans, scholarships, grants, and work-study.

Federal programs include the Federal Work-Study Program, the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, the Federal Perkins Loan, and both subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford Student Loans. State-funded aid includes state scholarship grants and a no-interest loan program. Institutional funds mainly provide merit and need-based scholarships.

All students applying for financial aid must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), designating Framingham State College as the recipient. Transfer students must submit financial aid transcripts documenting all previous aid received. The priority filing deadline for fall entrance is March1.

Faculty

One hundred sixty-seven full-time faculty members are dedicated to upholding the undergraduate mission of the College. More than 83 percent of the faculty members hold the terminal degree in their field. The active involvement of many professors in research and writing complements their primary commitment and dedication to teaching excellence at the undergraduate level. With an impressive student-faculty ratio of 16:1, Framingham State College is able to offer a variety of programs in a challenging academic atmosphere.

Student Government

The Student Government Association (SGA) is the center of all political and social activity of the students of Framingham State College. The primary duties of SGA are to provide funding for more than fifty organizations through the student activity fee, to ensure representation of Framingham State College students in the state student organization, and to act on all other matters that concern the students of the College. SGA also plays a major role in the formulation of College policies that are of mutual concern to the students, the faculty, and the administration.

Admission Requirements

Framingham State College seeks to enroll students with a strong academic background who possess the necessary skills to succeed in college. Admission decisions are based primarily on the strength of the high school record and test scores. Secondary school students are required to pass 16 college-preparatory units: 4 years of English; 3 years of math, including algebra I and II and geometry; 3 years of science, including 2 years of laboratory science; 2 years of history/social science, including 1 year of U.S. history; 2 years of the same foreign language; and two college-preparatory-level electives. High school students are encouraged to elect additional courses in music, art, and computer science.

Students in the upper 50 percent of their class with a B average or higher are encouraged to apply. Recommendations, essays, and personal statements are not required but may be submitted as part of the application. International and transfer students, as well as adults returning to college, are also encouraged to apply.

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