Framingham State College

Framingham State College is located in Framingham, Massachusetts, 20 miles (32 km) from Boston. It offers undergraduate programs in a range of subjects from Art to Biology to Communication Arts, and graduate programs including MBA, MEd, and MSc. The college also has undergraduate degree evening programs along with online courses.

History

As the first secretary of the newly created Board of Education in Massachusetts, Horace Mann instituted sweeping school reforms. A centerpiece of these changes was the creation of an experimental normal school, the first one in the United States, in Lexington, with Cyrus Peirce as its first principal or president.^[1] A companion was opened the next year in Bridgewater. Growth forced the normal school's relocation to West Newton in 1843, followed a decade later by a move to the present site on Bare Hill in Framingham.

In 1922, the Framingham Normal School granted its first Bachelor of Science in Education degrees in conjunction with a four-year study program. Ten years afterward, with degreed teachers becoming the norm, the normal schools were renamed State Teachers Colleges. This was changed again in 1960 to the State College at Framingham when Bachelor of Arts degrees were added. At present, Masters' of Education, Arts, and Science degrees are granted as well. In 2007 the college began offering the Master's of Business education degree.

Academics

Undergraduate Majors

• Art History
• Art Studio
• Biology
• Business Administration
• Business and Information Technology
• Chemistry
• Communications Arts
• Computer Science
• Early Childhood Education
• Elementary Education
• English
• Fashion Design and Retailing
• Food and Nutrition
• Food Sciences
• Geography
• Health and Consumer Sciences
• History
• Interdisciplinary (Coordinate Education Major)
• Mathematics
• Modern Languages
• Nursing
• Politics
• Psychology
• Sociology

Undergraduate Minors

• American Studies
• Apparel Design
• Art History
• Art Studio
• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Business Administration
• Chemistry
• Communication Arts
• Computer Science
• Consumer and Community Services
• Earth Science
• Economics
• English
• Food Science
• French
• Gender Studies
• Geography
• Geology
• History
• Information Technology
• Journalism
• Latin American Studies
• Law and Politics
• Mathematics
• Museum Studies
• Music
• Nutrition
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Professional Writing
• Psychology
• Secondary Education
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Statistics
• Writing

Graduate Majors

• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Arts
• Master of Education
• Master of Science in Food and Nutrition
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Undergraduate Degree Evening Program

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Science

Post Baccalaureate Programs

• Pre-Health Studies Certificate Program
• Teacher Licensure Program (PBTL)

Certificate Programs

Undergraduate

• Children's Literature
• Human Resource Management
• Instructional Technology Proficiency Offered Online
• Merchandising
• Nursing Education
• Nutrition Education Offered Online
• Special Needs

Graduate

• Computer Programming Languages
• Information Technology Fluency
• Network and System Administration and Management
• Software Engineering

Rankings

As of 2009, StateCollege.com gave Framingham State an overall score of 79.3, making it the 720th best college in the nation, and 39th best in Massachusetts. The website ranks it behind other Massachusetts public schools such as the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Worcester State College, however it ranks ahead of schools like Fitchburg State College and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Athletics

All Framingham State College teams compete at the NCAA Division III level. All teams compete in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC). Men's programs include baseball, cross country, football, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer. Women's programs include cross country, lacrosse, softball, basketball, field hockey, soccer, and volleyball. All teams compete on campus, except for the baseball and softball teams who play on fields off campus, as well as the ice hockey team who skates at the Loring Arena in Framingham. FSC also offers a wide variety of intramural programs that include everything from badminton, to golf, to dodgeball. There is also a state-of-the-art athletic and recreation center that includes basketball courts, a volleyball court, and a weight room.^[2]

In 2007, the women's soccer team was awarded the prestigious NCAA Sportsmanship Award.^[3]

In Popular Culture

The main character in the movie Summer Catch, Ryan Dunne (Freddie Prinze Jr.), plays college baseball at Framingham State College after being kicked off the baseball team at Boston College.^[4] The movie, however, incorrectly refers to Framingham State as a junior college.

Timeline of name changes

The school has had several names in the past:^[5]

• 1839 opened as the Normal School;
• 1845 designated State Normal School;
• 1932 became State Teacher's College at Framingham';
• 1960 became State College at Framingham; and
• 1968 became Framingham State College.

References

External links

• Framingham State College
• 150th Anniversary pages - includes a history of the college, information on past presidents, photos.
• Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence
• John Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition