Old Dominion University

College Detail


Old Dominion University

School Summary
Type: Public Higher Education Institution
Total campus enrollment: No Data Available
Religious affiliation: Non-denominational
Setting: Urban Setting
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In-Depth Description
Old Dominion University

The University

Old Dominion University (ODU) began its tradition of excellence when it was founded in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, the second-oldest university in the United States. The two-year school rapidly evolved into a full four-year college and was granted independence in 1962. Proud of its past, Old Dominion constantly looks to the future and prides itself on its constantly expanding research and teaching programs. The four-year college has grown over the years and is now one of only 101 public universities with the Carnegie Foundations RU/H: Research University (high research activity) distinction. Old Dominion is an agent of change for its students, for the region, and for the nation it serves.

Old Dominion enrolls about 15,000 undergraduates and 6,000 graduate students, who hail from all fifty states and U.S. territories as well as 108 countries. Old Dominion offers sixty-eight bachelors degree programs, sixty masters degree programs, two education specialists programs, and thirty-five doctoral degree programs and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Each degree program is housed within one of the Universitys six colleges: Education, Engineering and Technology, Arts and Letters, Business and Public Administration, Health Sciences, and Sciences. Through the Career Advantage Program, ODU is the only doctoral degreegranting university in the United States to guarantee each of its students an internship in their field of study.

Old Dominion offers a wide variety of activities, creating a dynamic, energetic campus environment. The 1,400 international students and the 200 student organizations reflect the diversity that exists. As a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, ODU has sixteen intercollegiate Division I athletic teams and has won twenty-eight team and four individual national titles.

Location

Located in a residential section of historic Norfolk, Virginia, the 188 acres of the Old Dominion University campus stretch from the Elizabeth River to the Lafayette River. The University offers a small-college look and feel, with tree-lined walkways, a mix of old and new buildings, and colorful gardens and ponds. Norfolk is one of the seven cities that comprise what is known as Hampton Roads, Virginias most populated region, at approximately 1.5 million. Norfolk is well known as a major cultural center for its abundance of museums, historic sites, sporting venues, festivals, concerts, shops, and restaurants. Norfolk is ideally situated, as the Virginia Beach oceanfront is within a 20-minute drive and historic places such as Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown are within a 40-minute drive. Richmond and Washington, D.C., are near enough for weekend visits.

Majors and Degrees

The College of Arts and Letters confers B.A. and B.S. degrees for students in the following majors: African American and African studies, art education, art history, art studio, Asian studies, communication, criminal justice, English, foreign languages, geography, history, interdisciplinary studies, international studies, music, philosophy, political science, professional writing, sociology, theater and dance, and womens studies. In addition, the College of Arts and Letters awards a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting and fine arts as well as a Bachelor of Music in composition, music education, and performance.

The College of Business and Public Administration confers a B.A in economics and a B.S. in e-commerce systems as well as a B.S. in business administration in the following majors: accounting, decision sciences, economics, finance, information systems and technology, international business, management, maritime, and supply chain management and marketing.

The Darden College of Education awards B.S. degrees to students in the following majors: human services, occupational and technical studies, physical education, recreation and tourism studies, and speech-language pathology and audiology.

The Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology confers B.S. degrees to students in the following majors: civil engineering, civil engineering technology, computer engineering, electrical engineering, electrical engineering technology, engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, and mechanical engineering technology.

The College of Health Sciences awards B.S. degrees to students in the following majors: dental hygiene, environmental health, health sciences, medical technology, nuclear medicine technology, and nursing.

The College of Sciences confers B.S. degrees to students in the following majors: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, ocean and earth sciences, physics, and psychology.

Academic Programs

Old Dominion provides each student with a broad liberal arts core curriculum that ensures that students have a well-rounded foundation before they move into their upper-level classes within their chosen majors. Old Dominion has a traditional semester calendar with numerous summer sessions. The Honors College is open to exceptional students from all majors, and accepted students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in their course work. With some of the largest military installations in the United States located in the region, Old Dominion is a prime choice for students who are interested in an Army or Navy ROTC program.

ODU also offers various accelerated programs in which students can attain both a bachelors and a masters degree in a condensed period of time. Students may choose from the following programs: B.A./M.A. in applied linguistics; B.A./M.A. in English; B.A./M.A. in history; B.A./M.A. in international studies; B.A. or B.S. in communication/M.A. in humanities; B.A. or B.S. in individualized interdisciplinary studies/M.A. in humanities; B.A. or B.S. in womens studies/M.A. in humanities; B.S./M.S. in engineering; B.S./Ph.D. in engineering; B.A. or B.S./M.B.A. (business administration); B.S. in dental hygiene/M.S. in dental hygiene; B.S.N. postlicensure/M.S.N. (nursing); B.S. in health sciences/M.S. in community health; bachelors/M.S. programs in biology, chemistry, and oceanography; and a bachelors-to-M.D. program (with Eastern Virginia Medical School).

Old Dominion University offers regular degree programs at numerous locations away from its Norfolk campus. In Virginia, students may attend classes at the Peninsula Higher Education Center in Hampton, the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, the Northern Virginia Center in Sterling, and the Tri-Cities Center in Suffolk. Old Dominion offers regular degree programs to students in every region of the commonwealth and to students in various states across the U.S. via distance learning. Students may take classes that are broadcast from the ODU Norfolk campus to locations in their respective communities (often a local community college). Currently, Old Dominion broadcasts courses to nearly fifty locations throughout Virginia; to sites in Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington State, and Indiana; and to U.S. Navy ships and submarines deployed around the globe. In addition, Old Dominion offers classes that are streamed in real time over the Internet, allowing students to take classes from their home computers.

Off-Campus Programs

The Old Dominion Study Abroad Program allows students to spend a semester of study at one of many overseas locations.

Academic Facilities

The Universitys seventy-fifth anniversary in 2005 found an impressive array of cutting-edge facilities that have created a campus ideal for the pursuit of a diverse number of majors. Among these are the fully automated Perry Library, with more than 2.8 million items; state-of-the-art laboratories in the sciences and engineering; and the new Engineering and Computational Sciences Building. There are eight computer labs on campus that are free and accessible to all students, and free high-speed wireless connectivity is provided throughout the campus, including in dorm rooms.

The following resources are available for individuals with specific needs: Disability Services, Writing Center, Testing Center, Advising Services, Center for Professional Training and Development, International Center, and Career Management Center.

Other academic facilities are the University Theater, Experimental Theater, Diehn Fine Arts Center, Nuclear and Particle Physics Facility, Benthic Ecology Lab, Engineering Learning Center, Applied Research Center, Center for Advanced Engineering Environments, Langley Full-Scale Wind Tunnel, Technology Applications Center, Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center, and Virginia Space Flight Center at Wallops Island.

Costs

Tuition and fees for average full-time undergraduates in 200607 were $5910 for in-state students and $16,470 for out-of-state students. Room and board were $6640.

Financial Aid

Nearly 55 percent of Old Dominion students receive financial aid in the form of grants, loans, work-study, and academic meritbased scholarships. Students often find it easy to attain part-time employment on campus or in the local area. Old Dominion offers more than $6.5 million in scholarships. All incoming freshmen who submit their applications and credentials by the December1 early action deadline and transfer students who submit their applications and credentials by March15 are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. All students are encouraged to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA should be submitted to the Department of Education by February15.

Faculty

Approximately 640 full-time and 500 part-time faculty members bring a wealth of talent to their classrooms each day. Their lively, provocative teaching, research, and applied experience, along with their commitment to academic excellence, combine to make the Old Dominion experience a rewarding one for students. The student-faculty ratio is 18:1, and 86 percent of the faculty members have attained the terminal degree in their field. The average class size is 25. Old Dominion faculty members are largely responsible for the $50 million in research grants that the University receives each year. All faculty members are required to keep office hours, which makes professors readily available to meet out-of-class student needs. Faculty members also serve as academic advisers and supervisors of independent-study programs and counsel students in their educational and professional endeavors.

Student Government

The Student Senate is the primary body of student governance at Old Dominion. The Student Senate consists of 24 senators, who are chosen by the student body as representatives. Student senators are assigned to committees and must attend meetings. The student body elects 3 senators as Executive Officers, including the Student Body President. The Senate was designed to assist the University in its effort to increase the quality of student life at Old Dominion.

Admission Requirements

Old Dominion University is a selective university that reviews applications on an individual basis. Each application is read and reviewed by the admissions staff. While academic performance is a vital factor in the decision-making process, Old Dominion also takes into account any athletic, student organization, or community service involvement. Admitted students are those who have a zest for higher education and career development. The average freshman admitted to Old Dominion ranks in the top third of his or her graduating class; earned a minimum of 16 high school academic units in English, math, science, foreign language, and social studies; and is actively involved in school- and/or community-based clubs, organizations, and athletics. Approximately 50 percent of the transfer students have earned an associate degree or have completed 60 semester hours at another institution prior to enrolling at Old Dominion.

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