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
• Global consciousness, social responsibility, and ethical awareness
  

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 2,200 undergraduates and 800 graduate students.

• Students come from 39 states and 31 countries.
• The average age of undergraduates is 23; graduate students’ average age is 32.
• The average ACT score for incoming freshmen is 24.8 (SAT equivalent 1110), well above the national freshman average of 21.1.
• The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.49.

• The student - faculty ratio is 11:1. 

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 38 undergraduate majors conferring BA, BS, and BFA degrees.  In addition to a multitude of minors, Westminster offers various areas of emphasis and special programs such as our honors program, pre-professional programs (pre-med, pre-law, pre-dental), the McNair Scholars program, and our unique Winter at Westminster study abroad program. 

At Westminster, we also recognize that learning outside the classroom can be as important as learning inside the classroom.  That is one reason why a Westminster education balances theory and practice amd why we offer a wide range of out-of-classroom resources and opportunities, including seven learning resource centers, interships, service-learning projects, undergraduate research projects, and many opportunities to develop critical leadership and communication skills.

Westminster's Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a unique project-based, degree-completion program based upon the premise that the true mark of learning is not just what a student knows, but what they can do with what they know. Affordably priced for the mid-career professional and adult learner, the BBA combines online learning with face-to-face faculty coaching. The program engages the learner through applied learning and real-world projects to give students the skills and abilities employers want today. In Fall 2010, this unique learning design was expanded to a project-based MBA program for experienced leaders.

Graduate Programs

Westminster offers the 12 graduate degrees:

• Master of Accountancy (MAcc)

• 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 four-story, 60,000-square-foot, LEED Gold certified Meldrum Science Center, to open in Fall 2010, will house 14 multidisciplinary classrooms with intergrated laboratories and dedicated research labs that allow professors and students to move seamlessly between theory and application.  "Science on Display" areas will be located throughout the building to provide interactive learning opportunities for science students and for the larger community.
• 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 Flight Operations Center is located at Salt Lake International Airport and includes 13 aircraft and complex multi-engine and upset/spin recovery trainers. 
• The Dolores Doré Eccles Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center is located adjacent to a new elevated athletic field and contains an indoor field house, three-story climbing wall, running track, four-lane lap pool, and spaces for dance, fitness and training.
• The School of Nursing and Health Sciences is located on the top floor of the Dolores Dore Eccles Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center and includes a clinical skills laboratory, technology-rich classrooms, multiple conference rooms, and faculty offices.
• 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 136 full-time faculty and 191 part-time faculty members. 
• Of full-time faculty, 92 percent hold the highest degree available in their fields.
• Recognizing that both teaching and research are essential to vigorous instruction and a cound 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

• Nearly 30 percent of undergraduate students live on or adjacent to campus.  Westminster has two traditional residence halls for freshmen, and three apartment-style residence halls.  Each apartment houses two to six students, and features private bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a common kitchen and living area.
• For off-campus housing, Westminster also provides a 15-unit apartment builting that is just one-half block from campus.
• Opportunities abound for students to participate in service-learning projects, either through classwork or through the Center for Civic Engagement.  As part of First-Year Orientation, all incoming students participate in "Helping Hands Day", completing service-learning projects to help those in need in our community.
• The college's annual theme, "Common Ground", provides all members of the campus community with an opportunity to engage in a year-long discussion about compelling issues, ideas, and texts.  The theme is placed-based: either the desert, mountain, lake, or city.  Most Helping Hands Day projects are chosen to help students draw connections between their service and the "common read".
• The assiciated Students of Westminster College )ASWC) is responsible for planning students 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.
•   The Nest is an informal group of student shwo attend Westminster athletic events, sit in one sections, and generally have a great time.  Whether sporting painted faces, dressed in period costumes, or simply cheering, the Nest provides excitement and energy at all of the athletic events.
• There are 50 active clubs on campus ranging from the Westminster players to the Geek Club.

Atheltics

•  Men and women compete on 17 intercollegiate teams in basketball volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, skiing, snowboarding, cross country, track, and golf.  Westminster students also enjoy and active intramural program that keeps the engaged in healthy competition.  Our women's team won the 2009 U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association championship in their inaugural year.  Our men's lacrosse team won the RMLC National Championship in just their second season.

 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.

Major Cultural Events

• Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Poetry Series
• Bastian Foundation Diversity Lecture Series

• Kim T. Adamson Lecture on International Studies

• Tanner-McMurrin Lecture on the History and Philosophy of Religion

• Weldon J. Taylor Executive Lecture Series

• Westminster Chamber Singers

• Westminster Concert Series

• Westminster Faculty and Student Art Exhibits

• Westminster Theatre Players

Centers and Institutes

• Center for China-America Business Studies

• Center for Civic Engagement

• Center for Financial Analysis

• Diversity and international Center

• Environmental Center

• Great Salt Lake Institute

• Institute for New Enterprise

• Writing Center

Partnerships and Affiliations

Westminster has partnerships with more than 20 local, regional, national, and internationsl organizations including the following:

• Donghua University
• Inclusion Center
• Salt Lake Film Center
• Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
• Jane Goodall's Roots + Shoots
• Nankai University
• U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association 

Tuition and Fees

Undergraduate tuition and fees in 2010-11 are $25,980 for the academic year for a full-time student (12–16 credits per semester.) Room and board costs are $7,274.

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

Budget

• The operating budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year is $58.5 million.
•  Balanced budgets for 26 consecutive years demonstrate the college's strong fiscal discipline.
• The college's endowment is $53.4 million.
• In 2009-2010, the economic benefit of Westminster students' 42,000 hours of volunteer service to the community was $730,800.
• The projected economic benefit to Salt Lake County for the 2009-2010 academic year is $182,107,312.

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 “Best 373 Colleges” (2011 edition) ranks Westminster College #13 for Quality of Life and #15 for Town-Gown Relations are Great.

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