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The University

In an independent survey, 93 percent of students and recent alumni rated their education at Kutztown University (KU) as excellent or good in regard to their overall college experience, the quality of instruction they received, and the quality of the faculty. KU offers excellent academic programs through its undergraduate Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, Business, and Education and through its graduate studies program. A wide range of student support services complements the high-quality classroom instruction.

Students have the advantage of a well-rounded program of athletic, cultural, and social events at KU. There are clubs, organizations, and activities to satisfy nearly every taste. Currently, more than 10,000 full- and part-time students are enrolled at the University. About half of the full-time undergraduates live in residence halls; the rest live at home in nearby communities.

Kutztown Universitys attractive 330-acre campus includes a mix of old and new buildings, including stately Old Main, the historic building known to generations of Kutztowns students; University Place, a modern residence hall in a courtyard setting; and the McFarland Student Union. The new Student Recreation Center opened in fall 2006, and the state-of-the-art Academic Forum opened in January2007. In fall 2008, renovations of the Sharadin Arts Building are planned to be completed and a new 865-bed suite-style residence hall is slated for opening.

In addition to its undergraduate program, the Universitys graduate program awards masters degrees in a number of fields. The Master of Science is awarded in computer and information science and electronic media. The Master of Arts is awarded in counseling psychology and English. The Master of Education is awarded in art education, elementary education, elementary school counseling (certification and licensure), instructional technology, reading specialist, secondary education (with specializations), secondary school counseling (certification and licensure), and student affairs in higher education (administration and college counseling licensure). The Master of Library Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, and Master of Social Work are also awarded.

Location

The University is located in a beautiful, rural Pennsylvania Dutch community, midway between the cities of Allentown and Reading. Both cities are a short drive from the campus and have major shopping and recreational facilities. Kutztown borough, an easy walk from the campus, has ample stores and shops to meet the needs of students. Philadelphia is about 1hours away and New York City, about 2hours.

Majors and Degrees

Undergraduate degrees are offered in a wide variety of fields. The Bachelor of Arts is awarded in anthropology, English, French, geography, history, music, philosophy, political science, sociology, Spanish, speech communication, and theater. The Bachelor of Fine Arts is awarded in communication design, crafts, and studio art. The Bachelor of Science is awarded in art education, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer and information science, criminal justice, electronic media, environmental science, geology, leisure and sport studies, library science, marine science, mathematics, medical technology, music education, physics, pre-engineering (with Penn State), psychology, and public administration. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration is awarded in accounting, finance, general business, international business, management, and marketing. The Bachelor of Science in Education is awarded in elementary education, with concentrations in coaching education, early childhood development, English, French, German, instructional technology, mathematics, psychology, reading, science, social studies, Spanish, and urban education; in secondary education, with specializations in biological science, chemistry, citizenship, communications, earth and space science, English, French, German, general science, mathematics, physics, physics and mathematics, social sciences, social studies, and Spanish; in special education, with concentrations in mentally/physically handicapped and visually impaired; and in library science. The Bachelor of Social Work also is awarded, and there is a B.S.N. completion program for registered nurses. The four most popular majors are criminal justice, communication design, psychology, and elementary education. The most popular minors are psychology and public relations.

Academic Programs

The University observes a two-semester calendar, and first-semester examinations are completed by mid-December. A minimum of 120 semester hours and a cumulative quality point average (QPA) of at least 2.0 are required for graduation. In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and College of Business, a quality point average of at least 2.0 in the major is also required.

Students seeking admission to teacher education must complete a three-stage process. (1) Applicants must have a projected grade point average (PGPA) of at least 2.2. Students with less than a 2.2 PGPA may be granted admission to their second-choice major and can reapply to the education program once they earn a minimum QPA of 3.0. (2) Once admitted to the major and by the fourth semester (or after completing 64 semester hours), applicants must present evidence of 30 hours of classroom observation. They must also achieve at least a 3.0 overall average, pass a speech screening test, and complete basic speech, mathematics, English composition, EDU 100, student teaching, and professional education courses, as determined by each major, with a minimum grade of C. (3) Prior to student teaching, applicants must complete a professional semester or early field experience, have achieved at least a 3.0 GPA as well as a 3.0 QPA in all courses in the major required for student teaching, and be recommended by the department screening committee. Students are required to pass the National Teachers Examination (three core batteries and a specialty area) at the end of their academic program before the Pennsylvania Department of Education will issue an Instructional I (Probationary) Certificate.

The distinctive University Honors Program is available to qualified students in all areas of study. Freshmen who have been identified as potential honors students based on their high school records and SAT scores, transfer students from other honors programs, and incumbent students who have at least a 3.25 GPA are invited to enroll in the program. The 21 semester hours in honors work, which include a senior thesis project, count toward the 120hours required for graduation. Honors students select specially designed courses, independent study, and internships. The honors program awards several merit-based scholarships, and students who complete the program receive an honors diploma upon graduation.

Kutztown University and the Colleges of Engineering and Earth and Mineral Studies of Penn State University cooperate in a 3-2 program in liberal arts and engineering. Three years or the equivalent are spent at Kutztown University, where the student takes liberal arts courses along with pre-engineering courses. Upon satisfactory completion of this program and recommendation by the faculty, the student enters Penn State and fulfills the specified course requirements. Successful completion of these programs leads to appropriate baccalaureate degrees from both institutions.

Kutztown University provides an opportunity for higher education for students who, because of economic need, cultural disadvantage, or inadequate preparation, have previously been unable to attend college. Students admitted to the University under the Developmental Summer Program attend a preparatory program designed to introduce them to university study and to provide supportive services in counseling and tutoring as well as special instruction in study skills, reading, and writing.

Off-Campus Programs

Students majoring in education spend one semester of their senior year student teaching in area schools under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Additional teaching field experiences are available in the junior year during the professional semester. Internships in other programs provide students with one semester of practical experience in their specialty. For example, political science students may work in local, state, or federal government agencies; psychology students in area psychiatric hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers; social welfare and criminal justice students in various social agencies; electronic media students in commercial or public broadcasting, cable television, and industrial, medical, or institutional television; and medical technology students in area hospitals.

The University has exchange and study-abroad programs with colleges and universities in fourteen countries. In addition, through the International Student Exchange Program, KU students may study for a year in any of sixty institutions in twenty-seven countries. Kutztown is now in its eighth year of a cooperative program with the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow, in which prominent Russian scholars and foreign affairs experts visit KU to meet with classes and give public lectures. KU also has cooperative programs with institutions in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and China.

Through consortium arrangements with colleges and universities in three states, Kutztown participates in the operation of a marine science research center at Wallops Island, Virginia, which has laboratories, research equipment, and coastal research ships. Through this facility, students in marine science classes are able to gain firsthand knowledge of the ocean environment. The Universitys participation in the Pennsylvania Consortium for International Education provides opportunities for study abroad during the summer.

Academic Facilities

The Rohrbach Library is a modern facility that provides many attractive and functional areas that greatly enhance the learning environment for all students. Its technologies are state-of-the-art, and it is the first completely wireless building on the campus. In addition to the 500 computer connection points that were installed when the building was expanded in 1998, students may bring their own laptops to access the Web or use one of the 100 that are available for circulation. The library has both Macintosh and PC public-access computers throughout the building. The library has more than 500,000 books and bound periodicals, subscriptions to 1,308 current periodicals and newspapers, access to 14,344 electronic full-text journals, and more than 1million microform units. Electronic access to these library materials is provided through the online catalog, Quincy, and the librarys Web page, which provides students with easy access to all of its resources and links them to electronic resources available throughout the world. The map collection is one of the finest in Pennsylvania, with 40,379 sheets, and includes Braille maps, city plans, and geographic and raised-relief maps.

The Audiovisual Center maintains a comprehensive collection of more than 15,000 items, including microcomputer software, films, filmstrips, videocassettes, records, audiocassettes, digital cameras, projectors, and laptops, that circulate to students. The Curriculum Materials Center provides preservice and in-service teachers with current teaching and learning resources and includes one of the most coveted collections of childrens literature in the country. Supplementing this collection is the Dornish Collection, which features first-edition signed books from top writers in the childrens literature field. Kutztowns resources are supplemented by a traditional interlibrary loan service, a rapid document delivery service, and a direct borrowing system (PALCI) that links students with the collections of more than forty academic libraries in the state of Pennsylvania.

Other resources include a modern science complex, an astronomical observatory and planetarium, a seismic observatory, the Sharadin Art Gallery, a television studio, a modern language laboratory, and a speech clinic.

All residence hall rooms are wired for Internet usage, and multistation computer labs are available in buildings across the campus.

Costs

In 200708, tuition was $5177 for Pennsylvania residents and $12,944 for out-of-state residents. The average cost of room and board for an incoming freshman was $6500. Fees were $1695 for Pennsylvania residents and $1784.70 for out-of-state residents. (Books, travel expenses, and other supplies are additional.)

Financial Aid

KU believes that no student who is eligible to enroll at the University should be denied the opportunity for an education solely because of lack of funds. Financial assistance is available through grants, private and institutional scholarships, military officer training programs, on-campus part-time employment, and loans. A booklet describing financial aid opportunities may be obtained by writing to the Director of Financial Aid. Any student wishing to investigate financial aid opportunities should do so when applying for admission, as most programs have application deadlines. The only form needed to apply for financial aid is the FAFSA. KU has a priority filing date of February15. Pennsylvania residents should file the FAFSA no later than May1 to qualify for Pennsylvania state grants.

Faculty

Although many professors at KU are involved in important research and are leaders in their fields, their primary interest is in the classroom. The University has more than 320 full-time instructors and a favorable 19:1 student-faculty ratio. The average class size is 29. Upon enrollment in the University, each student is assigned a faculty adviser to help plan their academic career. Many faculty members are active in campus groups as members or advisers, creating a close and friendly working relationship with students.

Student Government

All students are members of the Student Government Association and elect representatives who form the Student Government Board (SGB). Students at Kutztown are regarded as mature individuals who can be, in great measure, responsible for the control of their own environment. For that reason, the SGB exercises considerable discretion in coordinating and funding student organizations. Most University committees, including the Council of Trustees, have student members with full voting rights.

Admission Requirements

The main criteria for admission are achievement as indicated on scholastic records and standardized and aptitude tests. Candidates must have graduated from an approved secondary school or demonstrate equivalent preparation. Scores on either the SAT or the ACT are required and are regarded as evidence of ability to do university-level work. It is the responsibility of the applicant to request that his or her scores be forwarded to the Admissions Office. Either test should be taken no later than the fall of the senior year; sitting for these exams during the junior year is encouraged. For admission to a special curriculum, the candidate may be required to take an appropriate aptitude test or to supply additional evidence of ability to succeed in the given field. Specific requirements and instructions are included in the admission application materials.

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