Palm Beach Atlantic University

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From the College

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) has become one of the premier Christian universities in the Southeastern United States. Located in the heart of West Palm Beach along Florida’s Gold Coast, the University is widely known for the impact its students make on the world. One of the University’s signature programs is Workship, a coined term for PBA’s community service program through which students have volunteered nearly 2-million hours in schools, churches, and nonprofit agencies. The program, a requirement for undergraduate students, provides myriad opportunities for service learning and ministry. Dance, theater, and music students perfect their skills before audiences at more than 100 public performances throughout the academic year. Internships at businesses, media outlets, and schools give students real-life experiences that expand the classroom into the community. The University’s emphasis on ministry and missions–local, national, and international–prepares students to minister to a hurting world. In addition to international and domestic mission trips, students are part of ministry efforts on campus through weekly, student-led praise and worship services and leading Bible study groups around campus. Required chapel attendance (twelve per semester) provides the opportunity to worship as a community and build fellowship.

PBA serves more than 3,200 students in a variety of traditional and nontraditional programs. In addition to its undergraduate programs, the University offers three master’s degree programs: Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Master of Science in organizational leadership, and Master of Science in counseling psychology. In 2005, PBA graduated its first class of pharmacy students in its Pharm.D. program. The University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The student body is composed of 1,900 undergraduate students from forty-seven states and twelve countries. Slightly more than one third (37 percent) are Florida residents. The undergraduate student-faculty ratio is 14:1, with an average size class of 17. Ninety-two percent of undergraduate classes have 30 or fewer students.

More than sixty clubs and organizations offer students a range of activities that help them further develop their areas of interest, academic interests, social awareness, leadership abilities, and spiritual maturity. Students perform in the Pep band, oratorio chorus, jazz ensemble and concert choir. Student Government and Impact Student Leadership Team are popular organizations. Students organize a number of fun activities including homecoming, coffee houses, sky diving, and horseback riding outings; movies on the lawn; and snorkeling. Each year, nearly 1,000 students take part in campus intramurals and competitions, like the coveted Sailfish Cup. Through Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), an international organization, University students develop skills to become responsible business leaders while helping address community programs in business and education.

The University competes in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as well as the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) in eleven sports: baseball, softball, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball, cross-country, soccer, and tennis. In addition, PBA has a well-developed intramural and club sports program. Intramural sports include: basketball, beach volleyball, billiards, bowling, chess, dodgeball, flag football, golf, handball, indoor volleyball, kickball, miniature golf, Ping-Pong, racquetball, softball, tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, and whiffleball. Club sports include cheerleading, men’s lacrosse, handball, and men’s club volleyball. The University is building a 94-acre athletic complex and community park just minutes from campus to provide home-field facilities for baseball, softball, tennis, and soccer in addition to intramural competition.

Palm Beach Atlantic University occupies more than 750,000 square feet in the heart of West Palm Beach on the Intracoastal Waterway across from Palm Beach, approximately one mile from the Atlantic Ocean. Palm Beach County provides a broad spectrum of cultural activities in music, theater, and fine arts as well as contemporary entertainment through concerts, movies and professional sports teams. The cosmopolitan area of the Palm Beaches, with its shopping, recreation, and service opportunities, is at the University’s doorstep.

The Bachelor of Arts is offered in art (studio art), art/secondary education (K–12), biblical studies, Christian social ministry, cinema-television (with concentrations in film production, television production, and screen acting), communication (with concentrations in communication studies, organization communication, and speech communication), cross-cultural studies, dance (with concentrations in performance and pedagogy), English, English/secondary education (6–12) (ESOL endorsement), graphic design, history, journalism (with concentrations in print and broadcast), music, musical theater, ministry leadership studies, philosophy, political science, prelaw, popular music, and theater (with concentrations in acting, musical theater, directing, and theater technology and design). A Bachelor of General Studies is also available.

The Bachelor of Music degree is offered in church music, instrument performance, keyboard performance, music composition, music education, and voice performance.

The Bachelor of Science is offered in applied finance and accounting; athletic training/concentration in exercise science; biology (with concentrations in graduate school preparation, marine biology, pre–health professional preparation, zoology, molecular biology and biotechnology, biology/secondary education (6-12), and in botany, environmental science, and field biology); chemistry (medicinal and biological chemistry); computer science; elementary education (K–6) ESOL endorsement (with concentrations in exceptional student education (K–12) and pre-Kindergarten (age 3–grade 3)); international business; management; marketing; mathematics; mathematics/secondary education (6–12); nonprofit management; psychology; physical education/secondary education (K–12); physical education (with a concentration in exercise science).

PBA offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Associate of Arts in Pre-Engineering Studies. The University offers preprofessional programs of study in health (B.S.), law (B.A.), and pharmacy.

A minimum of 120 semester hours of academic work with a minimum overall grade point average of 2.0 is required for graduation. The student must complete a major of 30 or more semester hours and a minor of 15 or more hours. Double majors are possible. The major and minor are usually declared by the midpoint of the sophomore year, although changes after this time may be allowed.

Unified Studies is the Palm Beach Atlantic University general education program. It is the graduation requirement that is normative for all undergraduate degrees awarded by the University. Each component of the Unified Studies Program seeks to engage student interest and enthusiasm. Students become active learners with faculty members who model both the life of the mind and the work of the hands.

The Rinker School of Business requires at least one semester of an internship and offers opportunities with local companies in a variety of industries, such as international business, computers, biotech, and finance among others. It has a placement office to coordinate internship and work-study arrangements. Education graduates have a record-setting 100% state certification/licensing exam pass rate. They benefit from beginning their involvement in school classrooms in their freshman year and continue to use community service opportunities to discover the age group they are most comfortable working with. The communications/media department is considered the heart of the school’s culture and its students benefit from hands-on experience on- and off-campus, including script writing and other practical applications of media theories and techniques.

PBA is strong in the sciences. Its master’s program in psychology meets state licensing requirements in three different areas. Its pharmaceutical school is one of five in Florida. Medicine and nursing are popular fields of study as is the marine and oceanography program that benefits from the variety of marine environments in the West Palm Beach area. New majors–computer science and medicinal and biological chemistry–meet the needs for career professionals in these areas.

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate (I.B.), and Advanced Placement (AP) test credits are accepted, and advanced standing is granted to qualified students. Opportunities are available for independent and directed study.

The academic year is divided into two semesters, one running from September through December, the other from January through April. A six-week summer term is offered as well.

PBA’s London Semester is designed to give students the opportunity of an extended academic study/travel program in Great Britain under the tutelage of University faculty members. By operating the program as a “self-contained” semester, students receive regular credit as though studying on campus, and they have the added advantages of study and travel in Great Britain and Europe.

Palm Beach Atlantic is a member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, based in Washington, D.C. The council increases students’ learning opportunities by bringing special programs to campus and provides off-campus study. Off-campus programs include the American Studies and Washington Journalism Center programs in Washington, D.C.; the Los Angeles Film Studies Center; the Contemporary Music Center (Martha’s Vineyard); Latin American Studies (Costa Rica); Middle East Studies (Cairo); the Australia Studies Center; the Scholar’s Semester in Oxford; and China, Russia, and Uganda Studies Programs.

PBA is committed to advanced technology to support the academic programs. Every classroom is designated a smart classroom with wireless network access and a projection screen, and every residence hall room has a high-speed Internet connection via PalmNET, the campuswide fiber-optic network. The University uses the eCollege platform to deliver online courses, online components of on-ground courses, and complete distance learning degree programs.

In February 2007, PBA dedicated the new Warren Library, a state-of-the-art, 80,000-square-foot building. The library contains more than 118,000 books and audio-visual materials, over 2,000 active subscriptions, and access to more than 2 million volumes in the South Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN).

Since 2002, the University has dedicated an additional 500,000-square feet of facilities as part of its comprehensive campus growth plan. The DeSantis Family Chapel provides exciting opportunities for multiple weekly chapels and special scholarly lectures. Oceanview Hall houses the School of Nursing with its state-of-the-art nursing skills laboratory. Vera Lea Rinker Hall houses PBA’s School of Music, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The Gregory School of Pharmacy building serves nearly 300 pharmacy students with lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories, and a practice pharmacy.

The tuition, room, and board costs make PBA an affordable institution in comparison with other colleges across the country. The yearly cost for a full-time student (12–18 hours) during the 2008–09 school year was $21,250 for tuition, and room and board were approximately $7,990. Expenses for books, personal items, and travel should be considered when estimating the total cost.

More than 90 percent of the undergraduate students at PBA receive some type of financial aid. Each student should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students may be eligible for federal and state grants, federal loans, and work-study programs as well as institutional grants and scholarships.

The University has an outstanding faculty of 155 full- and 146 part-time members who are dedicated to the integration of Christian faith with each discipline. Approximately 77 percent hold the highest earned degree in their field, and a favorable student-faculty ratio of 14:1 results individualized attention. University research grants encourage collaborative research projects among students and faculty. Graduate assistants do not teach at PBA.

An active Student Government Association represents student opinion and plans student activities at the University. Students are represented on most faculty and board committees and are active in setting the direction of the University.

High school graduates are required to submit an application with a personal essay, official transcripts indicating at least a 3.0 grade point average in college-preparatory studies, and a minimum score of 960 on the SAT (combined) or 20 on the ACT (composite). An interview with an admission counselor is required. International students must also demonstrate English proficiency on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Transfer students must be eligible to return to their previous college or must have been out of school for at least one semester. One academic and one character recommendation are required in addition to official transcripts indicating a grade point average of 2.5 or better in previous college work.

Both freshmen and transfer students are admitted in either semester. Applications are accepted throughout the year, but students who wish to live in residence halls on campus are encouraged to apply early because of housing capacity limitations. Candidates must submit an official University application to the Admissions Office along with a $35 nonrefundable application fee and the required materials (transcript, test scores, and recommendations).

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