Seton Hill University

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From the College

Seton Hill was founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1883 and chartered as a college by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1918. In 2002, it became Seton Hill University.

Seton Hill, a coeducational liberal arts and sciences institution, is situated in the Laurel Highlands, an area of southwestern Pennsylvania known for its beautiful scenery and wealth of outdoor activities such as skiing, cycling, hiking, and white-water rafting. Recreational opportunities include on-campus lectures, theater productions, a fitness center, and aerobics classes, as well as University-sponsored trips to Pittsburgh for cultural and sports events. A new performing arts venue is in the works, and recently constructed are two new residence halls and a new recreation facility that includes new athletic fields.

Seton Hill has varsity teams for women in basketball, cross-country, equestrian competition, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball and for men in baseball, basketball, cross-country, equestrian competition, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track and field, and wrestling, as well as a variety of intramural teams.

At the graduate level, Seton Hill grants the Master of Arts degree in art therapy, elementary education, marriage and family therapy, special education, and writing popular fiction; a Master of Business Administration; a Master of Education in instructional design; and a Master of Science in physician assistant studies.

Seton Hill University’s beautiful 200-acre campus is located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. As a private university, Seton Hill is able to maintain a safe, secure environment that allows students to concentrate on academics.

Seton Hill is easily accessible by car, train, or plane. Just 35 miles east of Pittsburgh, Greensburg enjoys all the advantages of a large city while maintaining a small-town atmosphere. The seat of Westmoreland County, Greensburg is home to the Westmoreland Museum of Art, the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, a large mall, several shopping centers, and a hospital.

The University grants the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Social Work degrees. Students choose from the following programs: accounting; art, including art and technology, art education, art history, art therapy, graphic design, studio art, and visual arts management; biology; business, including entrepreneurial studies, human resources, information management, international organization, and marketing; chemistry, including biochemistry; communication; computer science; criminal justice; dietetics; education, including early childhood, elementary, secondary, and special education; English, including creative writing, journalism/new media, and literature; family and consumer sciences (including child care) and forensic science; history; hospitality and tourism; international studies; mathematics, including actuary science and a 3+2 engineering program; medical technology; music, including music education, music therapy, performance, and sacred music; a 2+2 nursing program; political science; psychology; religious studies/theology; social work; sociology; Spanish; and theater, including music theater, technical theater, theater arts, theater business, theater education, and theater performance.

The University offers preprofessional preparation in dentistry, law, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, physical therapy, podiatry, and veterinary medicine.

Seton Hill offers five academic divisions, with the opportunity to self-design a major, all enhanced by the University’s award-winning liberal arts core curriculum. Special programs are available for students who are undecided about their major.

The Seton Hill University Honors Program is available for students who have distinguished themselves academically in high school. It includes scholarship money as well as housing for qualified candidates.

Prior to graduation, all undergraduate students complete a portfolio, a four-year compilation of their academic, professional, and personal achievements at Seton Hill. Portfolios allow students to showcase their learning and assist them in documenting their accomplishments as they transition from students to practicing professionals.

Students hoping to one day own a business may be interested in Seton Hill University’s E-Magnify, a center for entrepreneurs. The center is the first organization of its kind in the United States to offer courses in business ownership and entrepreneurial activities to students in any major.

Seton Hill University recognizes that important learning experiences occur in nonacademic settings. For this reason, the University offers a variety of internships, fieldwork experiences, and cooperative education opportunities. The Office of Career Development and University faculty members assist students in finding an off-campus placement where practical experience related to the major and valuable job contacts for the future may be gained.

In addition, students may opt to spend a semester or year studying abroad. Seton Hill also offers many travel-abroad opportunities during J-term and M-term semesters.

At the center of the Seton Hill campus is Reeves Hall, housing a theater, art gallery, and spacious library that serves as the University’s information center. Access to the library holdings is available via the library’s online catalog, which is also accessible through the Internet. Many online and CD-ROM research subscriptions are also available to students. In addition, students have access to six Pentium labs, a Power Mac lab, a multimedia lab, a Silicon Graphics lab, and clusters of computers in all residence halls. All students receive an Internet account for e-mail, navigating the Web, and conducting research.

In order to provide the maximum benefits possible, Seton Hill’s nineteen academic and residence facilities have been specially designed with students’ convenience in mind.

For full-time students, approximate costs for the 2008–09 academic year included tuition of $25,802, room and board fees of $7740, and books and personal expenses amounting to $1000 to $2000.

Seton Hill’s Financial Aid Office works with each student to develop an aid package from the wide variety of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs available.

Seton Hill offers Presidential Scholarships valued between 15 percent and 50 percent of tuition. These are automatically awarded to students who rank in the top 10 percent, 20 percent, or 30 percent of their high school class and meet the admission criteria. In addition, valedictorian, leadership, community service, art, music, theater, biology, chemistry, math, and athletic scholarships are awarded based on merit. Honors scholarships are available to qualified candidates, and there is also a scholarship for students graduating from a Catholic high school.

With a student-faculty ratio of 16:1, Seton Hill faculty members can explore the needs of each student and offer individual attention. The low student-faculty ratio allows each student to become personally acquainted with the instructor. In addition, Seton Hill faculty members understand the importance of being accessible to their students.

The Seton Hill faculty consists of 70 full-time professors, 81 percent of whom have doctoral or terminal degrees.

Through the Seton Hill Government Association, students participate in the government of the University and enjoy voting representation on a number of faculty committees. Each residence hall floor is represented by a senator, who acts as a liaison between the student senate and the student body. Participation in student government is a valuable experience that develops leadership skills and a working understanding of government.

In addition, the student government helps to sponsor numerous on-campus political, cultural, and social events. Off-campus activities include trips to Pittsburgh, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

Acceptance to the University is based on the successful completion of a college-preparatory curriculum in high school. Applicants should have completed at least 15 secondary school academic units. These units should include 4 units of English, 2 units of college-preparatory mathematics, 2 units of social science, 2 units of the same foreign language, 1 unit of laboratory science, and 4 academic electives.

Students who wish to transfer credits to Seton Hill from another college or university must present their transcripts for evaluation on a course-by-course basis. A transfer student will receive a credit evaluation upon admission to the University.

Seton Hill University has a rolling admissions policy. Decisions of the Admissions Committee are rendered shortly after all application materials have been submitted.

The first-time freshman applicant should submit a completed application form, a $35 nonrefundable application fee, an official secondary school transcript that includes the applicant’s rank and cumulative grade point average, official score reports from either the SAT or ACT, an essay, and a recommendation form or letter from a guidance counselor or teacher.

Prospective students who do not have SAT or ACT scores may submit two graded written assignments from their junior or senior year for consideration.

For more information, students should contact: