Fast Facts

Westminster College is a private, comprehensive liberal arts college dedicated to students and their learning. Impassioned teaching and active learning are the hallmarks of the Westminster experience. The college prepares its students for success through a strong foundation of liberal education combined with cutting-edge professional programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Located where the magnificent Rocky Mountains meet the vibrant city of Salt Lake, Westminster blends classroom learning with experiences presented by its unique location to help students develop skills and attributes critical for success in a rapidly changing world.

Mission

We are a community of learners with a long and honored tradition of caring deeply about students and their education. Students are challenged to experiment with ideas, raise questions, critically examine alternatives, and make informed decisions. We encourage students to accept responsibility for their own learning, to discover and pursue their passions, and to act with responsibility.

Our purposes are to prepare students to lead lives of learning, accomplishment, and service, and to help them develop skills and attributes critical for success in a rapidly changing world. We do this by offering distinctive academic programs that emphasize theory and practice and encourage active, experiential, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary learning. We work to pursue excellence while promoting inclusiveness and respect for differences.

Vision 

We will be nationally recognized as an exemplary community of learners, distinguished by our distinctive educational programs, our record of preparing graduates for success in a rapidly changing world, and our commitment to continuous improvement, effectiveness, and value.

Core Values

The college is committed to the following core values:

• Impassioned teaching and active learning
• Respect for diverse people and perspectives
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Personal and social responsibility
• College-wide excellence
• High ethical standards

Learning Goals

Graduates of Westminster College will achieve the following college-wide learning goals:

• Critical, analytical, and integrative thinking
• Creative and reflective capacities
• Leadership, collaboration, and teamwork
• Writing and other communication skills
  

College Profile

Deeply committed to each student’s success, Westminster College is a challenging and supportive community of learners where students take full advantage of our unique learning environment: our campus, the city, and the mountains. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates and 600 graduate students.

• Students come from 37 states and 24 countries.
• The average age of undergraduates is 23; graduate students’ average age is 32.
• The average ACT score for incoming freshmen is 24 (SAT equivalent 1110), well above the national freshman average of 20.9.
• The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.5.

• The student - faculty ratio is 10:1. 

Academic Programs

All of the academic programs at the college are offered by four schools:

• School of Arts and Sciences

• Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business

• School of Education

• School of Nursing and Health Sciences

The college operates on a fall and spring semester system with a mini-term in May, and eight-and twelve-week summer terms. 

Undergraduate Programs

Westminster offers 34 undergraduate majors conferring BA and BS degrees. In addition to a multitude of minors, Westminster also offers various emphases and special programs such as our Honors Program and pre-professional programs (pre-med, pre-law, and pre-dental). Our popular four-year Aviation program offers a choice of majors in aviation management and flight operations, and provides all professional licenses that a graduate needs to get a job in commercial or corporate aviation.

All undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in the annual Undergraduate Research Fair. This all-day event recognizes the academic achievement of students engaged in high-level research under the guidance of the college's faculty members. Many students also have the opportunity to present their work at national conferences and to have their work published in Myriad, Westminster’s undergraduate academic journal.

Westminster College makes extensive use of technology across the curriculum, with network connections in every classroom, library seat, and residence hall. Additionally, technology assistance is available seven days a week.

Graduate Programs

Westminster offers the following graduate degrees:

• Master of Arts in Community Leadership (MACL)

• Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

• Master of Business Administration (MBA)

• Master of Business Administration in Technology Management (MBATM)

• Master of Education (MEd)

• Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia (MSNA)

• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Family Nurse Practitiner (FNP)

• Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSNED)

• Master of Professional Communication (MPC)

• Master of Science in Professional Counseling (MSPC)

• Master of Public Health (MPH)

Westminster also offers a number of post-baccalaureate certificate programs in various fields.

The Campus and Facilities

Set in urban Salt Lake City and just minutes from the Rocky Mountains, Westminster College is comprised of 28 buildings on 27 beautifully manicured acres.

• The Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory of Music and Theatre opened in the fall of 2004. Emphasis on acoustics and multi-function uses were among the critical factors that helped the conservatory win an architectural award as one of the best learning-centered facilities in the Southwest.
• The Center for Financial Analysis, located in the Gore School of Business, offers real-time access to world market data, bridging the gap between classroom theory and practical experience. The Gore School of Business also contains a behavioral simulation lab, an aviation testing center, and a jet simulator.
• The Information Commons in the Giovale Library serves as a one-stop resource for collaborative learning needs, combining group project and technology needs with a writing center, faculty technology center, and a café.
• Westminster's 22,500-square-foot hangar in the Flight Operations Center at Salt Lake International Airport houses 15 aircraft, and includes complex multi-engine and upset/spin recovery trainers.
• The Dolores Doré Eccles Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center provides the School of Nursing and Health Sciences with a clinical skills laboratory, technology-rich classrooms, multiple conference rooms, and faculty offices. Located adjacent to a new elevated athletic field, the center contains an indoor field house, three-story climbing wall, running track, four-lane lap pool, and spaces for dance, fitness, and training.
• Westminster even has a Campus Concierge desk to help students access the full array of activities available on campus, in the city, and in the surrounding mountains.

Faculty

• The college employs 132 full-time faculty.
• The college employs 166 part-time faculty.
• 94% of faculty hold the highest degree available in their fields.
• Recognizing that both teaching and research are essential to vigorous instruction and a sound curriculum, Westminster faculty’s primary focus is on excellent teaching.

For more on full-time faculty that are teaching at Westminster please visit: http://www.westminstercollege.edu/apps/faculty/

Student Life

• Westminster has two traditional residence halls for freshmen, and three apartment-style residence halls for upperclassmen. Each apartment houses two to six students, and features private bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a common kitchen and living area.
• The Associated Students of Westminster College (ASWC) is responsible for planning student activities such as dances, lectures, and Wild Wednesdays, and represents students to the Board of Trustees. ASWC also coordinates and manages all of the clubs and organizations on campus.
• There are 45 active clubs on campus ranging from the Westminster Players to the Ski and Snowboard Club to the Geek Club.
• Opportunities abound for students to participate in service-learning projects, either through classwork or through the Volunteer Center. As part of first-year orientation, all incoming students participate in service-learning projects, helping those in need in our community.

Location

• Westminster College is uniquely located in the eclectic Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City. 
• Students are just five minutes from downtown, offering access to major corporations in financial services, technology, healthcare, bioscience, and communications.
• Within a 30-minute drive, students can also access world-class, year-round mountain recreation, including skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing, and hiking.
• Westminster is just a few hours drive from 16 national parks and monuments.
• Outdoor magazine rated Salt Lake City as its #1 “Dream Town” (Aug. 2005 issue).

Major Cultural Events

• Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Poetry Series
• Westminster Concert Series
• Westminster Theatre Players
• KeyBank Cultural Diversity Lecture Series
• Kim T. Adamson Lecture Series on International Studies
• Weldon J. Taylor Executive Lecture Series
• Tanner-McMurrin Lecture on the History and Philosophy of Religion
• Westminster Faculty and Student Art Exhibits

    Centers and Institutes

• Center for China-America Business Studies

• Center for Civic Engagement

• Diversity Center

• Environmental Center

• Inclusion Center

• Institute for New Enterprise

• Utah Center for Citizen Diplomacy
  

    Partnerships and Affiliations

• Brolly Arts
• Inclusion Center
• Salt Lake Film Center
• Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
• Utah Humanities Council
• U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association 

Tuition and Fees

Undergraduate tuition and fees in 2008-09 are $23,790 for the academic year for a full-time student (12–16 credits per semester.) Room and board costs are $6,672.

95% of undergraduates and 50% of graduate students receive some form of financial aid. 

Budget

• The operating budget for the 2008–09 year is $53 million.
•  25 consecutive years of balanced budgets demonstrate the college’s strong fiscal discipline.
• The college’s endowment is $65 million.

Accolades

U.S.News & World Report consistently ranks Westminster College in the top tier of colleges and universities in the West, and as a 'best value.'

The Princeton Review’s '366 Best Colleges' (2008 edition) ranks Westminster College in the top 15% of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada.  The Princeton Review also includes Westminster in its annual guide, "The 368 Best Colleges" for 2008.

Kaplan/Newsweek consistently lists Westminster as one of the “Most Interesting Colleges” in the country.

Westminster was recently elected as a member of the Associated New American Colleges (ANAC), a respected national consortium of small to mid-sized institutions dedicated to the integration of liberal education, professional studies, and civic engagement. 
 

Our Students' Perspective

• An extraordinary 99% of alumni surveyed said that the education they received at Westminster was "good" or "excellent".
• 96.3% agree/strongly agree that their Westminster education was worth the tuition paid.
• 93.7% agree/strongly agree that their education was intellectually challenging.
• 86.9% agree/strongly agree that they hope to stay involved with Westminster College after graduation.
  Sources: 2005 Graduating Senior Survey