About Purdue University

A commitment to serving the people was Purdue University¡®s founding principle more than 125 years ago. The University, which opened its doors with a student body of 39 and a staff of six, has grown into a world-class institution of nearly 64,000 students and 3,500 faculty members.

Purdue graduates have been to the moon, to the highest levels of business and government, and to Sweden to receive the Nobel prize. Other alumni are noted agriculturalists, scientists, teachers, engineers, pharmacists, journalists, and veterinarians who have contributed to the well-being of our society.

Purdue people come from different backgrounds. This variety reflects a longstanding policy of the University's Board of Trustees: all educational services and programs are open to all qualified individuals with no discrimination with respect to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or sex.

Making higher education available to the people was the plan in 1862 when President Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, which gave public lands to any state that would use proceeds from the sale of the land to support a college that would teach agriculture and the mechanic arts.

Three years after passage of the land-grant act, the Indiana General Assembly voted to take advantage of the provisions. Competition among various areas of the state culminated in 1869 when the assembly accepted $150,000 from Lafayette civic leader John Purdue, $50,000 from Tippecanoe County, and 100 acres of land from local citizens. In appreciation, the institution was named Purdue University and was established in West Lafayette. The University officially opened for classes September 16, 1874.

The University quickly established prominence in agriculture and engineering, answering the immediate needs of the people. And, with some 379,500 degrees awarded, it has since built solid reputations in veterinary medicine, technology, a range of sciences, pharmacy, nursing, management, liberal arts, health sciences, education, and consumer and family sciences.

The physical growth of campus also has been dramatic. Originally the campus consisted of three buildings rising out of Indiana farmland. Today the main campus encompasses 144 principal buildings on about 650 acres. The Purdue system has expanded to include Purdue campuses at Fort Wayne, Hammond, and Westville, and degree programs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus. Through the School of Technology statewide delivery system at 10 locations throughout the state, more than 1,600 people receive a technical education while living and working close to home.

Answering the people's needs goes beyond educating highly productive graduate and undergraduate students. Purdue is a highly respected research institution, with a sponsored research program totaling about $185 million. In addition, the University offers its expertise to the state of Indiana in numerous ways, as well as to business and industry, retailers, and teachers. University outreach programs include the Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Ex-periment Station, which have sites throughout Indiana. And continuing education programs annually attract more than 100,000 participants to the Purdue Memorial Union and Stewart Center for conferences.

Purdue is a cultural and recreational hub for people in northwestern Indiana. The Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music houses 6,027 spectators for music, dance, theatre, and pop entertainment. Boilermaker fans crowd Ross-Ade Stadium, Mackey Arena, and the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility for Big Ten Conference football, basketball, and volleyball.

Today Purdue is one of the 25 largest colleges and universities in the nation. Its position of leadership and influence stems from diversified areas of instruction. Students enrolled at the West Lafayette Campus have 6,700 courses and more than 200 specializations to choose from within the following schools:

School of Agriculture

Among the nation's highest ranked and most prestigious institutions, the school offers excellent teaching, research, extension, and international programs. More than 40 programs of study prepare scientists, engineers, business representatives, producers, information specialists, and resource managers for professional careers in the world's food and natural resource systems.

School of Consumer and Family Sciences

The school, one of the largest and highest ranking of its kind in the nation, prepares men and women for careers related to the needs of families and consumers. Students can choose a bachelor of science degree program from 18 majors in the areas of family studies and child development, consumer sciences and consumer business, hospitality, food science, nutrition, health and fitness, and education. The Department of Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional, and Tourism Management also offers an associate degree program.

School of Education

The nationally accredited School of Education prepares high quality elementary and secondary teachers and other education professionals for the essential roles they play in guiding the education of our youth and in stimulating their learning. The faculty accomplishes this through a variety of instructional programs in teacher education, research in the educational process, and service to Indiana schools. The school meets this commitment by reaffirming the long-standing belief that the education of teachers is a campuswide responsibility. The school also provides distinctive graduate programs designed to advance the competence of education specialists. The graduate population includes those preparing to be teachers, administrators, counselors, curriculum specialists, educational psychologists, teacher educators, and educational researchers.

Schools of Engineering

The University is among the largest in undergraduate engineering enrollment in America. Students choose from curricula in 10 major areas: aeronautics and astronautics, agricultural and biological engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering, food process engineering, industrial engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, and nuclear engineering. In addition, special curricula are available in the Division of Interdisciplinary Engineering Studies, the Division of Construction Engineering and Management, and in Land Surveying Engineering.

School of Health Sciences

This school offers a variety of health-related study areas, including medical technology, medical physics, health physics, industrial hygiene, and related environmental and general health science programs. It also administers the prepharmacy, predental, and preallied health programs, including occupational and physical therapy and dental hygiene. Students completing the programs and gaining experience in the field may qualify for professional certification.

School of Liberal Arts

The school offers essentially all of the traditional disciplines of the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and creative arts. Majors and minors are available in 11 departments: audiology and speech sciences; communication; English; foreign languages and literatures; health, kinesiology, and leisure studies; history; philosophy; political science; psychological sciences; sociology and anthropology; and visual and performing arts. Students can prepare themselves in more than 100 areas, including 12 undergraduate interdisciplinary programs. In addition, the school participates in an economics program, jointly offered with the School of Management.

School of Management

Degree programs include accounting, management, industrial management, and economics, the last administered with the School of Liberal Arts. Accounting and management programs focus on finance, marketing, operations, human resources, information systems, and strategic planning. The industrial management program combines management and technical education with a manufacturing management, engineering, or science minor. The accounting program combines a management background with extensive education in accounting principles and practices. All programs include coursework in the arts, humanities, and international and cross-cultural aspects of modern business.

School of Nursing

The School of Nursing provides a rigorous baccalaureate degree curriculum to prepare individuals for careers as professional registered nurses. The program combines an extensive theoretical background with clinical experience in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community healthcare agencies. Graduates are prepared for professional nursing practice in public health, industry, clinics, and hospitals as well as for entry into graduate education in nursing.

School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences

The school offers accredited professional programs leading to either the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy or the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Each of these programs combines a basic and applied science background as well as clinical experience allowing students to function as licensed pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care. The two prepharmacy years can be taken either at Purdue's School of Health Sciences or at another institution.

School of Science

Biological sciences, chemistry, computer sciences, earth and atmospheric sciences, mathematics, physics, statistics, math and science secondary school teaching, and actuarial science programs prepare students for immediate careers or advanced study. Premedical, predental, and preveterinary options, a cooperative education program, study abroad, and honors programs are available. Students may pursue official minors in other science areas outside their major. Enrollment in science while deciding on a major in any field is encouraged. A highly qualified faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and ongoing research keep teaching up to date.

School of Technology

Practical, real-world approaches to business and industry methods and systems are addressed in the school's 13 degree areas and eight departments. The school awards an associate degree (a two-year degree that many students use as the first half of a four-year bachelor's degree), a traditional bachelor's degree, and graduate degrees.

School of Veterinary Medicine

This professional school, which opened in 1959, has assumed a leading position nationally and internationally in veterinary education. The school is one of only 27 in the United States that grant the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. The two-year veterinary technology program that leads to an Associate in Applied Science degree is the only one in the state of Indiana and one of three programs in the country totally administered by a veterinary school.

Graduate School

All programs of graduate study and research leading to advanced degrees come under the jurisdiction of this school. They include programs of study leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Specialist, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Science, and Master of Science in various professional fields.