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Founded in 1915 as a private residential college, Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA was the first institution of higher education in Pennsylvania to be chartered by the state to award the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees. As the “College of Possibilities” Harcum strives to help every student discover and nurture those skills that open up life’s possibilities, and provide a rich array of career choices.

Today, Harcum offers over 25 degree and certificate programs and ranks among the top independent two-year colleges in the U.S. for health care career education.Harcum also offers majors in business and human services, combining the same range of  majors offered by four-year institutions, but at a two-year price.

Harcum is attracting new students from across the Northeast and beyond who seek new possibilities and are attracted to Harcum’s unique mix of practical career education, hands-on internships and clinical experiences, personal attention and support from faculty, and a job placement rate near 100 percent in several of its allied health programs. In this way, Harcum still follows the path blazed by Harcum’s founder, who created the school to help students expand upon their individual skills and talents while providing a strong academic program.

Founder Edith Hatcher was the daughter of prominent Virginia clergyman Dr. William E. Hatcher, an educator who was also a talented concert pianist who passed his talent to his daughter. In 1913, Edith Hatcher married Octavius Marvin Harcum.  After the birth of their first child, Edith wrote “the concert career did not offer a chance for family stability” so they chose a venture that would combine “my talents as an educator and artist and his business vision and ability.”  They opened the Harcum Post Graduate School on October 1, 1915 with three students and five pianos. Though her expertise was in the fine arts, Edith was also committed to providing a strong, varied academic program. 

The Junto Adult School was a non-profit educational corporation founded by Benjamin Franklin.  It purchased the assets of Harcum in 1952 for possible use as a residential college for adults but soon decided to continue Harcum’s mission as a two-year college for women.  In 1956, Pennsylvania granted Harcum permission to be the first college in the Commonwealth’s history to confer the Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science degrees.

Tremendous building and expansion occurred in the 1960’s with the addition of the Academic Center, Pennswood Hall, and Klein Hall on the College’s tree-lined, tranquil campus in Bryn Mawr, adjacent to the Bryn Mawr high-speed rail station and the uniqueshops and restaurants of this famous college town.

The College continued to grow in the 1980’s and 1990’s and officially became co-educational in 2003. Dr. Jon Jay DeTemple, Harcum’s 11^th president, took office in 2007 and was formally invested in a ceremony at Harcum’s 2008 Commencement.

In Mrs. Harcum’s words, Harcum educates students in the arts and occupational skills, respecting each student as an “individual with personal needs, interests, aptitudes, and aspirations.” 

Harcum’s majors are offered through three fully-accredited academic centers: the Center for Allied Health, the Center for Business and Professional Studies, and the Center for Human Services.

Allied Health majors include animal center management, dental assistant, dental hygiene, expanded functions dental assisting(EFDA), nursing, pre-nursing, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapist assistant, radiologic technology, neurodiagnostic technology, and veterinary technology.

Majors in clinical laboratory science includes the areas of medical laboratory technician (also known as clinical laboratory technician), histotechnican, and phlebotomy.

The Center for Business and Professional Studies majors are business administration, international business, fashion and interior design, retail merchandising and sports management. The Center for Human Services offers majors in criminal justice, legal studies, human services and early childhood education.

All majors are taught by faculty with professional experience in their fields.

All Harcum students are given the opportunity to complete a career-related work experience either through required internships, clinical or practicum experiences, or service learning activities. All programs integrate liberal learning throughout their curriculum. All students graduate with both career-specific and life-enriching skills.

Harcum is conveniently located in Bryn Mawr, PA along the prestigious and beautiful Main Line of Philadelphia’s western suburbs  The area features  a variety of unique shops, fine restaurants with cuisines from around the world, and other services, including supermarkets, bookstores, banks, drugstores, and the campuses and varied activities of five other colleges and universities right nearby.

The College, located within 100 yards of the regional rail station in Bryn Mawr (SEPTA R5), is also a mere 20-minute train ride from downtown Philadelphia.

Student safety is paramount at Harcum. The campus has a 24-hour Campus Safety Office, magnetic card-locked entrances to residence halls, and ongoing security drills.

What does it mean to be a Harcum student? It means being a part of diverse community committed to career development and intellectual growth. You can find Harcum students hanging out on the front steps of the Academic Center, studying for exams in the Library, strolling and shopping on the streets of Bryn Mawr or taking the train into Philly to go to a new restaurant or club, or watch the world-class Phillies baseball team or Flyers hockey team, watching a movie in the residence hall, having a BBQ on the lawn of the President’s House, playing basketball in the gym, or giving back to the community through volunteering.

Life at Harcum is dynamic and filled with opportunities for both resident and commuter students. Students can participate in many free student activities, join clubs and organizations, and volunteer in the community.

Harcum alumni can be found in all 50 states and in 27 countries working in Fortune 500 companies, banks, law firms, government, hospitals, veterinary offices, dental offices and physical/occupational therapy centers. Many run their own businesses. It is entirely possible that the hygienist who cleans your teeth, the nurse who takes your blood pressure, the vet tech taking care of your pet with your veterinarian, and the designer who decorated your doctor’s waiting room are all Harcum College graduates. For more information on alumni activities go to www.myharcum.edu

Harcum's historic Little Theater was home to its drama program in the 1940's. Richard Nash, a playwright and director who taught at Harcum, was the author and screenwriter of the 1956 Hollywood classic "The Rainmaker", starring Burt Lancaster and Katherine Hepburn. One of his Broadway hits, "The Young and the Fair" was set on a college campus very similar to Harcum.

The College is currently restoring the Little Theater to its former glory as a center for arts and academics on campus.

It will soon be a 75-seat multi-use venue that will benefit the community and Harcum students, nestled inside of an early 20^th-century Classical style mansion adjacent to the Bryn Mawr rail station.

Harcum has a variety of clubs and on-campus activities throughout the fall and spring, including music, movies, speakers, trips and opportunities to volunteer in the community.

The new “green” Student Lounge in the Academic Center, redesigned with environment-friendly soy-based paints, recyclable flooring, recycled furniture and other features, was a project of Harcum interior design students.

While Harcum prides itself on remaining up-to-the minute in new trends and technology, the founder’s mission remains intact.  By offering individual attention, relevant coursework and hands-on training, Harcum provides its students with the supportive atmosphere and marketable skills to guarantee them success after graduation. Harcum alumni can go to www.myharcum.com to learn more.

Harcum College

750 Montgomery Avenue

Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

610-526-4100

www.harcum.edu

enroll@harcum.edu

Tuition

Full-Time Tuition (12-18 credits)              $9,300/semester or $18,600/year(does not include books and fees)

Part-Time Tuition (less than 11 credits)    $595/credit (does not include books and fees)

STARS Nursing                                        $25,800

 Three equal payments of $8600 (includes books   and student activity, technology and parking fees)

Nursing – Evening                                    $23,800

                                                                  Four equal payments of $5950(includes books

 and student activity, technology and parking fees)

Neurodiagnostic Technology                    $32,000 (six equal payments of $5333)

Professional Studies and Off-Campus Programs – call 610.526.6100 for pricing

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