College Profile:
West Chester University

Expect Excellence

With more than 80 undergraduate academic programs and a variety of opportunities for internships and field experiences, the decision to study at West Chester University of Pennsylvania is an easy one. West Chester University is the second largest of the 14 institutions that comprise Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

Considered one of the top schools in the Mid-Atlantic states, according to the Princeton Review and one of the top 20 public master's universities in the North according to U.S. News, West Chester is a public coeducational university that enrolls 12,900 students. Established more than 135 years ago as a teacher education institution, West Chester University now graduates as many business majors as educators.

West Chester offers degrees in the arts and sciences, teacher preparation and certification, advanced study preparation in fields such as medicine and law, education for specific professions, and continuing education.

Academics

State-of-the-art technology is of paramount importance to faculty and students in all fields, and West Chester University's facilities help prepare students for the professional world.

In addition, undergraduate biology students operate and interpret data from a variety of advanced microscopes, including a single-side band microscope — the world's second. A fully equipped molecular biology laboratory, funded by the National Science Foundation, includes equipment for RFLP, PCR and DNA sequencing, and the department has field inversion electrophoresis equipment for DNA analysis. Students studying geography, marketing and other subjects benefit from hands-on equipment in the GIS computer laboratory, with a GPS first-order community base station and mobile GPS units.

Classroom experiences are supported by practice and internships that integrate technology, materials and resources in real-world placements in such fields as communication studies and marketing, as well as teaching and the sciences. A unique feature of the undergraduate pre-med program is the opportunity for a full-semester full-credit junior-year biomedical research internship at a medical school or research institute in the United States or Europe. Forensic and toxicological chemistry students learn to operate and interpret results from many state-of-the-art instruments in hands-on applications prior to a mandatory one-semester internship in a police or toxicology forensic-chemistry laboratory. A paid summer internship with a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company is required for all majors in pharmaceutical product development.

The new Swope School of Music and the Performing Arts Center opened in January 2007, offering students more spacious classroom, practice and performance spaces in a modern, environmentally friendly facility. Music students enjoy the state-of-the-art Center for Music Technology, the Music Education Lab and two keyboard labs. The holdings of the 3,000-square-foot Presser Music Library include more than 31,000 scores and more than 26,500 LP recordings, tapes and compact discs. Listening facilities for both analog and digital recordings are available for 40 people in a space that is as pleasing aesthetically as it is academically. The facility's 375-seat performance hall and 120-seat recital hall, along with an art gallery, provide a cultural arts complex unparalleled in the suburban Philadelphia region.

The holdings of West Chester University's main library number more than two million items, including more than 623,000 print volumes; more than 2,220 subscriptions to print periodicals; more than 3,300 maps; more than 128,000 government documents; more than 7,000 films, video, and DVDs. Worthy of note are collections of children's literature, instructional media, and the Philips Autograph Library in Philips Memorial Building.

Community Outreach

Many faculty use community service as a teaching method and West Chester University students annually log more than 130,000 hours of community service. The Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs, working directly with more than 90 local agencies, connects faculty and students with regional volunteer opportunities for academic courses and as co-curricular activities.

Students also independently establish service projects of their own. In one such example, the annual holiday Bear Fair, student volunteers collect plush bears for the area's children in need, bagging 7,025 bears in December 2006. Students have also brought school supplies and shoes to children in South Africa and improved literacy in Honduras, among other independent efforts.

The Campus

The suburban campus comprises 402 acres on north and south campuses, which are a mile apart and linked by shuttle bus. Departments within the College of Health Sciences, as well as athletics, form the backbone of activities on South Campus. Two apartment complexes – the South Campus Apartments and the Village – offer students suite-style living across from the athletic fields.

The University has conserved 100 acres of natural woodland, field and stream-side habitat on South Campus for outdoor studies in the natural sciences. The Gordon Natural Area is a research and teaching resource for the community as well.

On North Campus, the distinctive original college buildings of native serpentine stone, the stately trees and the green space on the Quad are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Two new student-housing facilities now accommodate more than 750 students, giving new and transfer students additional residence options, including suite-style apartments, and more recreation space.

West Chester University is in West Chester, a town that has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786. With a population of about 20,000, the borough is small enough to have the pleasant aspects of a tree-shaded American town, large enough to contain essential services, and old enough to give the student exposure to America's early history. "Uptown" opportunities for employment, entertainment and internships are a short walk from campus. Exton Crossroads is a major regional shopping area only ten minutes from campus by car or public transportation.

Philadelphia is 25 miles to the east and Wilmington 17 miles to the south, putting the libraries, museums and other cultural and historical resources of both cities in easy reach. Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, and other historical attractions are near West Chester. New York and Washington are easily accessible by car or train. Public transportation is available from Philadelphia and other nearby communities.

Like the world around it, West Chester University is constantly changing and growing. The school continues to broaden and modify the nature and number of its programs to reflect the needs of its students in their endeavor to prepare themselves for success and fulfillment in life.

With so much to offer, West Chester University is the number-one choice for an increasing number of freshman applicants each year.