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Pennsylvania State University, also known as Penn State, is a public, land-grant, research university located in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Penn State was established in 1855, when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania chartered the school at the request of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society. Its goal was to apply scientific principles to farming--a radical departure from the traditional college curriculum grounded in mathematics, rhetoric, and classical languages.
Centre County became the site of the new college in response to a gift of 200 acres from agriculturist and iron master James Irvin of Bellefonte.
In 1863 the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania became the Commonwealth's sole land-grant institution. By 1950 Penn State was distinguished for its research in dairy science, building insulation, diesel engines, and other specialized fields.
In 1953 University President Milton Eisenhower changed the name of the school to The Pennsylvania State University and established a campus post office designated as University Park.
The university has more than 20 campuses in Pennsylvania, including a Virtual World Campus. The main campus is spread aver 5,448 acres.
Penn State is organized into the following academic divisions:
- College of Agricultural Sciences
- College of Arts and Architecture
- College of Communications
- College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
- College of Education
- College of Engineering
- College of Health and Human Development
- College of the Liberal Arts
- Eberly College of Science
- Graduate School
- School of Information Sciences and Technology
- Smeal College of Business
In addition, Pennsylvania State University contains several special-mission units, including Penn state Great Valley; the School of Graduate Professional Studies; Penn State Milton Hershey Medical Center; and Penn State Dickinson School of Law.
U.S. News & World Report America's Best Colleges for 2010 named Penn State tied for 47th nationally among Best National Universities and tied for 15th nationally for Best Undergraduate Top 50 Public National Universities. The magazine also ranked Penn State tied for 17th nationally among undergraduate engineering specialties.
The University Park campus is the administrative and research hub of the University, with more than 40,000 graduate, undergraduate, and professional students and more than 159,000 alumni worldwide.
Penn State has won 64 National Team Championships. The athletic teams are known as the Nittany Lions.
Among the famous alumni of Penn State are Robert Jubelirer, former President Pro Tempore of Pennsylvania State Senate and Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania; Jean Craighead George, Newberry Medal-winning children's author; Steve McCurry, photojournalist; John Pielmeier and Susan Miller, playwrights; Tom Clarke, former president, CEO of Nike, Inc.; Richard A. Zimmerman, former president, CEO of Hershey Foods; Margaret Carlson, first female columnist for Time magazine; Julius J. Epstein, screenwriter ("Casablanca"); John Lewis, dancer, inventor of "Big Baby Shuffle"; Terry Bartlett, Olympic gymnast; Courtney Brown, NFL defensive end; Nate Bump, pro baseball player; and Dan Heisman, chess master.
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Campus Location201 Old Main University Park, PA 16802-1589 USA Main Tel: (814) 865-4700 Web Site The campus is in a small city. |
HighlightsWhere the school stands out most compared to other schools (details below): - Many students concentrating in engineering, media, nutrition and exercise therapy, science, and computer science and engineering.
- Large number of programs of study offered.
- Large number of students.
- High faculty salary.
- Good faculty-to-student ratio.
- High male/female ratio.
- High SAT scores (combined Verbal and Math).
- Number of dorm rooms for students.
Other important characteristics: - Faculty tenure system
- On-campus hospital
- Library on-campus
- Campus housing available
- Study abroad option
- Distance learning available
- Weekend study option
- Part-time classes available
- ROTC
- Athlete financial aid
Degrees Awarded (in 2008-2009)| Degree | Total Earned | Different Programs |
|---|
| Bachelor | 9,442 | 123 | | Master | 1,267 | 106 | | 620 | 87 | | < 1 year certificate | 570 | 27 | | Associate | 102 | 7 | | 23 | 1 |
StudentsStudent enrollment was 43,252 in 2007-2008 (44,281 full-time equivalent). About 52% of the freshmen class in 2008-2009 was male and women were 48% of the class. Undergrads are 84% of enrolled students and graduate students are 16%. Students living in the US make up 100% of incoming freshmen. Among freshmen students, 100% are full-time and 0% are part-time.
Tuition and Other Costs (2008-2009)| Item | Cost |
|---|
| State Tuition and fees | $ 13,706 | | Out-of-state tuition and fees | $ 24,940 | | Room | $ 4,110 | | Board | $ 4,160 | | Books and supplies | $ 1,264 | | Other | $ 3,510 |
Financial Aid: Penn State participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs. Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.
FacultyTenure (2008-2009): | Full-Time Faculty | | Total |
|---|
| With tenure | | 1,343 | | Without tenure; working toward tenure | | 412 | | Without tenure; tenure not available | | 1,382 |
Housing and MealsPenn State provides on-campus housing for 14,539 of its 44,281 (full-time) students (as of 2008-2009). The school requires freshmen to live on campus.
AthleticsSchool sports include football, basketball, baseball, and track. The school is in the Big Ten Conference for major sports. The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 290 male students received the aid (men were 60% of those receiving aid) and 193 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 40% of students receiving such aid) .
Admissions (2008-2009)| Applicants | Admitted |
|---|
| Men | 49% | | Women | 53% | | All | 51% |
SAT Test Scores:| SAT | Middle 50% |
|---|
| Verbal | 530-630 | | Math | 560-670 |
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Programs of Study(Number of degrees awarded in 2008-2009 in parentheses) AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (135 awarded) - Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations
- Agricultural Business and Management
- Agricultural Economics
- Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology
- Agricultural Mechanization
- Agricultural and Extension Education Services
- Agriculture
- Food Science
ANIMAL SCIENCE AND CARE (97 awarded) ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING (90 awarded) - Architecture (BArch, BA/BS, MArch, MA/MS, PhD)
- Landscape Architecture (BS, BSLA, BLA, MSLA, MLA, PhD)
ART STUDIES (142 awarded) - Art/Art Studies
- Visual and Performing Arts
BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (1,628 awarded) - Accounting
- Actuarial Science
- Business Administration and Management
- Business/Commerce
- Business/Managerial Economics
- Finance
- Human Resources Management and Services
- Labor and Industrial Relations
- Logistics and Materials Management
- Management Information Systems
- Marketing/Marketing Management
- Organizational Behavior Studies
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (609 awarded) - Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Computer and Information Sciences
- Information Science/Studies
- Information Technology
CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (104 awarded) - Forest Sciences and Biology
- Forest Technology/Technician
- Forestry
- Natural Resources and Conservation
- Natural Resources/Conservation
DESIGN (12 awarded) DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (58 awarded) - Acting
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts
- Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology
EDUCATION AND TEACHING (873 awarded) - Adult and Continuing Education Administration
- Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching
- Art Teacher Education
- College Student Counseling and Personnel Services
- Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Educational Evaluation and Research
- Educational Leadership and Administration
- Educational/Instructional Media Design
- Elementary Education and Teaching
- Foreign Language Teacher Education
- Higher Education/Higher Education Administration
- Music Teacher Education
- Secondary Education and Teaching
- Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
- Special Education and Teaching
- Teaching English as Second/Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor
ENGINEERING (1,799 awarded) - Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
- Agricultural/Biological Engineering and Bioengineering
- Archeology
- Architectural Engineering
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
- Engineering Mechanics
- Engineering Science
- Engineering
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Materials Engineering
- Materials Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mining and Mineral Engineering
- Nuclear Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
- Surveying Engineering
ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (6 awarded) - Environmental Engineering Technology/Environmental Technology
FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (284 awarded) - Community Organization and Advocacy
- Human Development and Family Studies
- Human Nutrition
FINE ARTS (26 awarded) - Art History, Criticism and Conservation
HOSPITALITY (263 awarded) - Hospitality Administration/Management
LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE (128 awarded) - Agronomy and Crop Science
- Horticultural Science
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping
- Plant Sciences
- Soil Science and Agronomy
- Turf and Turfgrass Management
LAW (30 awarded) LIBERAL ARTS (1,814 awarded) - African Studies
- African-American/Black Studies
- American/United States Studies/Civilization
- Anthropology
- Applied Economics
- Chinese Language and Literature
- Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics
- Comparative Literature
- East Asian Studies
- Economics
- English Language and Literature
- French Language and Literature
- Geography
- German Language and Literature
- History
- International Relations and Affairs
- International/Global Studies
- Italian Language and Literature
- Japanese Language and Literature
- Latin American Studies
- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
- Linguistics
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
- Near and Middle Eastern Studies
- Political Science and Government
- Russian Language and Literature
- Social Sciences
- Sociology
- Spanish Language and Literature
- Technical and Business Writing
- Women's Studies
MATHEMATICS (145 awarded) MEDIA (847 awarded) - Advertising
- Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
- Journalism
- Mass Communication/Media Studies
- Organizational Communication
MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION (111 awarded) - Health/Health Care Administration/Management
MEDICINE (33 awarded) - Neuroscience
- Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
- Public Health, General (MPH, DPH)
MUSIC (48 awarded) - Conducting
- Music History, Literature, and Theory
- Music Performance
- Music Theory and Composition
- Music
- Piano and Organ
- Voice and Opera
NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (288 awarded) - Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)
NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (398 awarded) - Dietitian Assistant
- Kinesiology and Exercise Science
- Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
- Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies
- Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART (51 awarded) RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (78 awarded) - Jewish/Judaic Studies
- Philosophy
- Religion/Religious Studies
SCIENCE (1,012 awarded) - Acoustics
- Animal Physiology
- Astronomy
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology
- Biochemistry
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- Biological and Physical Sciences
- Biology/Biological Sciences
- Biotechnology
- Chemistry
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Genetics
- Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
- Geology/Earth Science
- Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
- Oceanography, Chemical and Physical
- Pathology/Experimental Pathology
- Physical Sciences
- Physics
- Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
- Plant Physiology
- Science, Technology and Society
- Toxicology
SCIENCE AND LABORATORY TECHNICIAN (19 awarded) - Biology Technician/Biotechnology Laboratory Technician
SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (308 awarded) - Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
- Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
- Forensic Science and Technology
- Security and Protective Services
THERAPY AND COUNSELING (588 awarded) - Communication Disorders
- Counseling Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Psychology
- School Psychology
Selected Careers of Interest(Based on an automated mapping of degrees popular at Penn State with government-defined occupation categories.) Click occupations below for career details, including job description, studies, degree requirements, how to evaluate schools, and more.
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