Office of Admission
Rockhurst University
1100 Rockhurst Road
Kansas City, MO 64110
816-501-4100
800-842-6776
Fax: 816-501-4241
2006-2007 COSTS:
Tuition:
$19,900
Room and Board:
$6,900
Fees, books, misc.:
$800
Kansas City, Missouri
Overview
Rockhurst University believes in experience-based learning. The goal is to help students confront the challenges they will encounter in the real world by using the wide range of resources available in Kansas City as a learning laboratory. Through activities such as professional internships, research projects, and community service work throughout the city, students learn by doing. This approach to education helps students clarify their professional interests as well as acquire a deeper sense of confidence in themselves, their skills, and their life choices.
The intellectual community of 3,000 students encourages students to find their own capacity for original thinking and to approach new challenges as questioning, open-minded thinkers. This ability is one of the great gifts of a Jesuit education. Rockhurst is one of the most intimate, manageable, and affordable of the nation's twenty-eight Jesuit colleges and universities. It has been consistently ranked as one of the top fifteen universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report.
Rockhurst enjoys an excellent reputation that translates into outstanding employment opportunities for graduates. About 1 in 10 graduates are presidents, chief executive officers, top leaders for not-for-profit organizations, or owners of their own companies.
Activities outside of class are a critical component of the Rockhurst experience. Rockhurst freshmen begin their college careers doing community service through the Finucane Service Project during orientation; seniors complete their education by participating in the Van Ackeren Service Project. In addition, many students spend spring break on a service project.
Classroom work is linked to service and extracurricular achievement. A few examples: one organizational behavior class studied a social service agency and eventually became the agency's consulting team; students have received National Science Foundation grants for undergraduate research; 2 students have been the only undergraduate presenters at the 7,000-person American Political Science Association convention; and students take leading roles in developing the campus master plan and the University's strategic plan.
Students can also take advantage of the Rockhurst network in Kansas City's thriving business community. The Career Center offers the Cooperative Education program, placing students in full- or part-time jobs for a semester, where they earn both pay and credit.
Rockhurst also provides opportunities for learning after students receive a bachelor's degree. Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Occupational Therapy, Master of Education, Master in Communication Sciences and Disorders, traditional and executive Master of Business Administration degrees, and a five-year bachelor's degree/Master of Business Administration are offered. A postbaccalaureate premed program is also available.
Rockhurst's emphasis on values and lifelong learning leads students to new definitions of success. The process of being a successful person has been mastered by many famous “Rocks,” as Rockhurst alumni are known. From space scientists to entrepreneurs to founders of a clinic for crack babies to college presidents, famous Rocks are found in nearly every state, making a difference in their fields and in their communities.
Location and Community
The 55-acre Rockhurst campus is in the cultural heart of thriving Kansas City. Rustic stone classroom buildings surrounded by beautiful, shaded walkways provide the perfect atmosphere for study and relaxation. The campus is a short stroll from Kansas City's brightest cultural attractions, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Country Club Plaza. All of the metropolitan area's attractions, such as the Truman Sports Complex (home to the Chiefs and Royals), Crown Center, and jazz and rock concert halls, are easily accessible.
Academic Life
Depending upon their intended major, beginning students are advised in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Helzberg School of Management, or the Research College of Nursing. Students eventually declare a major in one of these three schools. The Research College of Nursing provides an accelerated program for students with degrees in other fields. The Evening Program offers opportunities for working adults to complete the bachelor's degree through part-time study. The University has an excellent honors program. A minimum of 128 credit hours is required for graduation; there are specific requirements for each degree area.
Rockhurst's outstanding faculty includes 129 full-time and 90 part-time professors. Approximately 85 percent of full-time faculty members hold a Ph.D. or the terminal degree in their field. All classes and labs, including those on the freshman level, are taught by professors or instructors, not teaching assistants. Faculty members also act as academic advisers to students. Rockhurst's student-faculty ratio of 10:1 ensures close interaction between students, from freshmen to seniors, and faculty members.
The University's programs in occupational therapy and physical therapy respond to the growing need for health-care professionals. Students entering Rockhurst as freshmen may pursue a program that leads to a bachelor's degree in a related field and a master's degree in occupational therapy after five years or a bachelor's degree in a related field and a doctorate of physical therapy after six years.
The Cooperative Education Program enables students to earn college credit while gaining valuable work experience in major companies. Cooperative education provides students with an opportunity to match academic learning with workplace experience, testing career choices and potential employers. By alternating semesters of study and work, students can complete course work in four years (including summers) and have a year's experience in real-world jobs. Many co-op students are offered permanent positions with firms for which they have worked in the program.
The study-abroad program coordinates course work in nine European cities: Madrid, Spain; Rome and Florence, Italy; Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, and Toulon, France; and Richmond, Surrey, and Kensington, England. In addition, scholarships have funded dozens of students on study trips to Russia, and a study in Mexico program is offered every summer in Xalapa, Mexico. Rockhurst students regularly find internships in government and in the nonprofit and private sectors through the Washington Center, in the nation's capital. Special scholarships have also provided internships in Congress for Rockhurst students. Students may also take courses at other local institutions, such as the Kansas City Art Institute and the Conservatory of Music of the University of Missouri at Kansas City, through an exchange program.
Majors Offered:
Rockhurst University offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. Rockhurst offers programs and majors in accounting, biochemistry, bioinformatics, biology, business administration, business communication, chemistry, clinical laboratory sciences, communication, communication sciences and disorders (speech pathology), computer science, economics, education (elementary and secondary), English, finance/accounting, finance/economics, French, global studies, history, international business, international journalism, management, management information systems, marketing, mathematics, nursing, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, sociology, Spanish, and theology. The Evening Program offers bachelor’s degrees in business administration, elementary education, English, management information systems, nonprofit leadership studies, organizational communication and leadership, and sociology.
Preprofessional programs are available in dentistry, engineering, journalism, law, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician’s assistant studies, and veterinary medicine. Minors and certificate programs include American humanics, art, Catholic studies, educational studies, German, human service agency administration, journalism, medical sociology and health-care administration, music, paralegal studies, theater arts, women’s studies, and writing.
Campus Life
Rockhurst recognizes that campus life involves more than academics and cocurricular activities. The Town House Village student residence complex provides an apartment-style residence experience for juniors and seniors. About half of Rockhurst's full-time undergraduate students live on campus, located just a few blocks south of the famed Country Club Plaza.
All full-time students can participate in the Student Senate. Students elect senate representatives and officers annually. The Student Activities Board, also elected, organizes social activities and allocates student activity fees. Resident students elect Residence Hall Councils to plan activities and help administer the residence halls. Students may also serve on tripartite committees that include students, faculty members, and administrators. These committees advise the President and others on policy issues. The Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council provide leadership for the fraternities and sororities on campus.
Facilities and Resources
The Greenlease Library houses more than 100,000 volumes and is a repository for a variety of government documents, including the Federal Register, Congressional reports, Supreme Court decisions, and presidential papers. Rockhurst students also have access to the renowned Linda Hall Science Library, which is just a few blocks from campus. The Richardson Science Center houses science programs.
Sports / Varsity Athletics
Men's and women's basketball and soccer and women's volleyball teams have regularly participated in NCAA national tournaments. Men's baseball, women's softball, and men's and women's tennis and golf teams continue Rockhurst's strong athletic traditions at the NCAA Division II level. Construction recently was completed on a new $5.5-million athletic complex named Loyola Park.
Expenses
In 2005–06, the cost of tuition was $18,900; room and board costs averaged $5,900.
Financial Aid / Scholarships
Rockhurst University arranges significant financial aid packages, which include scholarships, grants, loans, and part-time jobs, for eligible students. Nearly half of the entering freshman class receives partial to full scholarship awards based on academic, talent, service, and athletic achievements. Federal, state, Rockhurst University, and research grants are available. Low-interest student loans include the Federal Stafford Student and Federal Perkins loans; Federal PLUS loans are available for parents. The Federal Work-Study Program provides campus jobs. The Career Center helps students find part-time jobs throughout the Kansas City area. A monthly payment plan allows students to pay all or part of their fees in installments without interest. Students must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for financial assistance.
Admission Requirements / Application
Applicants must submit scores on the ACT or SAT I examination. Sixteen units of college-preparatory work are required, and an interview is recommended. There is a $25 application fee.
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