Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus (IUP) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania and a Carnegie Doctoral Research Intensive university. The main campus is located on 374 acres, just 55 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. First chartered as a normal school in 1871, IUP expanded to become a teachers’ college in 1927, then became a full-fledged university in 1965. Multiple buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, there are over 14,000 students enrolled at IUP.

The campus features a planetarium and museum, both of which offer programs for the students and the public. Stapleton Library is home to nearly a million print volumes and over 2 million digital resources. IUP is also home to an extensive music library. The center of the campus features a bucolic oak grove that is popular with students, faculty, and the public alike.

IUP maintains a branch campus at Punxsutawney, 25 miles away from the main campus, to benefit students from rural areas during the first year or two of their college education. Also 25 miles away is a new branch at Northpointe, which meets the needs of workforce-related education for Armstrong County.

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Information Summary

Ranks 90th in Pennsylvania and 963rd overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	80.6
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$28,595
Admission Success rate	N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores	23 / 1120
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	18 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	71% / 50%
Enrollment Total (all students)	11,483

Academics

There are 8 colleges at IUP offering over 140 undergraduate degree programs and around 70 graduate programs. The colleges are: Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, College of Education and Educational Technology, College of Fine Arts, College of Health and Human Services, School of Graduate Studies and Research, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Natural Science and Mathematics, and School of Continuing Education. IUP also offers the Robert E. Cook Honors College, a seminar-style liberal studies curriculum for particularly academic undergraduate students.

Trade Programs

UIP operates an Academy of Culinary Arts in Punxsutawney as well as a police academy on the main campus.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Unique Programs

UIP is notable for its large number of centers and institutes which provide educational services to children, families, schools, and other members and institutions of the wider community. At the same time, they provide a wide field of internship and professional work opportunities for UIP students. These centers include:

Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center, a center supporting sponsored research, program evaluation, policy analysis, and technology transfer.

Intercollegiate Athletic Institute for Sports Camps, a program to organize sports camps and to train coaches and counselors.

Center for Career and Technical Personnel Preparation, a center to prepare, update, and upgrade career and technical educators.

Child Study Center, a facility providing assessment and short-term treatment of learning and behavioral problems, consultation to parents and schools, and other services.

Center for Counselor Training and Services provides counseling professionals with expert training and services.

Criminal Justice Training Center offers training programs for law enforcement personnel and police recruits.

First Commonwealth Center for Economic Education offers a wide range of economic education services.

Center for Rural Gifted Education offers training, referral, and resources for gifted education.

Highway Safety Center provides driver education and training for emergency responders.

Institute for Information Assurance promotes security and integrity of information in faculty/student interactions. Literacy Center assists children and adolescents with assessment and instruction.

Mid-Atlantic Addiction Research and Training Institute (MARTI) brings academic and professional experts together to address alcohol abuse treatment, domestic violence intervention, and associated mental health issues.

Institute for Mine Mapping, Archival Procedures, and Safety assists in the archiving, digitally recording, and geographically referencing of historical coal mine maps.

National Emergency and Disaster Information Center supports emergency and disaster operations through research, education, and outreach.

Software Development Center improves systems and expertise in the region.

Center for Statistics Education in Pennsylvania introduces math manipulatives and increases quantitative literacy for K-12 teachers.

Center for Videoconferencing works on innovative strategies for using video and blended technologies for education and communication.

Admissions

Unlike most universities, there are no specific course requirements for high school work for general admissions, although prospective students are encouraged to keep their future career path in mind when selecting classes. Requirements include competitive scores on standardized tests and at least a B average in high school classroom work. Most students admitted to the university have a composite SAT score of 1000 or better or an ACT score of 21 or better, as well as a grade point average of 3.2 or better.

Several majors have a language requirement, including anthropology, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, economics, English, geography and regional planning, geoscience, history, journalism, mathematics, natural science, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, and sociology. There are further admissions requirements for certain programs, including Dietetics, Education, Fine Arts, Nursing, and Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. The most competitive major is nursing.

Financial Aid

In addition to the wide range of state and federal aid options, IUP offers several of their own need- and merit-based scholarships. The majority of IUP students receive aid of some type.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 911th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Pennsylvania.

Students

Student Media

IUP has its own television and radio stations, as well as a student newspaper entitled The Penn. Between these three forms of media, there are many rich opportunities for future journalists.

College Lodge

The Student Cooperative Association owns College Lodge, a recreational facility a few miles away from the main campus. Students can visit the lodge for Frisbee golf, biking, hiking, skiing, and boating throughout the year.

Greek Life

Greek systems are very strong on the IUP campus. There are dozens of fraternities and sororities, including a professional chemistry fraternity, an honors fraternity, a military fraternity, a music fraternity, and a geography fraternity.

Residence Halls on Campus

There are eight suite-style residential buildings at IUP which feature individual bathrooms, wireless internet connections, microwaves, refrigerators, and individually controlled air conditioning and heating in each suite. Several suites are parts of living-learning facilities, which are supported by learning studios and community assistants on each floor. There are also four traditional residence halls on campus with single, double, and quad rooms. Traditional halls feature laundry rooms, vending areas, lounges, and computer centers.

Dining on Campus

The residential dining halls offer a wide range of mainstream options, as well as vegan and vegetarian food at every meal. The dining halls also offer special theme evenings once a week, featuring such interest items as karaoke and banana split bars.

The Folger Food Court offers convenient options, including Quiznos, Starbucks, JUMP Asian, Freshëns Smoothies, Home Zone, and Fireplace Brick Oven Pizza. The HUB Rock II offers Bagel Works, Zoca, Bagel Works, Tuscan Market, Grille Works, Chick-fil-A, Tuscan Market, and Salad Garden. There are several convenience stores and coffeeshops on campus as well, including Starbucks and Java City.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

The athletic department at IUP is known as the Crimson Hawks. The Hawks compete on the intervarsity level in NCAA Division II and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming, cross country, and track and field. Women’s sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, volleyball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and track and field.

Bibliography

Branch Campuses. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Web. 19 July 2011.

Centers and Institutes. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Web. 19 July 2011.

Fiske, Edward B. Fiske Guide to Colleges 2011. Chicago: Sourcebooks, 2010. Print.

Pope, Loren. Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That’s Right for You. New York: Penguin. 2007. Print.

Residence Halls. Housing. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Web. 19 July 2011.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus