Academic Catalog

Introduction

The University

Innovation in education is the philosophy of Millersville University. Established in 1855, the University formally began offering master’s degree programs in 1959, but prior to that time was involved in graduate education for the Commonwealth. In 1982, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed Senate Bill 506, creating the State System of Higher Education, effective July 1, 1983. On that date, Millersville State College became Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

From its mid-19th-century proportion of one building on seven-and-a-half acres, Millersville University has grown to a 250-acre campus with more than 60 buildings. The landscaped setting has a central pond set within lawns and gardens. The University’s modern research facilities, blended with Romanesque Revival structures and late-Victorian wooden frame houses, reflect its integration of contemporary and classical elements of education. Simultaneously innovative and traditional, this setting encourages close faculty-student relationships as an important component of academic and personal development.

Accreditation

Millersville University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, phone (267) 284-5000; the Pennsylvania Department of Education; and is approved by the American Association of University Women. Teacher education programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the University is a member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. The respiratory therapy program is accredited by the American Medical Association Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation. The social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The chemistry program is accredited by the American Chemical Society. The computer science program is accredited by the Computer Science Accreditation Board. The occupational safety and environmental health program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The industrial technology program is accredited by the National Association of Industrial Technology. The technology and innovation program is in full compliance with the International Technology Education Association/Council on Technology Teacher Education guidelines for technology teacher education. The business administration program is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs. The school psychology certification program is accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists. The art program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Center for Counseling and Human Development is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services.

The Community

Millersville is in Lancaster County, the heartland of central Pennsylvania. The adjacent city of Lancaster, a growing metropolitan area, offers extensive shopping centers and excellent restaurants, theaters, and apartment complexes against a backdrop of rich, verdant farmlands. Millersville Borough has blocks of modern residences that share streets with 100-year-old homes; shopping facilities have been constructed without marring the community’s essential beauty. The campus is within a two-and-a-half-hour drive of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and a three-and-a-half-hour drive of New York City.

Student Body

Enrollment at Millersville University is 7,000 students, 945 of whom are graduate students. Graduate students come from several states and foreign countries. The placement and employment rate of graduate students is excellent, exceeding 90 percent in most areas. Education and social service departments devote considerable attention to the placement of graduates. The liberal arts and science departments encourage their graduates to pursue doctoral or research programs.

Communicating With Students

At Millersville, an important way we keep in touch with our graduate students is through email, and we provide all graduate students with a free Millersville University student email account. Because we use email as an official way of communicating with students, you are required to activate your new Millersville University account and use it regularly, even if you possess another account through Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL or other service. Your Marauder Mail account is automatically generated at the time you register for coursework. Your email address is myVilleID@marauder.millersville.edu. To access your account, go to the University’s homepage, click on the myVille link, then click on the Marauder Mail icon. If you need assistance, contact the Help Desk at 717-871-7777.

The College of Graduate Studies and Adult Learning website, available at www.millersville.edu/graduate, is an important resource for graduate students, containing current news and events information, access to the graduate student forms center, contact information for graduate studies staff and department graduate coordinators, financial assistance and research support, and other regularly updated information