About Us

University Facts and Figures

Fitchburg State offers undergraduate and graduate programs with an emphasis on career-orientated learning that is firmly grounded in the liberal arts, as well as selected majors in the traditional arts and sciences. The university features small class sizes, hands-on professional education, and an accessible faculty dedicated to teaching. A compact campus provides the added bonus of a secure community where social and cultural activities abound and students assume a wide-range of leadership roles in the community, student government and social and artistic affairs.

An emphasis on faculty mentoring and internships has resulted in an extremely high success rate in placing students in careers or graduate school.

The university supports both traditional and non-traditional students. Full-time and part-time enrollment opportunities exist during the day and the evening, and at the graduate and undergraduate level. The undergraduate day population is comprised of both commuter and residential students representing the entire state of Massachusetts and all of New England. The graduate and continuing education population includes the whole spectrum of learners—from people desiring to expand their career opportunities by pursuing graduate or undergraduate certificates and degrees, to a typical university student home for the summer taking a course or two to get ahead. The Graduate and Continuing Education Office offers diverse perspectives for part-time and full-time advanced study in a variety of professional and academic fields.

Accreditation

Fitchburg State University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, the Council for Standards in Human Service Education, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The university’s programs are also approved by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, the Interstate Certification Compact of Educational Personnel, the State Board of Registration in Nursing, the Board of Higher Education, the Commonwealth Honors Program and ABET.

Admissions

The university accepts students on the basis of their high school record, essay, and SAT/ACT scores. When making admissions decisions, such other factors as recommendations from teachers and extra-curricular activities are considered.

Alumni Association

The Alumni Association offers a number of programs and services to the university’s more than 35,000 graduates. It serves the campus community with scholarships, equipment grants and library materials.

Athletics

Fitchburg State University teams compete in NCAA Division III sports
Men’s Varsity Sports :

Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Football
Ice Hockey
Soccer
Track and Field

Women’s Varsity Sports:

Basketball
Cross Country
Field Hockey
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Track and Field

Board of Trustees

Carol T. Vittorioso (chair)
Martin F. Connors, Jr. (vice chair)
Robert A. Pontbriand (clerk)
Anna Maria Clementi
Matthew Costello (student)
Beverly S. Farias
Anthony J. Mercadante
Gladys Rodriguez-Parker
Cynthia M. Stevens

Calendar

Two semesters: Early September to mid-December, and late January to early May. (Two summer sessions and a winter session are also offered by Graduate and Continuing Education).

Campus

Main campus: 48 buildings (six of which are over 100 years old) on 60 acres.
McKay Teacher Education Center: 11 acres.
Athletic Fields: 17 acres.
The university also owns 122 acres in Lancaster used for nature and ecological study, 12.5 acres on John Fitch Highway, and 42 acres on Pearl Hill Road used for passive recreation.

Cultural Events

The university sponsors a cultural series — CenterStage — that includes lectures and performing arts. The theater program, the band, chorus and jazz groups, and the student dance and theater clubs, all offer performances throughout the year. The Campus Center Art Gallery hosts an annual series of exhibits. Programming is also offered through the Student Development Office, the Center for Italian Culture, the Jewish Heritage Endowment, and Adult Learning in the Fitchburg Area (ALFA).

Degrees awarded (2011)

Baccalaureate: 697
Master’s: 506
Certificates of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS): 51

Economic Impact

$137 million.
Total full-time employees: 493
The university is the largest non-municipal employer in Fitchburg.

Enrollment (fall 2011)

Total enrollment: 6,891
Undergraduate: 4,172
Graduate students: 2,719

Faculty

Full-time faculty: 196
Percent of full time faculty with doctorate or highest degree in field: 91%
Day student-faculty ratio: 16:1

Financial Aid

Federal, state and institutional programs provide students with more than $23 million in grants, loans, work-study awards and scholarships. About 80% of undergraduates receive some form of financial aid.

Library

The Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library is a comprehensive information center dedicated to the educational development of students. The library allows students and faculty to access the catalog of approximately 210,790 books, CDs and DVDs; 500 print periodical titles; approximately 42,600 unique full text online periodical titles; and access to approximately 130 electronic online databases (encyclopedias, indexes/abstracts, directories, streaming audio and e-books, etc.). Additional services include Instruction, Reference, Electronic Reserves, distance learning services for the Extended Campus programs, and the university archives.

Location

Fitchburg, Mass. is a city of 40,000 located in the North Central part of the state, close to the New Hampshire border, about 50 miles from Boston.

Media

The university produces a biweekly, electronic campus newsletter, Fitchburg State University Today. The Point, the student newspaper, is also published online. The alumni magazine, Contact, is published annually and carries news and feature stories about the university and its graduates, and in a different format as part of the annual President’s Report. The university also has a website (www.fitchburgstate.edu) and a student-run radio station (WXPL, 91.3FM).

Recreation Center

The Recreation Center is the hub for recreational activities at Fitchburg State. The Recreation Center provides access to collegiate sports and a state-of-the-art fitness center equipped with racquetball courts, a dance studio, indoor track, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, group fitness classes and recreation trips.

Residence Halls

The campus has four residence halls and three apartment communities. Half of the undergraduate student population lives in campus residences.

Revenues

State appropriations 2010: $24,622,349.
Total revenue: $79,297,988
Endowment: $10.2 million, managed by the Fitchburg State University Foundation.

Student and Academic support services

The Office of Student and Academic Life oversees a variety of services, including Academic Advising, Athletic and Recreational Services, Campus Center, Career Services, Counseling Services, Disability Services, Expanding Horizons, Health Services, International Education, Multicultural Student Services, Orientation, Peer Tutor and Assessment Center, Student Conduct, Mediation and Education, and Student Development Office.

Tuition and Fees

Annual tuition and fees for full time day undergraduates (Massachusetts residents): $8,300. Total annual cost for full time residential student: $16,640.
Graduate and continuing education costs are $269 per credit for undergraduate level courses and $277 per credit for graduate level courses.

University Officers

Dr. Robert V. Antonucci, president; Dr. Robin E. Bowen, vice president for academic affairs; Christopher P. Hendry, vice president for advancement; Jay Bry, interim vice president of finance and administration.

Majors

Undergraduate Majors

Day Program:
Accounting
Architectural Technology
Biology
Biotechnology
Clinical Exercise Physiology
Computer Information Systems
Computer Science
Construction Technology
Criminal Justice
Developmental Psychology
Economics
Education
Teacher Education programs available in:
Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education
Middle School Education
Secondary Education with emphases in:
Biology
Earth Science
English
History
Mathematics
Special Education with emphases in:
Moderate Disabilities, Pre-K-8
Moderate Disabilities, 5-12
Intensive Severe Disabilities, All Levels
Technology Education
Electronics Engineering Technology
English
Environmental Science
Facilities Management
Film/Video Production
Fitness Management
Geo-Physical Sciences
Graphic Design
History
Human Services
Interactive Media
Interdisciplinary Studies
International Business & Economics
Literature
Management
Marketing
Mathematics
Nursing
Photography
Political Science
Professional Writing
Psychology
Sociology
Technical Communication
Technical Theater Arts
Theater

Pre-Professional
Programs:

Pre-Dental
Pre-Law
Pre-Medical
Pre-Veterinary

Evening Program:

Business Administration
Computer Information Systems
Computer Science
Criminal Justice
Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education
Interdisciplinary Studies
Occupational/Vocational Education
RN to BSN

Graduate Majors

CAGS in

Educational Leadership and Management
Interdisciplinary Studies

Master of Arts in:

Biology
English
History

Master of Arts in Teaching in: