Worcester State College

Location and Contact Information

486 Chandler St
Worcester, MA 01602-2597
USA
Main Tel: (508) 929-8000
Web Site

The campus is in a medium-sized city.

Overview

Worcester State College is a public college offering 4-year degrees in a number of majors, such as education, business and biotechnology. It was initially founded as the Worcester Normal School in 1874. It's urban campus stretches across more than 50 acres of urban land. The college grants admission to more than 4,000 students each year.

The academic departments of Worcester State College are:

  • Biology
  • Business Administration & Economics
  • Communication Sciences & Disorders
  • Computer Science
  • Education
  • Languages & Literature
  • Physical & Earth Sciences
  • Sociology
  • Visual and Performing Arts

The intercollegiate sports teams of WSC are called the Worcester State Lancers. The school sponsors men's teams in cross country, basketball, ice hockey, track & field, baseball, football, soccer and golf, and women's teams in field hockey, lacrosse, basketball, softball, tennis, soccer, volleyball, cross country, track & field and cheerleading.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

  • Many students concentrating in education and teaching, media, and therapy and counseling.
  • Large number of programs of study offered.
  • Large number of students.
  • High female/male ratio.
  • Affordable tuition & fees.
  • Numerous part-time students.

School characteristics:

  • The school is public.
  • Academic calender: Semester.
  • Carnegie classification: Masters Colleges and Universities I.

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.
  • Weekend study is an option.
  • Part-time classes are available.
  • ROTC.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

ItemCost
State Tuition and fees$ 6,605
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 12,685
Room$ 6,267
Board$ 2,800
Books and supplies$ 984
Other$ 2,700

Financial Aid

Worcester State participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 85% of students received financial aid of some sort.

Grants% of
Students
Average
Amount
Any Grant68%$4,299
Institutional Grant36%$1,571
Federal Grant26%$4,418
Pell Grant25%$3,241
Other Federal Grant26%$1,317
State or Local Grant56%$2,117

Loans% of
Students
Average
Amount
Student Loan43%$3,754
Federal Loan38%$2,572
Other Loan9%$7,360

(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 Worcester State College:

Click a column header to sort.

 SchoolLocationEnrollment
1University of BridgeportBridgeport, CT5,323
2Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI9,085
3Texas A & M International UniversityLaredo, TX5,856
4Simmons CollegeBoston, MA4,933
5Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville, AL9,481
6Xavier UniversityCincinnati, OH6,584
7University of Michigan-DearbornDearborn, MI8,311
8Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT5,958
9Indiana University-SoutheastNew Albany, IN6,482
10Canisius CollegeBuffalo, NY4,916

Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

DegreeTotal
Earned
Different
Programs
Bachelor81026
Postbaccalaureate certificate18616
Master18418
Post-master's certificate31

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Full-Time Faculty  Total
With tenure  124
Without tenure; working toward tenure  43
Without tenure; tenure not available  12

Students

Student enrollment was 5,378 in 2009-2010 (4,806 full-time equivalent).

About 36% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 64% of the class.

Undergrads are 66% of enrolled students and graduate students are 34%.

Students under 25 years old represent 70% of the student body. About 10% 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)

ApplicantsAdmitted
Men54%
Women62%
All59%

SAT Test Scores:

SATMiddle 50%
Verbal460-550
Math470-560
Writing450-550

Room and Board

Worcester State provides on-campus housing for 1,000 of its 4,806 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Athletics

School sports include football (New England Football Conference), basketball (Massachusetts State College Athletic Association), baseball (Massachusetts State College Athletic Association), and track (Massachusetts State College Athletic Association).

International Study

About 0% of freshmen are from countries other than the US.

International applicants are required to take the TOEFL exam.

Graduate School Focus

Worcester State offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Master.

Graduate offerings include continuing professional education.The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Postbaccalaureate With Arts & Sciences (Education Dominant).

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (197 awarded)

  • Business Administration and Management
  • Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (16 awarded)

  • Computer and Information Sciences

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (328 awarded)

  • Biology Teacher Education
  • Early Childhood Education and Teaching
  • Education
  • Educational Leadership and Administration
  • Elementary Education and Teaching
  • English/Language Arts Teacher Education
  • Foreign Language Teacher Education
  • History Teacher Education
  • Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
  • Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching
  • Mathematics Teacher Education
  • Reading Teacher Education
  • Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
  • Secondary Education and Teaching
  • Social Studies Teacher Education
  • Special Education and Teaching
  • Teacher Education, Multiple Levels

LIBERAL ARTS (119 awarded)

  • Economics
  • English Language and Literature
  • Geography
  • History
  • Political Science and Government
  • Sociology
  • Spanish Language and Literature
  • Urban Studies/Affairs

MATHEMATICS (8 awarded)

  • Mathematics

MEDIA (71 awarded)

  • Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION (11 awarded)

  • Health/Health Care Administration/Management

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (25 awarded)

  • Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences
  • Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist

MEDICINE (23 awarded)

  • Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (59 awarded)

  • Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (31 awarded)

  • Occupational Therapy/Therapist

SCIENCE (96 awarded)

  • Biology/Biological Sciences
  • Biotechnology
  • Chemistry
  • Physical Sciences

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (57 awarded)

  • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (142 awarded)

  • Communication Disorders
  • Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling
  • Psychology
  • School Psychology