Bridgewater State College

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From the College

Bridgewater State College was founded in 1840 and has grown from a teacher-preparation school of 28 students to a comprehensive liberal arts institution that enrolls more than 10,000 students each year (7,200 undergraduates) in day, evening, and summer programs.

The College offers students a lively cultural, social, and recreational life to enhance their learning experience. The Adrian Tinsley Center, Rondileau Campus Center, and East Campus Commons are the settings for many of the student-life activities. Cultural, educational, and entertainment programs, including lectures by guest speakers, concerts, exhibits, and movies, are regularly featured at the Campus Center, while a wide selection of fitness activities are available in the Tinsley Center. The College offers more than 100 student clubs and organizations in a variety of interest areas. Intercollegiate varsity athletic teams compete under NCAA Division III. Men’s teams include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling. Teams for women include basketball, cross-country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. A number of club sports are open to students, including cheerleading, equestrian, karate, Ultimate Frisbee, men’s ice hockey and lacrosse, and women’s rugby.

The Bridgewater State College campus has ten residence halls and thirty-four academic/administrative buildings spread over its 235-acre campus. The atmosphere at Bridgewater is friendly and informal, based on the concept that the College is a diverse community of people with shared interests and goals. A number of important student services (including career, academic, and personal counseling; disability and health services; and housing assistance) are available.

The College offers programs leading to the bachelor’s degree in more than thirty different areas of study through the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education and Allied Studies.

Bridgewater’s School of Graduate Studies offers degrees, including the Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Public Administration, and Master of Science, in fields such as management, criminal justice, computer science, English, teacher education, physical education, and psychology. Advanced certificates in teaching are also awarded.

Bridgewater State College is located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, a community of more than 25,000 people approximately 30 miles south of Boston and 25 miles north of Cape Cod. The area is near many cultural, recreational, and historic sites. Commuter train service to and from Boston operates from early morning to late evening, seven days a week. The Bridgewater train station is located in the center of the College’s campus.

Bridgewater State College confers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Science in Education degrees.

Undergraduate majors are offered in accounting and finance, anthropology, art, aviation science (airport management, aviation management, flight training), biology, business (see “management”), chemistry, chemistry-geology, communication arts and sciences (communication studies, dance education, speech communication, theater arts, theater education), computer science, criminal justice, early childhood education, earth sciences, economics, elementary education, English, geography, health education, history, management (energy and environmental resources management, general management, global management, information systems management, marketing transportation), mathematics, music, philosophy, physical education, physics, political science, psychology, secondary education, social work, sociology, Spanish, and special education (including communication disorders).

Bridgewater State College offers a full range of study in more than thirty degree areas. The goal of the academic program is to prepare broadly educated individuals in the liberal arts and the professions. The Academic Achievement Center provides academic counseling and assistance to all freshmen and transfer students. All students must complete the Core Curriculum of general education courses to earn a bachelor’s degree. Students must complete 120 semester hours of credit, of which at least 30–36 hours must be taken in a major field of study. Selected students may enroll in departmental or College-wide honors programs.

The College operates on a traditional two-semester calendar and offers two 5-week summer sessions and a number of intensive courses over the summer months.

Bridgewater State College participates in three programs that allow students to take courses for credit at other institutions of higher education. First, College Academic Program Sharing (CAPS) provides full-time students with the opportunity to take courses offered at any of the other state colleges in Massachusetts. The College is also a member of the Southeastern Association for Cooperation of Higher Education in Massachusetts (SACHEM), a consortium of public and private colleges that includes Bristol Community, Cape Cod Community, Dean, Massasoit Community, Stonehill, and Wheaton Colleges; Massachusetts Maritime Academy; and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Finally, Bridgewater participates in the National Student Exchange Program, which allows students to spend a term at other public colleges and universities in the United States.

Students are encouraged to pursue internships within their major field that provide opportunities to earn college credit while gaining practical experience. Faculty advisers assist students in securing internships in which they work with professionals in business, industry, education, and government.

The John Joseph Moakley Center for Technological Applications, named in honor of the late congressman from Massachusetts, is the hub of the College’s campuswide voice, data, and video network. Technological resources in the building include a series of technology-integrated classrooms, an open-access computer lab, a television studio and control room, a teleconference facility, and a large lecture hall with integrated, computer-based display technology.

The Clement C. Maxwell Library is a four-story facility that seats 2,500 and has more than 300,000 books, 1,102 periodicals, and 19,500 journals on its information network. Other major resources on campus include an astronomy observatory, radio and television production facilities, a Teacher Technology Center, and the new Tinsley Athletic Center, which houses classrooms, laboratories, a fitness center, an NCAA-regulation gymnasium and basketball court, and meeting areas.

For 2008–09, tuition for full-time study was $910 per year for Massachusetts residents and $7050 per year for out-of-state students. Fees were $5197 per year, books averaged $800, a room averaged $5228, and board averaged $3016. These expenses are all subject to change.

Many sources of financial aid are available to Bridgewater students, including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Student Loans, HELP loans, alumni scholarships, and Federal Work-Study Program awards. The Financial Aid Office has an informative brochure detailing methods of application and guidelines for qualification. For a copy, prospective applicants should write to the Financial Aid Office or telephone 508-531-1341. Students are required to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Applications for financial aid for the fall semester must be received by March 1.

The College faculty has 306 full-time members; 90 percent hold terminal degrees in their area. Since the student-faculty ratio is 19:1 and the emphasis of the faculty is on classroom instruction, there are many opportunities for personal contact and interaction between faculty members and students at Bridgewater. Students discover that faculty members are interested in them as individuals and are eager to help them succeed. Graduate students do not teach any courses.

Every Bridgewater student is automatically a member of the Student Government Association. Bridgewater’s special philosophy of maintaining a College community means that all the people who are part of it—students, faculty and staff members, administrators, and alumni—are partners in an educational program whose goal is academic excellence. The Student Government Association is the official representative of the students’ point of view, and its officers, elected by the students themselves, organize activities and projects that benefit the student body and the College as a whole.

The basic aim of the admission requirements is to ensure the selection of students who have demonstrated intellectual capacity, motivation, and character and who have a record of scholastic achievement. Consideration is given to applicants regardless of their race, religion, national origin, sex, age, color, ethnic origin, or handicap. Three important factors are considered in the freshman admission process: secondary school preparation, SAT or ACT test scores, and personal qualifications. Prior to acceptance, secondary school students are required to pass 16 college-preparatory units: 4 years of English; 3 years of mathematics, including algebra I and II and geometry; 3 years of science, including 2 years of laboratory science; 2 years of history/social science, including 1 year of U.S. history; 2 years of the same foreign language; and two college-preparatory-level electives. High school students are encouraged to elect additional courses in music, art, and computer science. An essay/personal statement is required. Recommendations are not required but may be submitted with other application materials. Transfer students must submit an official transcript from each college previously attended.

The College also encourages qualified international students to apply for admission. The application procedures should be completed at least six months before the desired date of enrollment. Scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are required from students whose first language is not English. An external evaluation of any transcripts from non-U.S. institutions and an Affidavit of Financial Support are also required.

Applications for freshman admission should be filed with the $25 application fee on or before February 15 for priority consideration. Freshmen seeking on-campus housing must apply before February 15. Students who wish to transfer to Bridgewater from another college should apply by November 1 for January entrance or by April 1 for September entrance for priority consideration.

Students choosing the early action option must submit an application and all supporting materials no later than November 15. Early action candidates are sent a decision letter by December 15.

Students are invited to attend on-campus Friday Admission Information Sessions, which are followed by a student-led tour of the campus. General campus tours are also offered Monday through Thursday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. while classes are in session. Appointments can be scheduled by calling the Office of Admission.

An application form and further information may be obtained by contacting: