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The University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU) is the second largest of the fourteen institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the fourth-largest university in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Officially founded in 1871, the University traces its heritage to the West Chester Academy, which existed from 1812 to 1869. The Universitys 402-acre campus has well-maintained facilities, including nine residence halls and two garden-style apartment complexes, plus a new performing arts center. In keeping with West Chesters rich heritage, the Universitys Quadrangle buildings, part of the original campus, are on the National Register of Historic Places.

While the University attracts the majority of its students from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, it also enrolls many students from other areas across the United States and from more than fifty countries. The undergraduate enrollment includes approximately 11,113 women and men full-time and 1,158 part-time.

Each year, the University community schedules an impressive series of events, including programs with well-known musicians, authors, political figures, and others. More than 210 campus groups in music, theater, athletics, and other activities, as well as clubs, fraternities, sororities, service organizations, and honor societies, provide students with the opportunity to participate in a full range of programs. The University offers twenty-three intercollegiate sports and eleven club sports for men and women. In addition to the facilities in the health and physical education complex, the University has a field house and a gymnasium for varsity sports.

Location

The University is located in West Chester, a community in southeastern Pennsylvania that is strategically located at the center of the mid-Atlantic corridor. The seat of Chester County government for more than two centuries, West Chester retains much of its historical charm in its buildings and unspoiled countryside, yet it offers the twenty-first-century advantages of a town in the heart of a thriving suburban area. West Chester is just 25miles west of Philadelphia and 17miles north of Wilmington, Delaware, putting the libraries, museums, cultural resources, entertainment, and historical sites of both cities within easy reach. It is also only 2 hours from New York City and 3 hours from Washington, D.C.

Majors and Degrees

The Bachelor of Arts is offered in American studies, anthropology, art, biology, communication studies, communicative disorders, English, French, geographyurban/regional planning, German, history, Latin, liberal studies, philosophy, political science, political scienceinternational relations, political scienceapplied public administration, psychology, Russian, social work, sociology, Spanish, theater arts, and womens studies.

The Bachelor of Science is offered in accounting, athletic training, biochemistry, biology, biologycell and molecular biology, biology-ecology, biologymedical technology, biology-microbiology, chemistry, chemistrybiology, chemistryclinical, computer science, criminal justice, economics, finance, forensic and toxicological chemistry, geosciences, geoscienceearth systems, geosciencegeology, health and physical education, health sciencegeneral, health sciencerespiratory care, liberal studiesarts and sciences, liberal studiesscience and mathematics, liberal studiesprofessional studies, management, marketing, nutrition and dietetics, pharmaceutical product development, physics, physicsengineering, public healthenvironmental, and public healthhealth promotion.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the Bachelor of Fine Arts (studio arts), the Bachelor of Music (composition, music education, performance, theory and studies in an outside field) and the Bachelor of Social Work degrees are also offered.

The Bachelor of Science in Education degree is offered in biology, chemistry, communication, early childhood education, earth-spacescienceastronomy, earth-space sciencegeology, elementary education, English, mathematics, physics, and special education.

Paraprofessional studies are available in medicine. In cooperation with the Pennsylvania State University, West Chester University offers a 3-2 dual-degree program combining liberal arts, physics, and engineering. Also available are early admission assurance programs with Drexel School of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Temple University School of Dental Medicine, and Arcadia University Physician Assistant Program. As a member of the State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), special admission opportunities for scholarships to the Widener School of LawHarrisburg Campus are also available.

Certification programs are available in French, general science, health and physical education, Latin, Russian, social studies, and Spanish education teacher certification.

Interdisciplinary areas of study with transcript recognition include computer security certificate, ethnic studies, Honors College, Latin American studies, and Russian studies. Minors are available in most majors and in several interdisciplinary areas. The University also offers ROTC programs with cross-enrollment agreement with Widener University for Army ROTC and with St. Josephs University for Air Force ROTC.

Academic Programs

West Chester University is a comprehensive, multipurpose institution now in its second century. The University comprises the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Public Affairs, the College of Education, the College of Health Sciences, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. It operates on a two-semester basis; summer sessions are available.

An honors program is available to qualified students for both upper and lower division study; internships and field experiences, self-designed majors, and independent study are also offered. A variety of credit-by-examination programs are available.

Off-Campus Programs

Through the Study Abroad Program, students may spend one or more semesters in countries such as England, Italy, France, Australia, Spain, and Ireland. West Chester also sponsors a number of annual courses that include study abroad during spring, summer, and winter breaks.

West Chester University participates in the National Student Exchange Program, in which students spend up to a year at any one of more than 170 member schools across the United States, broadening their cultural and academic horizons. Automatic transfer of credit is arranged.

Academic Facilities

There are two libraries on the campus: the Francis Harvey Green Library and the Presser Music Library. Library collections include more than 890,000 print and electronic volumes, 9,200 print and electronic periodicals, 880,000 microforms, 48,000 sound recordings, and 7,900 films, videos, and DVDs. Services include interlibrary loan, electronic and print reserves, more than ninety public computer workstations, twenty laptops, a coffee caf, and Internet access to more than 100 databases.

The Universitys extensive state-of-the-art computer facilities include more than 700 IBM and Apple workstations that are available to students and Internet access from residence halls and computer labs. The University has Braille printers, translators, and speech synthesizers for its visually impaired students. Students can use the computing facilities 16 hours a day.

The Boucher Science Center offers modern multimedia lecture halls, extensive laboratories, and study areas where students can work together. Boucher Science Center is connected to the Schmucker Science Center, which houses a fully equipped observatory and planetarium. The centers extensive laboratories have such instrumentation as automated spectrophotometers, electron analytical equipment, atomic absorption spectrometers, and a variety of chromatographs, including gas chromatographmass spectrometers.

The campus includes a 100-acre natural area for environmental studies; speech and hearing and reading clinics; two theaters; music facilities with practice, rehearsal, and listening rooms; a large, modern health and physical education complex that houses a gymnasium and a natatorium with two pool areas and a diving well; dance studios; research laboratories; physical therapy rooms; saunas; and a health resource center.

West Chester University is committed to providing barrier-free facilities for persons with impaired mobility.

Costs

West Chester University provides a high-quality education at an affordable cost. Full-time undergraduate students who are legal residents of Pennsylvania paid $5177 per year for tuition for 12 to 18 semester hours in 200607. For more than 18 semester hours or fewer than 12, the cost was $216 per semester hour. Out-of-state students were charged $12,994 per year for 12 to 18 semester hours and $539 per semester hour for more than 18 or fewer than 12. Room and board were $6590 per year for on-campus residents. Student fees were $1499 per year, plus a technology fee of $125 for in-state students and $188 for out-of-state students. Tuition is determined by the state.

Financial Aid

The financial aid available to students includes work-study programs, grants, loans, special awards, and scholarships. A limited number of merit scholarships are awarded based on the students academic standing and accomplishments in high school. Students who qualify are invited to apply. About 73percent of all full-time undergraduate students receive some form of aid.

Faculty

West Chester University has a faculty of nearly 800 members. The majority hold doctoral degrees, and many are engaged in research and serve as consultants in their field of expertise. The student-faculty ratio is 18:1.

Student Government

The Student Governmental Association represents all students on the West Chester campus. In addition, the Residence Hall Association represents resident students, and the Off Campus Student Association represents commuting students.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to West Chester University are evaluated on the basis of scholarship, character, and potential for achievement. The requirements for freshman admission consideration include graduation from an approved secondary school or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate from an approved agency; satisfactory scores on either the SAT, ACT, or TOEFL (for international applicants); and completion of a personal statement. Transfer applicants must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for admissions consideration. Certain academic programs may require an interview or specific course prerequisites. The University does have several other admissions options such as early admission and special admissions programs, including ACT 101. Based on the scores received on Advanced Placement (AP) tests and subject examinations administered through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), students may receive advanced placement or credit.

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