westminster college degrees

Degree Programs Offered at Westminster College

Westminster College appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Technologically Advanced Small Colleges.

Westminster College gives undergrads the choice between enrolling in pre-professional or traditional degree programs. Most of the college’s pre-professional programs are designed for students who plan to attend medical school and let them pick from options such as medicine, veterinary medicine, occupational therapy and physical therapy. A pre-law program prepares undergrads for law school too. Also available are 4 + 1 programs that include four years in an undergraduate program and one year in graduate school. Those programs include business administration and clinical mental health counseling. The engineering program is available as a 4 + 2 or a 3 + 2 track.

Undergrads can choose from 42 different traditional majors too. The multimedia journalism major prepares students for the demands of working as journalists in a changing society. This Bachelor of Arts (BA) program includes Single Camera Video Production, Writing for Electronic Media, Mass Communications, Applied Social Media, Advanced Digital Reporting and Broadcast and Digital Journalism. Westminster offers a marketing and professional sales major too. It is a Bachelor of Science (BS) program that features Introduction to Business, Marketing Research Methods, Organizations and Management and Sales, Business Development and Big Data. Students who do not want to major in biochemistry, environmental studies, philosophy, theater or any of the college’s other majors can design an interdisciplinary major.

Graduate students can choose from several degree programs at Westminster College too. One is a Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Students can enroll in the standard counseling program or specialize in crisis and trauma counseling or rural counseling. They can also sit for the exams needed to become a licensed counselor in either Pennsylvania or Ohio. The college’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program asks students to take nine credits from a concentration area and 21 credits of core classes. Their concentrations include general management, health care management and business analytics. Operations Management, Human Capital Management and Business Law and Ethics are of the required MBA classes.

Five of the college’s graduate degree programs are Master of Education options. The college offers a program designed for school superintendents and another for future principals. Each one requires that incoming students have a valid teaching license. Both the education graduate program and the special education program accept students who do not have any teaching experience. There is a school counseling program that meets the requirements for licensed counselors in the state. Westminster College also offers two certificate programs in education for students who have a bachelor’s degree.

About Westminster College

Westminster College is a private college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America. It was established in 1852 after Church members in Ohio and Pennsylvania decided to open a new college. The affiliation between the college and the Church still exists though Westminster encourages students from other denominations to apply. Washington Monthly included Westminster on its list of liberal arts colleges with the best social mobility. It also appeared on the list of the best colleges for women who want to study engineering and related fields released by Forbes. Titan Radio and Westminster College Magazine offer opportunities for broadcast and journalism majors. Students can also work for WSN, which is the college’s television station and join dozens of organizations. Westminster College has an enrollment of more than 1,300 undergrads and graduate students.

Westminster College Accreditation Details

The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) awarded Westminster accreditation for its music programs through its Commission on Accreditation. Music majors and those studying other subjects can get financial aid as long as they use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form is available from the federal government for students attending colleges with regional accreditation. The regional accreditation that Westminster holds comes from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

Westminster College Application Requirements

With three application deadlines offered, Westminster allows students to apply early to get a fast decision. The first deadline is November first, which allows students to get a response around the beginning of December. Westminster has another early application deadline of November 15 and will respond to students by the middle of the following month. Students need to put down a $200 enrollment deposit when they get an answer. All other students can apply later in the year, but the college will require a deposit by the first of May. Westminster asks for an official SAT/ACT score, high school transcript and school report. The college requires that undergrads submit the FAFSA too.

Prospective graduate students must submit an application to the Westminster College Graduate School. They typically need a grade point average of at least 3.0 and a bachelor’s degree to enroll in any degree program. Their other requirements can vary based on what program interests them. While the clinical mental health counseling program accepts all majors, other programs require that students have degrees in related fields. They usually need to write a statement of purpose and upload it to the application and then send in three letters of recommendation.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Westminster undergrads pay $18,350 each semester for full-time enrollment and a $300 student activity fee. They also pay a $185 orientation fee that is only due at the beginning of the first semester. Dorm rooms are available starting at $3,080 each semester. Any student who resides on the campus must also purchase a meal plan priced at $2,345 or more. Part-time students pay $480 per credit hour plus fees, which is the same rate that the college charges in the summer and for its certificate programs. Graduate students pay $635 per credit hour in the clinical mental health counseling program and $1,000 per credit hour in the MBA program. All other graduate students pay $550 per credit hour.

Grants and loans go to students at all levels at Westminster College who file the FAFSA. This includes a Pell grant and student loans, which allow grad students to get $20,500 a year. The college’s presidential scholarship awards students a prize that covers their total tuition costs. Teachers who work for the college and Presbyterian Churches can nominate students for scholarships of $19,000 a year too. Westminster College sends full and detailed financial aid award letters to students in all degree programs before the fall semester starts.