Worcester State University is a public, four-year college founded in 1874 as Worcester Normal School in the city of Worcester

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

. Although WSC traditionally has an emphasis on education, business, and biotechnology, the College offers Bachelors

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

 and Masters

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 degrees in over 20 academic disciplines. Barry M. Maloney is the University's eleventh president.

History

In 1874, Worcester Normal School was founded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a teacher-training school. The school started offering the Bachelor of Science Education in 1921. In 1932 the name was changed to Worcester State Teachers College and relocated to its present location on Chandler Street. The college offered its first graduate degree, the Master of Science in Education, in 1952. In 1963, its name was changed to Worcester State College since it had transitioned to include studies in liberal arts and sciences. In July 2010, both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate voted to grant the school state university status and change its name to Worcester State University. The measure was signed into law by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick

Deval Patrick

Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...

 on July 28, 2010. In January 2010, the University was divided into two schools - the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the School of Education, Health and Natural Sciences.

The School of Humanities

Humanities

The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....

 and Social Sciences

Social sciences

Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...

 comprises the departments of Business Administration and Economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, Communication

Communication

Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...

, Criminal Justice

Criminal justice

Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...

, English

English studies

English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...

, History

History

History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 and Political Science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

, Psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

, Sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

, Urban Studies, Visual and Performing Arts

Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...

, and World Languages. The School of Education, Health and Natural Sciences comprises the departments of Biology

Biology

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

, Chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

, Communication Sciences

Communication Sciences

Communication sciences refers to the schools of scientific research of human communication. This perspective follows the logical positivist tradition of inquiry; most modern communication science falls into a tradition of post-positivism. Thus, communication scientists believe that there is an...

 and Disorders, Computer Science

Computer science

Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...

, Education, Health Science, Mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

, Nursing

Nursing

Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....

, Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapy is a discipline that aims to promote health by enabling people to perform meaningful and purposeful activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally disabling condition by utilizing treatments...

, and Physical and Earth Sciences.

Campus Layout

Administration Building:
The Administration Building seeks to practice responsible citizenship and exemplary customer service. The building consists of multiple offices that are very important to the success of Worcester State University students. These offices are; Academic Affairs, Administration and Finance, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Payroll, Public Relations and Marketing, Institutional Research, Institutional Assessment, Bursar’s Office, One Card Office, Diversity and Affirmative Action Office, and the Academic Success Center. These are all crucial pieces in the success of Worcester State University.

Student Center:
The Student Center is a place for the entire campus community to go. The first floor has a Snack Bar and dining area, a bookstore, information desk, and a print center. It also has places for meetings and programs such as North/South Auditorium, Blue Lounge, Exhibit Area, and One Lancer Place. The second floor has the Student Center/Student Activities office, Commuter Services/Weekend Programming, and Disability Services. It also has small meeting rooms like; WSCW Radio Station, the main commuter lounge, and The Living Room. The third floor has multiple Student Affairs offices including the Vice President of Student Affairs, Career Services, Counseling Office, Dining Services, Judicial Affairs, and Multicultural Affairs. Student organization offices are also on this floor and the main cafeteria is also there too.

Library:
The Library is a place for the students, faculty, and staff of Worcester State to find information they need to function successfully as a learning community. The library has flexible hours during the week, and shortened hours on the weekend so all the resources are readily available for everyone. You can access the library’s catalog from home, and from anywhere on campus making it easier to find books and information for research.

Dowden Hall
Dowden Hall is a dormitory building consisting of all freshmen. Each bedroom typically consists of two students. The C-Store is a convenience store located in the lobby of the dormitory building.

Chandler Village
Chandler Village is "apartment style" living which consists of multiple bedrooms, full living room, and two full baths.

Wasylean Hall
Wesleyan is a dormitory building consisting of suite style living. Each suite consists of typically 6 students, each with 2 full baths and 4 bedrooms. Java Junction is a coffee shop located in the lobby of the dormitory building.

Academics

Worcester State University offers 35 undergraduate major programs, and 26 of these programs are optional minors.

• Arabic
• Art (Minor)
• Biology (Minor)
• Biotechnology
• Business Administration (Minor)
• Chemistry (Minor)
• Communication (Minor)
• Communication Sciences and Disorders (Minor)
• Community Health
• Computer Science (Minor)
• Criminal Justice
• Early Childhood Education
• Economics (Minor)
• Elementary Education
• English (Minor)
• French (Minor)
• Geography (Minor)
• Health Education (Minor)
• History (Minor)
• Interdisciplinary VPA
• Mathematics (Minor)
• Middle School Education (Minor)
• Music (Minor)
• Natural Science (Minor)
• Nursing
• Occupational Therapy
• Philosophy (Minor)
• Physics (Minor)
• Political Science (Minor)
• Psychology (Minor)
• Secondary Education (Minor)
• Sociology (Minor)
• Spanish (Minor)
• Theatre (Minor)
• Urban Studies (Minor)

Athletics

Worcester State University Athletics is Division III and a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). WSU is also a member of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC).

The Worcester State University athletic department currently sponsors Men’s Intercollegiate Baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, Cross Country Running

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

, Football

Football

Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...

, Golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

, Ice Hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, and Soccer, Women’s Intercollegiate Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, Cheerleading

Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...

, Cross Country Running

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

, Field Hockey

Field hockey

Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...

, Indoor and Outdoor Track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, Lacrosse

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...

, Soccer, Softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

, Tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, and Volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

. The Intramurals offered at WSU include Coed Soccer, Coed Flag Football

Flag football

Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...

, Street Hockey

Street hockey

Street hockey is a variation of the sport of ice hockey where the game is played on foot or with inline skates or roller skates. The object of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by shooting a ball or puck into the opposing team's net...

, Dodge Ball, Wiffle Ball, Floor Hockey

Floor hockey

Floor hockey is a family of indoor hockey games, usually in the style of ice hockey, that are played on flat floor surfaces, such as a basketball court. As in other hockey codes, players on each team attempt to shoot a ball or puck into a goal using sticks, usually with a curved end...

, Stickball

Stickball

Stickball is a street game related to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game, played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, typically a spaldeen, pensie pinkie, high bouncer or tennis ball. The...

, Indoor Soccer

Indoor soccer

Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...

, Ultimate Frisbee, and Softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

.

Awards

• Worcester State University was the only Massachusetts state college to be placed on the Princeton Review's list of "Best Northeastern Colleges" in 2008. It also made their list in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009.
• WSC was named one of "America's Best Value Colleges" by the Princeton Review in 2007.
• WSC was voted "Best College in Worcester" by Worcester Magazine
  Worcester Magazine
  Worcester Magazine is a weekly free alternative media magazine in Worcester, Massachusetts. Established in 1976, the magazine is distributed at more than 400 locations across Central Massachusetts....
  
  in 2002, 2006, and 2007.

Notable alumni

• Tyler Boudreau
  Tyler Boudreau
  Tyler E. Boudreau is an American author who writes about his experiences in the Marine Corps and in the Iraq War, especially the impact the war had on himself and the other Marines...
  
    is an American author who writes about his experiences in the Marine Corps and in the Iraq War, especially the impact the war had on himself and the other Marines. Boudreau served for twelve and a half years of active duty in the United States Marine Corps.
• Henry Brauner
  Henry Brauner
  Henry George Valencia Brauner is an American–Filipino soccer player who plays as a central midfielder. He is unattached and has also represented the Philippines at international level.- College and Amateur :...
  
   is an American–Filipino soccer player who plays as a central midfielder. He is unattached and has also represented the Philippines at international level.
• Brooke Brodack
  Brooke Brodack
  Brooke Allison Brodack , aka Brookers, is an American viral video comedian mainly known for her short videos on YouTube, which have received 49 million views and led to a contract from the mainstream media. The New Yorker called her "the first real YouTube star."Brodack has been making videos since...
  
   aka Brookers, is an American viral video comedian mainly known for her short videos on YouTube, which have received 49 million views and led to a contract from the mainstream media.[1] The New Yorker called her "the first real YouTube star."[2]
• Kevin T. Campbell
  Kevin T. Campbell
  Lieutenant General Kevin T. Campbell is the current commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. He assumed command on December 18, 2006, replacing Lieutenant General Larry J. Dodgen....
  
   Lieutenant General Kevin T. Campbell is the current commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. He assumed command on December 18, 2006, replacing Lieutenant General Larry J. Dodgen.
• Mark J. Carron
  Mark Carron
  Mark J. Carron is an American politician who represented the 6th Worcester District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007 and was a member of the Springfield, Massachusetts Town Council from 1996 to 1999.-References:...
  
  , (attended), member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1999 - 2007)
• John Dufresne
  John Dufresne
  John Dufresne is an American author of French Canadian descent born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He graduated from Worcester State College in 1970 and the University of Arkansas in 1984. He is a professor in the Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing program of the English Department at Florida...
  
    is an American author of French Canadian descent born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He graduated from Worcester State College in 1970 and the University of Arkansas in 1984. [1] He is a professor in the Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing program of the English Department at Florida International University.
• Mary Fell
  Mary Fell
  Mary Fell is an American poet and academic.-Life:She graduated from Worcester State College majoring in English and it was here that she first became interested in poetry. Fell and fellow poet Fran Quinn toured local schools teaching poetry, starting in 1975...
  
    is an American poet and academic.
• Daniel Garvey
  Daniel Garvey
  Daniel Garvey is an American academic and administrator. He is president of Prescott College in Arizona.Garvey has a bachelors degree from Worcester State College, a masters degree from Cambridge-Goddard Graduate School of Social Change, a division of Goddard College, and a Ph.D. from the...
  
   is an American academic and administrator. He is president of Prescott College in Arizona.
• Raymond Mariano
  Raymond Mariano
  Raymond V. Mariano , better known as Ray Mariano, is the current Executive Director of the Worcester Housing Authority. Prior to his service as Executive Director of the WHA, Ray served as Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts....
  
   better known as Ray Mariano, is the current Executive Director of the Worcester Housing Authority. Prior to his service as Executive Director of the WHA, Ray served as Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts.[1]
• Brian Skerry
  Brian Skerry
  Brian Skerry is an underwater photojournalist who works primarily for National Geographic magazine.Skerry was born in Milford, Massachusetts in 1962, and grew up in Uxbridge. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in media and communications from Worcester State College in 1984...
  
  , graduate, B.S.
  Bachelor of Science
  A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
  
   photojournalist who works all over the world, mainly with National Geographic