High Point University - Overview
The University
High Point University is a dynamic private university with historic ties to the United Methodist Church. At High Point, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people. With 4,200 students, the university is large enough to guarantee high quality and diversity in programs and services yet small enough to enable community among students, faculty and staff. HPU has a beautiful, 250-acre campus with state-of-the-art facilities in a small, caring environment. In a typical year, students come from forty-six states and fifty-one countries, making the campus a microcosm of the nation and the world and thereby creating an ideal learning environment.
The university fully recognizes its responsibility to provide the best liberal arts education possible, but faculty members and staff members recognize that education, as often defined, is not sufficient. Therefore, the university intentionally seeks to provide a holistic education and develop character by encouraging personal responsibility and by inculcating values through curricular and co-curricular programs and services, including a required ethics course, the President's Seminar on Life Skills, and the university chapel, where services are offered each week. Although attendance is voluntary, chapel services are well attended each Wednesday.
In addition to the bachelor's degrees described below, the university offers four master's degrees: the Master of Business Administration (MBA); the Master of Education (MEd) in elementary education, educational leadership, and special education; the Master of Science (MS) in international management, management, and sport studies; and the Master of Arts (MA) in history, nonprofit management, and strategic communication.
Location
Together, High Point, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem form the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina, a metropolitan area of approximately 1.5 million people. More than 90,000 of them live within the city of High Point. Both Winston-Salem and Greensboro are within a half-hour's drive from the campus, as is the Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO). Both Raleigh and Charlotte are 1 ½ hours away, the Appalachian Mountains are 2 hours away, and the Atlantic Ocean and beaches are 3 ½ hours away.
The region is known nationally and internationally for the quality of its institutions of higher education. Within a 60-mile radius is a multitude of schools, including: Duke University, Davidson College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest University, along with 28 other colleges and universities. Obviously, such an area is replete with athletic, cultural, recreational, and social activities for young adults.
Academic Programs
The academic program includes sixty-eight majors administered through the David R. Hayworth College of Arts and Sciences, the Phillips School of Business, the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, the Wilson School of Commerce, and the School of Education. In addition, the university allows students with well-defined objectives that cannot be satisfied within the regular curriculum to design their own individualized majors. An honors program recognizes and encourages creativity and academic achievement in top academic students.
The curriculum emphasizes the study of the liberal arts in the belief that there is no better way to encourage communication skills, critical thinking, and personal integrity. Furthermore, the university holds the belief that in the process of acquiring these skills, students become self-learners who are equipped to succeed in life and work.
Within the liberal arts framework, the university offers eight pre-professional programs: dentistry; engineering; law; medicine; ministry; pharmacy; physical therapy; physician assistant; and veterinary.
The curriculum prepares students to pursue graduate programs consistent with the majors listed below and professional programs beyond the baccalaureate degree in areas that include, but are not limited to, business, dentistry, law, medicine, ministry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and sports medicine.
Through the Student Career Intern Program, juniors and seniors at High Point University are able to explore career opportunities outside the classroom. The program enables a student to assume the responsibilities of a regular employee in a local or national business or agency before graduating from High Point, thereby enabling the student to evaluate a career choice prior to graduation.
Students who have completed Advanced Placement courses in high school and who have achieved scores of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement test administered by the College Board may receive credit at High Point University. Applicants may also receive credit for university-parallel courses successfully completed prior to enrollment at High Point, including courses completed while in high school through dual-enrollment or international baccalaureate programs.
Majors and Degrees
High Point University offers Bachelor of Arts degrees through the School of Art and Design, the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, and the School of Education. Bachelor of Science degrees are offered through the Earl N. Phillips School of Business and the School of Health Sciences. The David R. Hayworth College of Arts and Sciences offers both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. Students may choose to study any of a wide range of majors and concentrations, depending upon the exact school in which they are enrolled.
At the School of Art and Design, students may major in or study Art Education, Graphic Design and Digital Imaging, Home Furnishings, Interior Design, and Studio Art.
At the Earl N. Phillips School of Business, students may major in or study Accounting, Business Administration, Business Administration (Concentration in Entrepreneurship), and International Business.
At the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, students may major in or study Electronic Media Production, Game and Interactive Media Design, Journalism, Media and Popular Culture Studies, and Strategic Communication.
At the School of Education, students may major in or study Elementary Education; Secondary Education (9-12 Licensure), with sub areas of Biology, Comprehensive Science, English, History, and Mathematics; Special Education (K-12 Licensure); and Special Subjects (K-12 Licensure), with sub areas of Art Education, Health/Physical Education, and Spanish.
At the School of Health Sciences, students may major in or study Athletic Training and Exercise Science.
At the David R. Hayworth College of Arts and Sciences, students may major in or study Actuarial Science; Biochemistry; Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Criminal Justice; English with sub areas of Literature and Writing; History; Human Relations; International Relations; Mathematical Economics; Mathematics; Modern Foreign Languages with sub areas of French and Francophone Studies and Spanish; Music with sub areas of Instrumental Studies, Piano/Organ, and Voice; Nonprofit Leadership and Management; Philosophy; Physics; Political Science; Psychology; Religion; Sociology; and Theater with sub areas of Performance, Technical, Dramatic Writing, and Collaborative Theater.
Academic Facilities
Smith Library, a fully electronically integrated library system, supports all undergraduate majors and graduate programs. The library contains more than 300,000 print volumes, including more than 50,000 electronic books, and more than 20,000 electronic journals. All electronic resources are accessible online by students and other patrons, both on and off campus.
The Learning Excellence Center, which is located in the library, provides tutoring and other programs designed to facilitate learning. Although over 95 percent of enrolled students own personal computers, more than 500 computers are available for student use in classrooms, laboratories, the library, the University Center, and other locations. A roaming profile enables students to save and access their personal documents from any campus computer, including their personal computers and those provided by the university. Computer laboratories in computer science and mathematics are equipped with Linux-based PCs connected to a Linux computing cluster.
Phillips Hall, opened in August 2007, houses a state-of-the-art School of Business designed after the Harvard School of Business. The Congdon Hall of Science provides science laboratories and modern equipment. The James H. And Jesse E. Millis Athletic and Convocation Center houses a state-of-the-art sports medicine center, along with facilities for physical education that include, but are not limited to the Aerobic Center, an Olympic-size pool, racquetball courts, and tennis courts. The Charles E. and Pauline Lewis Hayworth Fine Arts Center includes the Pauline Theatre, the Sechrest Art Gallery, galleries for student exhibits, a laboratory for computer graphics, and studios for design, drawing, music, painting, photography, printmaking, and theater. Norton Hall, which was built on campus by the international furnishings industry, is a state-of-the-art facility that houses the Knabusch-Shoemaker International School of Furnishings and Design. The Nido R. Qubein School of Communication opened in fall 2009, with $5 million in television, radio, and video gaming studios. Also recently completed was the Plato S. Wilson School of Commerce, which includes a Wall Street-style ticker tape trading room for finance and investing classes, an entrepreneurship center, and many other modern amenities.
Faculty
High Point University has a student-faculty ratio of 14:1 and an average class size of fewer than 20 students. More than 82 percent of faculty members have earned either PhD degrees or other terminal degrees. Full faculty members teach all classes, and one of the professors in each student's major is the student's adviser. High Point University does not use any graduate students or assistants to teach class. Faculty members routinely interact with students outside of class as well.
Off-Campus Programs
Students may choose to study abroad for a year, a semester, or a summer through the High Point University Study Abroad program. The university's affiliation with international study programs administered by other institutions makes it possible for students to study in nearly 20 countries including Australia, England, Fiji, France, Japan, Russia, South Africa, and Spain. Subject to prior approval, transfer credit may be awarded for university-parallel work offered by institutions other than those with which the university has formal affiliation.
Students enrolled at High Point University may cross-register on the campus of any other member institution in the Greater Greensboro Consortium, including two state institutions and a women's college.
Student Involvement
High Point University intentionally seeks to involve students in campus life through Student Government, service on University-wide committees, and student activities, including sixteen NCAA Division I athletic teams, 14 Greek organizations, and more than 90 other campus organizations. In addition, High Point University students annually provide more than 70,000 hours of voluntary service to the community of High Point.
Admission Requirements
Freshman applicants must be graduates of an accredited secondary school and must exhibit satisfactory performance in a college-preparatory curriculum of 18 units, distributed as follows: English, 4; foreign language, 2; mathematics, 3; history, 3; laboratory science, 3; and electives, 3. Freshman applicants must submit their scores on the SAT or the ACT. International applicants should submit both TOEFL and SAT or ACT scores. Campus visits and personal interviews are strongly recommended.
Application and Information
Application forms must be completed online by the student and submitted to the Office of Admissions, along with a nonrefundable $50 processing fee. Official transcripts (high school and college, where applicable) and a Counselor Report Form must be sent directly to the university by the appropriate school official. Students should request that copies of their SAT, ACT, or TOEFL scores be sent to the Office of Admissions at High Point University by the testing agency. High Point University operates under a deadline admission plan, including early decision and early action. Because enrollment is limited by available residential spaces, early application is encouraged. All requests for application materials and information should be directed to:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
High Point University
833 Montlieu Avenue
High Point, North Carolina 27262-3598
United States of America
Phone: 336-841-9216
800-345-6993 (toll-free)
E-mail: admiss@highpoint.edu
Website: highpoint.edu
Costs
For 2011-2012, High Point University's comprehensive fee (including tuition, room, board, and general fees) for full-time boarding students ranged from $37,800 to $41,750 for a super deluxe private room.
Financial Aid
Students who require financial assistance should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA provides an estimate of how much the student and the parents/guardians of dependent students can contribute toward the cost of attending High Point University. The University's Office of Student Financial Services uses the results of the FAFSA to determine the types of assistance available to students. Scholarships, grants, loans, and college work-study are possible sources of support.
Presidential Fellowships, ranging from $9000 to $27,000 per year, are awarded on a competitive basis to academically talented entering freshmen through an application and interview process. The university awards up to 100 High Point Fellowships and Scholarships in amounts ranging from $2000 - $7000 to entering freshmen annually, also on a competitive basis.