Meet Me in St. Louis: Learn
Southwest's Spirit Magazine
June 2010
ST. LOUIS IS the 10th-largest college town in the country, based on degrees awarded, with nearly 30 four-year universities, colleges, and a strong system of community colleges:
- Washington University ranked No. 12this year in the "Best National Universities"
list in U.S. News and World Report, which also gave the university first place in graduate social-work programs and fourth in medical research.
- Saint Louis University, the oldest university west of the Mississippi, is among the top 100 U.S. universities in U.S. News and World Report, which also granted its health-law program top honors for the seventh consecutive year.
- Webster University's home base is in Webster Groves, just south of St. Louis, but the school has a global network of more than 100 campuses (in London, Geneva, and Shanghai, for starters). Webster's theater-arts school offers programs in acting, costume construction, and technical direction.
- Last year, the international business program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis ranked No. 15 in U.S. News and World Report.
- Maryville University's St. Louis Speakers Series brings big names to campus, and it's open to the public. On the roster for the 2010-11 academic year: CNN host Fareed Zakaria and Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert.
- St. Louis Community College's new Center for Plant and Life Sciences aims to support new technologies in the region's booming BioBelt industry, a cluster of plant and life sciences research institutions and corporations.
- One mile from Forest Park, Fontbonne University offers a liberal arts education in a small, personalized environment (student-to-instructor ratio is 14:1).
- MSNBC named Logan College of Chiropractic one of America's Most Beautiful College Campuses. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, it's the second-largest chiropractic college in North America, with more than 1,000 students.
- In April, Lindenwood University's School of Business and Entrepreneurship received accreditation from the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs.
- Across the river, Southwestern Illinois College offers a variety of allied health programs, such as nursing and health information technology.
- U.S. News and World Report placed Illinois' McKendree University in its current "Great Schools, Great Prices" category. Great basketball, too -- men's coach Harry Statham has the most career victories of any four-year men's college basketball coach (last November marked his 1,000th win).
- Currently ranked as a "Top Up-and-Coming School" by U.S. News and World Report, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville continues to grow. Its full-time student enrollment has increased nearly 30 percent since 1999.
