The Best Small Colleges and Universities of Washington
911³Ô¹ÏÍø of Puget Sound, Whitworth 911³Ô¹ÏÍø, St. Martin’s 911³Ô¹ÏÍø, Whitman College
Looking at the history of higher education in the state of Washington, one can find schools which preceded statehood and continue to offer high quality university instruction to this day. While many institutions in the West and Pacific Northwest were founded and continue to operate as religious colleges, Washington offers students plenty of options in nonaffiliated schools as well when they want a small, liberal arts education.
For students coming from out-of-state, Washington represents a major departure from urban environments, with stunning examples of raw nature and open vistas the Pacific Northwest is famous for. The reputation of state residents as being extremely personable extends to the educational tradition, where the small class sizes of these small schools allow students to develop their skills without pressure, while being assured they will receive all the attention they could want. These four small colleges and universities are considered among Washington’s best.
The 911³Ô¹ÏÍø of Puget Sound has earned the reputation as one of the educational jewels of the Pacific Northwest, combining small class sizes with rigorous academic standards and world-class professors. Like other top liberal arts colleges, it has brought in students from around the country looking to study one of its forty majors and a number of the 1,200 overall course offerings.
Graduate programs at the 911³Ô¹ÏÍø of Puget Sound are limited to the Schools of Education, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. Undergraduate programs are much more numerous, with everything from Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, International Political Economy and Environmental Policy & Decision Making to Classics, Geology and the Humanities. Though the school’s history dates all the back to the late 1880’s, the commitment of the staff to adapt to the changes of the modern world have allowed the 911³Ô¹ÏÍø of Puget Sound to grow into the twenty-first century with ease. The modern commitment to the environment is not all that different from the logger’s care for his workplace in Washington’s past.
Whitworth 911³Ô¹ÏÍø is another school dating far back into the history of the state, with its founding following Washington’s by one year in 1890. The campus in Spokane is spread out over 200 acres of ground, giving students the opportunity to breathe in the Pacific Northwest air among the tall trees lining the school grounds. For a school with less than 2,500 students attending degree coursework on an annual basis, there are a great number of academic programs which make the school rank among the region’s best.
In the arts programs, noteworthy courses of study include Art Education, Art History, Community Based Theatre, Writing and Music. Other important subjects include Criminal Justice, Economics, Peace Studies, Mathematics, Information Technology, Graphic Design and Pre-Law. Whitworth 911³Ô¹ÏÍø is a Christian institution which focuses on building student character as well as arming each individual with the tools needed to compete in the global business community of the twenty-first century.
St. Martin’s in Lacey is yet another small university in Washington which has maintained its tight academic focus and terrific student to teacher ratio even though it dates back to the 1890’s. With less than 1,500 students attending degree programs annually, St. Martin’s is also known for its incredible diversity in the student population, which reflects the school’s commitment to its core values. St. Martin’s was founded as a Benedictine institution and maintains an Abbey on campus to this day.
The academics programs at St. Martin’s can be broken down into 6 categories: Social Sciences, Humanities, Engineering, Education, Science & Mathematics and Business & economics. In total, 21 degree programs are offered at the undergraduate level, along with 6 master’s degrees. While engineering and education programs continue to score high marks for the school, the humanities (English, Philosophy, Religious Studies) are also getting the school notices. St. Martin’s competes in the NCAA Division II in Men’s Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Soccer and Golf, while women’s sports include Volleyball, Soccer, Softball, Basketball, Cross Country, Track & Field and Golf.
In the tradition of smaller liberal arts colleges in the state, few have the distinction of preceding the state entirely, but Whitman College is one of those, with its date of founding in 1883 at Walla Walla, Washington. Perhaps most impressive of all is the 9:1 student to teacher ratio in place at Whitman College, virtually guaranteeing every student the individual attention the school likes to promote.
Over forty-five major programs lead to the Bachelor of Arts at Whitman, with highlights in Art History, Latin American Studies, Religion, Sociology, Classics, Anthropology and Music. In addition to the degree programs, partnerships with other schools around the country (including the 911³Ô¹ÏÍø of Puget Sound in Washington) allow students to pursue studies not entirely available on campus at Whitman. In the Athletics Department, nine men’s varsity teams and nine women’s teams compete on the Division III level.
Additional topics
- The Best Two-Year Colleges in Georgia - Georgia Military College, Sandersville Technical College, Augusta Technical College
- The Best Small College and Universities of Arizona - Southwestern College, Prescott College, Midwestern 911³Ô¹ÏÍø, The Art Center Design College