Purdue University

Key Takeaways:

• Purdue University offers over 100 programs through multiple campuses, including online, with options for both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
• The university boasts a strong history of innovation, with alumni and faculty contributing to major advancements in various fields.
• Tuition has remained stable since 2012, and students have access to numerous scholarships, with Indiana residents enjoying lower rates.

Degrees Offered at Purdue University

Purdue University appears in our ranking of Master’s in Hospitality Management Online: Top 25 Values.

Purdue University’s expansive network of four main campuses, nine technical college campuses, and two online campuses means that students have well over 100 undergraduate and graduate program options to choose from. Purdue’s University Global offers both associate and bachelor’s level programs. It’s home to some of the fastest accelerated online associate degrees you can find. Undergraduate majors include accounting, acting, actuarial science, aeronautical and astronautical engineering, airline management, brain and behavioral sciences, early childhood education and exceptional needs, mechatronics engineering technology, film and theater production, criminology, and medical laboratory sciences. Many of these majors are available in part or entirely online, in addition to the university’s physical campuses.

Students also have the option of the Purdue University Honors College, a residential undergraduate college enrolling 750 new freshmen each year. This highly competitive program is designed for a diverse community of scholars who are curious, dedicated, and motivated. In addition to completing their major course of study, Honors College students take additional honors-only seminars and classes, culminating in a thesis or research project.

Purdue University’s Graduate School at the West Lafayette campus offers more than 80 areas of study, with 40 degree options at the satellite and online campuses. Some of the graduate options include youth development and agricultural education, biomedical engineering, comparative pathobiology, computer graphics technology, earth atmospheric and planetary sciences, global supply chain management, health sciences (including medical physics and toxicology), information security, business management, nuclear engineering, psychological sciences, life sciences, speech, language, and hearing sciences, and veterinary clinical sciences.

Purdue’s online graduate school allows students to earn their degree entirely online. Students can choose from the M.S. in Education in Curriculum and Instruction, M.S. in Engineering Technology, Master of Public Health, M.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management, M.S. in Economics, and a Certificate in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Education.

About Purdue University

Purdue’s long history began in 1865 after the Indiana General Assembly voted to establish a land grant institution following the 1862 signing of the Morrill Land Grant Act. In 1869, John Purdue donated $150,000 towards the establishment of the new school, later becoming the institution’s namesake. Groundbreaking began in 1871, with the first classes beginning in 1874. In 1877, University Hall was built as the central building on campus, and today it stands as the oldest building at Purdue. The university’s graduate school was established in 1929, with the Purdue Research Foundation incorporated a year later. In 1934, Purdue became the first university to establish its own airport, which today has become the home to one of the top aviation management programs in the country.

Purdue University currently has an expansive network of campuses. In addition to the flagship campus in West Lafayette, Purdue also has campuses in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and Hammond. Additionally, Purdue Polytechnic Institute is part of the Purdue University System and has campuses in nine cities in Indiana. The university also has two distance learning campuses: Purdue University Online and Purdue University Global, the latter of which was formerly Kaplan University.

Purdue University has connections to some of the world’s greatest innovators. Leslie Geddes, Showalter Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biomedical Engineering, received the 2006 National Medal of Technology from then-President George W. Bush following his involvement in the creation of miniature defibrillators and tiny blood pressure monitors used for premature infants. Adel Halasa, 1964 alumni and 2003 Distinguished Science Alumni Award winner, created the first tire tread polymers for the Goodyear Aquatred tire and established the first Kuwaiti facilities for use of sulfur in asphalt road applications. Brian Lamb, 1963 alumni, founded the C-SPAN television network. In addition, Elwood Mead, 1884 graduate, was the chief engineer for the Hoover Dam construction. R. Games Slayter, 1921 graduate, developed the world’s first commercial fiberglass product during his career at Owens-Illinois Glass Company. Richard Borgens, 1977 graduate, is credited with creating the first and only FDA-approved medication for multiple sclerosis. Professor Arun Ghosh is also credited with another life-saving medication: the first FDA-approved treatment for drug-resistant HIV. Finally, perhaps the most notable Purdue connection is Professor Ei-ichi Negishi, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Chemistry following the development of the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupler currently used in agriculture, electronics, and medicine.

In 2019, the U.S. News and World Report ranked Purdue University’s undergraduate engineering program as #9 among engineering schools whose highest degree is a Ph.D. The university’s undergraduate biological and agricultural engineering program was ranked #1 and its industrial and manufacturing engineering program was ranked #3. Purdue’s Master’s in Speech Pathology Language was ranked #5 in the nation. Finally, the institution’s analytical chemistry program was ranked #1.

Purdue University Accreditation Details

All Purdue University campuses, including the Global and Online campuses, are fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Many of the university’s graduate programs have also received accreditation, including:

•  Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
•  Iowa State Board of Education (secondary teaching concentration)
•  American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) (medical billing and coding)
•  Behavior Analyst Certification Board
•  National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC)
•  American Psychological Association (APA) (clinical and counseling psychology)
•  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
•  Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) (aviation management and professional flight technology)
•  Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) (school counseling)
•  Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (elementary education, special education, early childhood education, educational leadership, and specific subject education)

Purdue University Application Requirements

Prospective students seeking admissions to the undergraduate school can apply between August 1st and November 1st for early application decisions. Applicants should complete either the Common Application or the Coalition Application. In addition to the application, prospective students should submit self-reported high school grades, self-reported ACT or SAT scores, and an application fee. If admitted, students must then provide official transcripts and test scores.

Applicants for online, dual credit, non-degree, nursing, veterinary nursing, and graduate programs can find their specific required application on Purdue’s website.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Purdue University states that their tuition has not increased since 2012 and no increases are planned through 2020. Indiana residents in the undergraduate program are charged $10,000 in annual tuition and non-residents have a tuition rate of $28,800. Some specific programs, including the Honors College, have additional fees.

To be eligible for one of Purdue University’s many scholarships, including university-wide merit and need-based scholarships and college-based merit future freshman should submit their supplemental scholarship application and file their FAFSA by December 15th. The supplemental scholarship application is used for consideration for several department-specific scholarships.

For more information about Purdue University’s wide selection of undergraduate and graduate areas of study, please visit the university’s website.