albany ny colleges
Albany’s history goes back a long ways into the past of America, so it should
not be surprising that the educational institutions that call Albany home are
world-renowned and hundreds of years old. The educational institutions of Albany
come in every variety imaginable, from large public universities to small liberal
arts colleges, from pharmacy colleges to law schools, from medical colleges to
nursing schools – Albany has it all. Seven colleges can be found within
the confines of Albany, covering every aspect of American education, making the
city a leading destination for students.
Established in 1844, Albany University, State University of New York, has been
a growing flagship of the SUNY ( State University of New York ) educational
system. Stretching out over three different campuses in the city, Albany University
is a giant resource not only for the people of Albany, but also the people of
New York State. Seventeen thousand students study at the University, taught
by over nine hundred teachers, both full-time and part-time. In addition to
the students and teachers, the University employees over three thousand people
in the Albany area. Together with the massive number of employees, teachers,
and students, the University offers a wide range of majors and disciplines,
from English to Nanoscience, totaling more than one hundred sixty possible undergraduate,
graduate and doctorate majors. Albany University also has an active sports program,
with nineteen athletic programs competing in the American East Division I. As
far as large public educational institutions are concerned, Albany University
is top notch.
Large universities are not for everybody, which is where Albany’s smaller
liberal arts college fills in space. The College of Saint Rose offers a much
more intimate college experience, one that Albany University can not match.
The College of Saint Rose is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Albany Province, offering a dynamic and comprehensive educational opportunity
for those who attend. Founded in 1920, the College was developed as a female-oriented
Catholic school, but as of 1969, it has served both male and female students.
With more than four thousand, five hundred students, St. Rose College serves
a wide variety of people, from recent high school graduates to working professionals.
With over a hundred undergraduate and graduate programs, the College has a wide
array of courses in a wide array of disciplines.
A generalized education, like one given by a big university or a smaller liberal
arts college, is very traditional in this country, preparing the student for
their future by giving them the tool of critical thinking. But, there is another
school of thought in regards to education, and that is to teach to a professional
or career. Maria College was founded in 1958 by the Religious Sisters of Mercy,
with a fifty-two member student body – its mission was to serve the Greater
Capital Region. Although the College started out as an all-female school, as
of 1971, males make a percent of the student body. The College offers a wide
range of classes, from full-time to part-time, from days to nights to weekends,
focusing more on serving the student than most other schools in the area. Today,
the College serves nearly a thousand students, focusing on career-oriented degrees,
like nursing, childhood education, and paralegal studies. As the College’s
alumni network grows and spreads, the importance of the College, and its philosophy
of teaching to a career, will grow and spread.
In addition to colleges and universities which offer general graduate studies,
there are three more colleges in Albany that offer specialized professional
degrees, and one of them is Albany Law School. Founded in 1851, the Law School
was the nation’s first independent school of law, focusing on a then revolutionary
style of teaching law – mixing theory and practice, creating an academic,
yet real-world, experience. This format has produced two U.S. Supreme Court
Justices, as well as William McKinley, 25th President of the United States.
Today, Albany Law School consists of 738 students and over a hundred full-time
and part-time teachers, catering to more traditional areas of law, like the
Constitution, as well as more modern areas of law, like science and technology.
The School offers a Juris Doctor program, as well as quite a few joint degrees,
in such subjects as Public Administration, Social Work, and Business Administration.
Albany Law School is an historic school, reaching back into the past and into
the future.
Medicine and health care, as well as law, form the backbone of the professional
ranks, which is why in 1881, the Albany College of Pharmacy was founded. In
conjunction with Albany Medical College, the Albany College of Pharmacy has
grown by leaps and bounds, including the most recent improvement in 2003: a
new residence hall and Bender Hygienic Laboratories, which is a cutting-edge
research facility. High school students enter the college as freshman, and undergo
six intensive years of education to becoming certified pharmacists. There are
over 80 full-time teachers and 110 courses to choose from, giving students the
flexibility to follow their desires.
Albany Medical College, which is attached to Albany Medical Center, is one
of the nation’s oldest private medical schools. Founded in 1839 with an
initial enrollment of 57 students, the College has changed and grown over time,
but has tried to keep its class size limited, enrolling approximately 130 students
each year. The College, although small in size, plays a large part in the health
care of Albany, as well as the Capital Region. Along with the pharmacy college
and law school, Albany Medical College fills out the role for the professional
finishing school for the Upper New York region.
If anybody is in search of an educational institution, they should look now
farther than Albany, New York. Every type of college and graduate school is
represented in Albany, which is special considering how small the city actually
is when compared to other urban centers. Like most other aspects of life, Albany
has the answer for any question.
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