rust college majors

Degree Programs Offered at Rust College

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

Rust College divides its degree programs and majors into different academic divisions. The college’s Division of Business offers both an Associate of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Both programs give students some training in the business industry and require that they take classes in accounting, economics, human resource management, and finance. Students in either program can also learn more about the internship opportunities that are available to them from alumni and organizations close to the campus.

The Division of Education at Rust College offers a Bachelor of Science in Education that includes teacher training. Students who wish to get a teaching license can meet the requirements to get one in secondary or elementary education based on which tracks they choose. Those who do not want to get a teaching license can choose a track in secondary education or childcare management. This division also offers degree programs in math, social science, business and biology education. Rust College allows students to declare an education major and a major in a second field too.

A Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSW) is available through the college’s Division of Social Sciences. This program includes only weekend courses and welcomes full-time workers to apply. Though students take classes on the weekends, they will also need to do internships that may require some work on the weekdays. This division also offers majors in sociology and political science, which is a combined program that lets students study a pre-law curriculum too.

The college also has a Division of Humanities and a Division of Mathematics and Sciences. Though the college dropped its music program in 2013, students with an interest in the humanities can still major in fine arts, humanities, speech, drama, communications or a foreign language such as French or German. The college’s Division of Mathematics and Sciences offers majors in chemistry, mathematics, biology and computer science.

About Rust College

Rust College is a private college in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Not only is it one of the state’s oldest colleges, but it’s also one of the oldest historically all-black schools in the United States. Established in 1866 when missionaries working for the Methodist Episcopal Church moved to the area, it received its charter in 1870 and adopted the name Shaw University. Reverend Shaw donated $10,000 to the university, becoming both its first donator and its namesake. Renamed Rust University in 1892 after a reverend in Cincinnati, Ohio, it would change its name again in 1911 to Rust College. The college now has an affiliation with the United Methodist Church.

Unlike other colleges that operate on a 16-week semester schedule, the courses offered by Rust College are eight-weeks long. This makes it easier for students to transfer to the college from other schools and also allows students to focus more intently on the classes that they take. Most of the classes offered each year have 19 or fewer students in each room. The Rust College sits on 126 acres and has two markers that designate important historical moments that took place there. One marker pays homage to those who participated in the Freedom Summer Project in the 1960s.

Rust College Accreditation Details

Though Rust College is a small school, it has accreditation for its social work program from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). That accreditation covers any fieldwork that students in the program do and the classes that they need to take. Rust also has regional accreditation and maintained its accreditation for several decades. That accreditation comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Any student who needs to transfer their college credits or obtain financial aid can work with the college because of this accreditation.

Rust College Application Requirements

Rust College wants students to feel comfortable when they apply, which is why it has almost no application or admissions requirements. It only asks that students have a high school diploma or its equivalent and that they take the ACT and score 18 or higher on that test. The college recommends that students get ready for college in high school with 19 units of different classes, including three units of mathematics and natural and social sciences, four years of English classes and six units of electives.

When students apply to the college, they need to use the Rust application. There is a $10 fee that the college asks students to pay online too. Rust requires at least one official transcript from a school that the student attended, which should show that he or she took the 19 units needed and that the student had a grade point average of 2.5 or higher. Students can instead fill out a transcript request form and let the college get those transcripts for them. An ACT or SAT score and two letters of recommendation are also required. Any student who wants to take classes on the Rust College campus must also submit an immunization form that shows he or she is up to date on the required immunizations.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Full-time Rust students pay $9,700 to take classes on its campus each year. Room and board packages will add another $4,300 to their annual costs, though the college allows students to pick from various packages based on what they can afford. Students can pay their costs and fees at the beginning of the semester. If they receive loans and other financial aid, the college will apply that aid to their accounts and not charge them any late fees.

To get loans and any other financial aid, students must use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Rust College looks at the family contribution show on the form and helps find aid for the student that covers the remaining costs. Those who score at least 15 on the ACT and have a high school GPA of 2.5 or higher qualify for a $500 grant from the Mississippi government, which they will get in their freshman and sophomore years. Students working towards a teaching license qualify for a special state loan program that lets them borrow up to $3,000 a year. Rust College can help students in any of its degree programs get other types of financial aid, including Pell grants, subsidized student loans, and work-study.