SUNY Oswego at a Glance

Come and explore our lakeside learning community. Nestled on nearly 700 scenic acres along the shore of Lake Ontario, the Oswego campus offers magnificent lake views year round.

Oswego is a comprehensive public college with 148 years of history and tradition. Over 8,000 students are enrolled in its more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs.

Oswego has earned a reputation for quality. The prestigious Barron’s series of college guides rates Oswego “competitive,” and Oswego’s academic program is demanding.

The undergraduate academic program is built around a required core of courses that focus on fundamental skills (writing, critical thinking, computer literacy) as well as the broad perspective (human diversity, the arts and sciences) that students need for lifelong success. Among the undergraduate major and minor programs available are many that point directly to careers. Alternatively, students can major in a traditional liberal arts and sciences discipline and supplement studies with courses from career-oriented programs like public relations or international business. A supportive faculty helps students meet the academic demands so that they can join the ranks of our graduates who have found success in business, education, law, medicine, public service, and other fields.

Among the more than 300 full-time faculty at Oswego are Fulbright scholars and winners of grants for research from such agencies as NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Science Foundation. The State University of New York has honored dozens of Oswego professors for excellence in teaching.

Faculty strive for quality classroom instruction and individualized attention whenever possible.

The effective student-faculty ratio is 18:1. About 75 percent of the full-time teaching faculty hold doctoral degrees or the terminal degree in their fields.

Students benefit from daily contact with these scholars, who often share their research interests with them. Each year at Quest, Oswego’s forum for scholarly and creative activities, many faculty and students present their research.

Oswego provides information to the campus community and the world through its World Wide Web site, www.oswego.edu.

Most undergraduate students are between 18 and 25, are studying full-time toward a degree, and live in campus residence halls. The ratio of men to women is close to 45 to 55. Students come from every county in New York as well as from 26 other states and approximately 15 foreign countries.

They arrive well prepared for college study. Students entering as freshmen have earned an average grade of 89.5 in high school. About 52 percent have graduated in the top quarter of their class and 87 percent in the top half. Average SAT scores total about 1100. The academic records of transfer students are equally impressive; typically transfer students have earned a B average or better in their previous college work.

SUNY Oswego is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-662-5606). All programs in Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education have been approved and registered by the New York State Education Department (Office of Higher Education, Room 979, Education Building Addition, Albany, NY 12234, 518-474-5851).

The School of Education at SUNY Oswego is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE, 2010 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 500, Washington,  C 20036, 202-466-7496); this accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation programs. All School of Business undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited by AACSB International, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The Department of Chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in both the chemistry and biochemistry tracks. The Department of Art is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the Department of Music is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music Curriculum (BASM), and the Department of Theatre is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST).

Originally founded in 1861 as the Oswego Normal School, the institution became the Oswego State Teachers College and entered into the State University system in 1948.While maintaining its high standards as a center for teacher education, Oswego began to broaden its academic perspective in 1962 when it became one of the colleges of arts and science. Collectively, these institutions became the University Colleges of the State University of New York. Oswego abounds with tradition. Theodore Roosevelt unveiled the statue of Edward Austin Sheldon, the college’s founder. Franklin Delano Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for Park Hall. The Iroquois Confederacy and the lore of James Fenimore Cooper are recalled in names of some other campus landmarks.

Oswego year after year rates among the best colleges in the country for educational value. We’re proud of our accomplished and caring faculty, our degree programs, our effective career services program, and our stimulating residential community. These are the foundations of the Oswego Guarantee. We want to be absolutely clear about what we offer students and about what students and their families can expect to invest in earning a bachelor’s degree at our college. To that end, we make the following commitments:

WE GUARANTEE entering freshmen that the necessary classes will be available to complete a baccalaureate degree in four academic years of full-time study. If a student meets the academic expectations described below and cannot graduate after four years because of course unavailability, the college will enroll the student in the remaining course or courses necessary to meet graduation requirements tuition free.

WE GUARANTEE entering transfer students that the necessary classes will be available to insure timely completion of a baccalaureate degree. Before students enroll, they will receive a transfer credit evaluation indicating their progress toward a degree in their chosen field of study. If a student meets the academic expectations described below and because of course unavailability cannot graduate as the credit evaluation and college catalog suggest, the college will enroll the student in the additional course or courses necessary to meet graduation requirements tuition free.
Nearly 86 percent of all classes offered at Oswego over the past four years enrolled fewer than 40 students. In fact, close to half (48%) of the 1,063 lecture classes offered at Oswego in 2008 enrolled fewer than 20 students. WE GUARANTEE continued availability of small classes because we believe that small classes offer students the opportunity for invaluable interaction with faculty. Oswego faculty serve as mentors to students, helping them to shape their futures.
Room and board now account for about 60 percent of the cost of an Oswego residential education. WE GUARANTEE that students entering Oswego in the fall of 2009 will not experience any increase in the cost of room or meal plans for four consecutive years. For students and their families, this means that the major portion of the cost of a residential education will be held constant for four years.

To qualify for the Oswego Guarantee, students must: 1) Commit to a degree program that satisfies General Education, major program and college requirements (freshmen must declare a major within three semesters of initial registration; some degree programs require earlier declaration), 2) Meet with an academic adviser, 3) Successfully complete an average of more than 15 credit hours per semester over four consecutive years of study; some professional degree programs require up to 17 credit hours per semester, 4) Fulfill the total credit hour requirements of the degree, 5) Continue in good academic standing.

Catalog Disclaimer: Not with standing anything contained in this Catalog, SUNY Oswego expressly reserves the right, whenever it deems advisable (1) to change or modify its schedule of tuition and fees, (2) to withdraw, cancel, reschedule or modify any course, program of study, degree, or any requirement or policy in connection with the foregoing, and (3) to change or modify any academic or other policy. Please be advised that, due to printing deadlines, information contained in this Catalog may be outdated. Changes in information contained in this Catalog and new academic regulations, policies, or programs will be published on the College’s website. It is the responsibility of each student to ascertain current information that pertains to the individual’s program, particularly with regard to satisfaction of degree requirements, through frequent reference to the website and by consultation with the student’s advisor, the office of the student’s dean and other offices as appropriate (such as the Registrar or Financial Aid). In preparing this Catalog, efforts are made to provide pertinent and accurate information; however, Oswego assumes no liability for Catalog errors or omissions.

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