Philander Smith College

Location and Contact Information

The campus is in a medium-sized city.

Overview

Philander Smith College, PSC, is a historically black college in Little Rock, Arkansas that was founded in 1877. The forerunner of PSC was Walden Seminary, which was named after Dr. J.M. Walden. The name of the institute was changed to Philander Smith College in 1882. PSC offers majors in general business administration, education, arts and humanities, natural and physical sciences, and social sciences among others.

The athletic department at Philander Smith College offers quality programs for men and women. They participate in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) organization. PSC has men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball teams.

Some of the notable graduates of the college are Elijah Pitts, former Green Bay Packers player; Lottie Shackelford, former mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas; and Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

• United Methodist religious affiliation.
• Historically black college.
• Many students concentrating in business and management, music, science, and family and social work.
• Superior share of faculty on tenure track.
• Good faculty-to-student ratio.
• High percentage of students are from out-of-state.
• Number of dorm rooms for students.
• Affordable tuition & fees.
• Large number of programs of study offered.

School characteristics:

• The school is private, not-for-profit.
• Academic calender: Semester.
• Carnegie classification: Baccalaureate Colleges, General.

Features of note:

• The school offers a faculty tenure system.
• There are one or more libraries on-campus.
• Campus housing is available.
• Students have meal (board) plans.
• Students may study abroad.
• Weekend study is an option.
• Part-time classes are available.
• Athlete financial aid is awarded.

Similar Schools

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Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Students

Philander Smith College is a historically black college.

Student enrollment was 587 in 2009-2010 (564 full-time equivalent).

About 33% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 67% of the class.

Undergrads are 100% of enrolled students.

Students under 25 years old represent 77% of the student body. About 5% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 96% are full-time and 4% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

SAT Test Scores:

Room and Board

Philander Smith College provides on-campus housing for 283 of its 564 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Students may purchase a meal plan which includes 19 meals weekly.

Athletics

The school is in the Independent Southwest Region for major sports.

The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 8 male students received the aid (men were 44% of those receiving aid) and 10 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 56% of students receiving such aid) .

Graduate School Focus

The highest degree offered is the Bachelor.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (29 awarded)

• Business Administration and Management
• Business Administration, Management and Operations

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (3 awarded)

• Computer Science

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (8 awarded)

• Early Childhood Education and Teaching
• Educational Leadership and Administration
• Physical Education Teaching and Coaching

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (5 awarded)

• Social Work

LIBERAL ARTS (11 awarded)

• English Language and Literature
• Political Science and Government
• Sociology

MUSIC (2 awarded)

• Music

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (1 awarded)

• Philosophy and Religious Studies

SCIENCE (7 awarded)

• Biology/Biological Sciences

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (5 awarded)

• Psychology