Washington State University

Location and Contact Information

The campus is in a town not particularly near any major cities.

Overview

Washington State University, also referred to as WSU, is a public, coeducational, research university located in Pullman, Washington. The school was established in 1890 as Washington Agricultural College and School of Science and opened to the public on January 13, 1892.

In 1905, the university was renamed State College of Washington. Finally, in 1959, the institution attained university rank and received its current name.

Washington State University is a land-grant university that conducts transformational research and educates more than 25,000 students statewide. The student-faculty ratio is approximately 15 to 1.

The WSU system includes campuses in Spokane, the Tri-Cities, and Vancouver, extension offices in every county, and distance degree programs accessible around the world.

The Carnegie Foundation classifies WSU as one of 96 U.S. public and private universities with very high research activity. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the University among the top 60 public universities, including in the 2010 rankings.

The Cougar head logo--the widely recognized graphic symbol of Washington State University--was originally designed in 1936 by Randall Johnson, a 1937 WSU alumnus.

There are more than 25 fraternities and sororities at WSU, and more are formed every year. About 15 percent of the students belong to one of the Greek communities.

Among the 39 WSU alumni to receive the Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award since 1962 are broadcaster Edward R. Murrow; Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen; astronaut John M. Fabian; cartoonist Gary Larson; molecular evolutionist Allan Wilson; banking executive Phyllis J. Campbell; sociologist William Julius Wilson; author and film director Sherman Alexie,; veterinary researcher John Gorham; wheat breeder Orville Vogel; physicist Philip Abelson; and physician Neva Abelson.Dolph Lundgren, the popular Swedish actor, director and karateka, who shot to fame following his portrayal of comic superhero He-Man on celluloid; Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter in the Grammy Hall of Fame; and Scott MacDonald, American television actor are other noted alumni.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

• Many students concentrating in media.
• Large number of programs of study offered.
• Large number of students.
• High faculty salary.
• Good faculty-to-student ratio.
• Number of dorm rooms for students.

School characteristics:

• The school is public.
• Academic calender: Semester.
• Carnegie classification: Doctoral/Research Universities, Extensive.

Features of note:

• The school offers a faculty tenure system.
• There are one or more libraries on-campus.
• Campus housing is available.
• Students may study abroad.
• Distance learning is available.
• Part-time classes are available.
• ROTC.
• Athlete financial aid is awarded.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

Financial Aid

Washington State University participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 83% of students received financial aid of some sort.

(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Washington State University:

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Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Students

Student enrollment was 25,352 in 2009-2010 (23,153 full-time equivalent).

About 48% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 52% of the class.

Undergrads are 65% of enrolled students, graduate students are 31%, and those seeking first-professional graduate degrees represent 3%.

Students under 25 years old represent 68% of the student body. About 7% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 99% are full-time and 1% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

SAT Test Scores:

Room and Board

Washington State University provides on-campus housing for 6,608 of its 23,153 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010). The school requires freshmen to live on campus.

Athletics

School sports include football, basketball, baseball, and track. The school is in the Pacific-10 Conference for major sports.

The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 190 male students received the aid (men were 55% of those receiving aid) and 155 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 45% of students receiving such aid) .

Graduate School Focus

Washington State University offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Doctorate (Research/Scholarship & Professional Practice).

Graduate offerings include continuing professional education and medical degrees.The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Comprehensive Doctoral With Medical/Veterinary.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (74 awarded)

• Agricultural Business Technology
• Agricultural Business and Management
• Agricultural Communication/Journalism
• Agricultural Economics
• Agricultural Mechanization
• Agricultural and Food Products Processing
• Agriculture
• Food Science

ANIMAL SCIENCE AND CARE (49 awarded)

• Animal Sciences

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING (79 awarded)

• Architecture (BArch, BA/BS, MArch, MA/MS, PhD)
• Landscape Architecture (BS, BSLA, BLA, MSLA, MLA, PhD)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (780 awarded)

• Accounting
• Accounting and Related Services
• Business Administration and Management
• Business/Commerce
• Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies
• Finance
• International Business/Trade/Commerce
• Management Information Systems and Services
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing/Marketing Management
• Operations Management and Supervision

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (75 awarded)

• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Computer and Information Sciences

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (59 awarded)

• Environmental Science
• Natural Resources/Conservation
• Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management

CONSTRUCTION TRADES (61 awarded)

• Apparel and Textiles

DESIGN (49 awarded)

• Interior Design

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (13 awarded)

• Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (1,013 awarded)

• Agricultural Teacher Education
• Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
• Education
• Educational Leadership and Administration
• Educational/Instructional Media Design
• Health Teacher Education
• Superintendency and Educational System Administration
• Teacher Education, Multiple Levels

ENGINEERING (462 awarded)

• Agricultural/Biological Engineering and Bioengineering
• Biomedical/Medical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
• Engineering Science
• Engineering/Industrial Management
• Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
• Materials Engineering
• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (211 awarded)

• Child Development
• Family and Community Services
• Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies
• Human Development and Family Studies
• Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
• Human Nutrition
• Public Policy Analysis

FINE ARTS (53 awarded)

• Fine/Studio Arts

HOSPITALITY (106 awarded)

• Hospitality Administration/Management

LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE (41 awarded)

• Agronomy and Crop Science
• Horticultural Science
• Plant Sciences
• Soil Science and Agronomy

LIBERAL ARTS (1,233 awarded)

• American/United States Studies/Civilization
• Anthropology
• Applied Economics
• Asian Studies/Civilization
• Economics
• English Language and Literature
• Ethnic, Cultural Minority, and Gender Studies
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• French Language and Literature
• German Language and Literature
• History
• Humanities/Humanistic Studies
• International/Global Studies
• Linguistics
• Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
• Political Science and Government
• Social Sciences
• Sociology
• Spanish Language and Literature
• Technical and Business Writing
• Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS (57 awarded)

• Applied Mathematics
• Mathematics
• Statistics

MEDIA (432 awarded)

• Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
• Mass Communication/Media Studies

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION (9 awarded)

• Health/Health Care Administration/Management

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (50 awarded)

• Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist

MEDICINE (260 awarded)

• Gerontology
• Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacy (PharmD [USA], PharmD or BS/BPharm [Canada])
• Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
• Veterinary Sciences/Veterinary Clinical Sci, Gen (Cert,MS,PhD)

MUSIC (28 awarded)

• Music Performance
• Music Theory and Composition
• Music

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (442 awarded)

• Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (137 awarded)

• Athletic Training/Trainer
• Kinesiology and Exercise Science
• Nutrition Sciences
• Sport and Fitness Administration/Management

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION (1 awarded)

• Office Management and Supervision

REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT (50 awarded)

• Construction Management

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (28 awarded)

• Philosophy

SCIENCE (402 awarded)

• Biochemistry
• Biological and Physical Sciences
• Biology/Biological Sciences
• Biomathematics and Bioinformatics
• Biotechnology
• Botany/Plant Biology
• Chemistry
• Entomology
• Exercise Physiology
• Genetics
• Geology/Earth Science
• Microbiology
• Molecular Biology
• Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Physical Sciences
• Physics
• Plant Molecular Biology
• Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
• Zoology/Animal Biology

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (111 awarded)

• Criminal Justice/Police Science

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (325 awarded)

• Counseling Psychology
• Developmental and Child Psychology
• Psychology
• School Psychology