Undergraduate Catalog
- All majors
- All minors
- Arts and Sciences
- Business
- Biomedical Engineering
- Education
- Engineering
- Information Science
  and Technology
- Media Arts & Design
- Nursing and Health
  Professions
- Professional Studies
- ROTC
Graduate Catalog
- All degree programs
- Arts and Sciences
- Business
- Biomedical Engineering
- Education
- Engineering
- Information Science
  and Technology
- Law
- Media Arts & Design
- Medicine
- Nursing and Health
  Professions
- Professional Studies
- Public Health
Catalog Home
- All Course Descriptions
- Certificate programs
- Schedule

About the University

Mission Statement
To serve its students and society through comprehensive, integrated academic offerings enhanced by technology, cooperative education and clinical practice in an urban setting.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
In 1891, near the end of a long and prosperous life, Philadelphia financier and philanthropist Anthony J. Drexel founded the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry. As society’s need for technically proficient leaders grew, so did Mr. Drexel’s institution, first becoming the Drexel Institute of Technology in 1936, and then Drexel University in 1970.

Today, nearly 12,500 undergraduate and over 6,000 graduate students attend Drexel’s nine colleges and three schools:

• The College of Arts and Sciences, which grants bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees
• The Bennett S. LeBow College of Business, which grants bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees
• The College of Engineering, which grants bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees
• The College of Information Science and Technology, which grants bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees
• The Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, which grants bachelor’s and master’s degrees
• The Goodwin College of Professional Studies, which grants interdisciplinary bachelor’s degrees, provides academic and professional support for all part-time undergraduate students, and offers continuing professional education courses
• The School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, which grants bachelor's, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees
• The School of Education, which grants bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees, and recommends issuance of Pennsylvania instructional and teaching certificates
• The College of Nursing and Health Professions, which grants bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees
• The Drexel University College of Medicine, which grants M.D., master’s and Ph.D. degrees
• The School of Public Health, which grants master’s and Ph.D. degrees
• The Pennoni Honors College, which enriches the University experience for students from all majors with demonstrated academic achievement and broad intellectual interests
• In addition, Drexel has received authority from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to open a College of Law. The inaugural class will begin classes in 2006.

One of the first schools in the nation to adopt mandatory co-operative education programs, Drexel now administers one of the largest, with more than 4,800 students taking part in co-op/internships on an annual basis. Agreements with 1,500 business, industrial, governmental, and other institutions located in 27 states and 11 foreign countries enable Drexel students to acquire practical experience related to college studies through periods of paid internships.

Located on 49 acres in Philadelphia’s University City neighborhood, just minutes from Center City, Drexel is ideally situated for its valuable co-operative relationships with business and industry. The 45-building campus, which includes seven residence halls housing more than 2,500 students, is a vibrant mix of neoclassical architecture, such as the grand Main Building at 32nd and Chestnut Streets, and innovative classrooms and laboratories, such as those found in the Leonard Pearlstein Business Learning Center, completed in 2002. The University’s educational programs are enhanced by the industrial, commercial, professional, and cultural activities of the nation’s fifth-largest metropolitan area.

A unique academic niche is filled by the Drexel University College of Medicine, the nation's largest private medical school, which combines more than a century of excellence in medical education with Drexel's technological focus. Drexel also includes an outstanding college for nursing and the health professions and one of only two public health schools in Pennsylvania.

Drexel University is privately controlled, nonsectarian, and coeducational.

Accreditation

Drexel University
Drexel’s educational program is accredited by MSCHE (Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools).

The Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
Architecture is one of the few part-time evening programs accredited by NAAB (National Architectural Accrediting Board).

Design curricula are accredited by NASAD (National Association of Schools of Arts and Design).

Media arts curricula, with the exception of the B.S. in Dramatic Writing, are accredited by NASAD(National Association of Schools of Arts and Design).

The B.S. in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.

The Bennett S. LeBow College of Business
The Bennett S. LeBow College of Business is accredited by AACSB(Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).

The College of Engineering
Engineering curricula are accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

The Computer Science B.S. degree program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET(Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.

The College of Arts and Sciences
The Chemistry B.S. is certified by the American Chemical Society
The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program is accredited by the American Psychological Association.

The English Language Center is accredited by CEA (Commission on English Language Program Accreditation).

The Nutrition and Food Science B.S. is accredited by ADA (American Dietetic Association, Commission on Accreditation of Dietetic Education).

The College of Nursing and Health Professions
Nursing programs are accredited by NLNAC (National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission), CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education), and the PA State Board of Nursing.

The Cardiovascular Perfusion Technology B.S. is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, Accreditation Committee Perfusion Education.

The Couple and Family Therapy M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are accredited by COAMFTE (Commission on Accreditation of Marriage and Family Therapy Education).

The Creative Arts in Therapy M.A. degrees in Dance/Movement Therapy, Music Therapy, and Art Therapy are accredited by ADTA (American Dance Therapy Association), AMTA (American Music Therapy Association), and AATA (American Art Therapy Association), respectively.

In the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program, the clinical portion is accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Regional EMS Council.

The Nursing Anesthesia M.S.N. degree is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs of the AANA (American Association of Nurse Anesthetists).

Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy programs are accredited by CAPTE (Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education).

The Physician Assistant program is accredited by ARC-PA (Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant).

The Radiologic Technology program is accredited by JRCERT (Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology).

The College of Information Science and Technology
The Information Systems B.S. is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The College of Information Science and Technology was in the first group of schools to have their information systems programs be accredited by ABET.

The Library and Information Science M.S. degree is accredited by ALA (American Library Association).

The Drexel University College of Medicine
The M.D. degree is accredited by LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education).

The M.S. degree in Pathologists' Assistant program is accredited by NAACLS (National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences).

The School of Public Health
The School of Public Health is accredited by CEPH (Council on Education for Public Health).

The School of Education
Teacher education programs leading to Pennsylvania State Teacher Certification for various K-12 specialties as well as Instructional Technology Specialist, School Principal, and School Superintendent certification programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Other state-approved programs include K-12 Library Science certification in collaboration with the College of Information Science and Technology and K-12 English as a Second Language Program Specialist in collaboration with the English Language Center.

The College of Law
The College of Law has been granted provisional accreditation by the ABA (American Bar Association).

Any student or prospective student may request a copy of the documents describing the institution’s accreditation. This information is available in the Provost’s Office and in the Financial Aid Office, both located in the Main Building.

Technology
Technology is integrated into every aspect of the Drexel educational experience, marking the university as a leader in educational innovation.

Drexel made history in 1983 when it became the first university to mandate that all students must have personal access to a microcomputer. This tradition of leadership in integrating state-of-the-art technologies into a Drexel education continued when Drexel in early 1998 inaugurated the first totally wireless library in the nation. In 2000, Drexel again made history by becoming the nation’s first major university to offer completely wireless Internet access across the entire campus.

And in 2002 the University launched DrexelOne Mobile, a Web portal that allows students to retrieve personalized information via any Web-enabled handheld device.

Our students are able to access the Internet and Drexel’s comprehensive system of information networks from anywhere on campus using a laptop computer in a fully wireless environment. Drexel students are the first in the U.S. to enjoy the best of both worlds—a campus network ranked by Yahoo! Internet Life magazine’s “most wired” survey as number one in Philadelphia and number six nationwide, and an all-wireless environment where it’s easy to access the network at anytime and from anyplace on campus.

Drexel Co-op
One of the nation’s most established and successful experiential programs, Drexel Co-op: The Ultimate Internship® provides students with a unique combination of academic and professional problem-solving skills.

Quality Faculty
Dedicated to teaching and learning, Drexel faculty have reached the highest level of recognition for their research and scholarship.

About Philadelphia
Drexel makes full use of its metropolitan setting by integrating Philadelphia and its resources into the classroom, co-op/internship experience, and student life, making it a model for other urban universities.

University Policy: Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity
It is the policy of the University to provide a working and learning environment in which employees and students are able to realize their full potential as productive members of the University community. To this end, the University affirms its commitment to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in employment and education for all qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability or applicable veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal or state law. Further, the University is committed to taking affirmative action to increase opportunities at all levels of employment and to increase opportunities for participation in programs and activities by all faculty, staff, and students.

Affirmative Action is directed toward racial and ethnic minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and Vietnam-era veterans. All member of the University community -- faculty, staff, and students – are expected to cooperate fully in meeting these goals.

It is the policy of the University that no qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of the disability, be excluded from participation in University programs and activities. Disability is defined as any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; or having a record of such impairment; or being regarded as having such impairment. A qualified individual with a disability means an individual as defined above, who is capable of performing the essential functions of a particular job or of participating in a particular course of study, with or without reasonable accommodations for his/her disability. Reasonable accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis.