Virginia Commonwealth University

Academics

Degrees offered

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• Baccalaureate
• Master's
• Doctoral
• Professional and Certificate

Programs and schools

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• College of Humanities & Sciences
• School of Mass Communications
• School of World Studies
• L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs
• School of Allied Health Professions
• School of the Arts
• School of Business
• School of Dentistry
• School of Education
• School of Engineering
• School of Medicine
• School of Nursing
• School of Pharmacy
• School of Social Work

Notable faculty members include analytical chemist Dr. John Fenn, who in 2002 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to the field of mass spectrometry.

Related Topics:
Analytical chemist - Dr. John Fenn - 2002 - Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Mass spectrometry

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Programs

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In addition to other programs, VCU now hosts the Illustration Academy, a program taught by nationally renowned illustrators. The program is open to all applicants, from students to professionals, and features demonstrations from the artists, classes, and lectures on the business side of the industry.

Related Topics:
Illustration - Professional

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The university's medical campus provides students with several opportunities for postgraduate study at VCU. This has led to the development of "guaranteed admission programs," whereunder select incoming undergraduates are guaranteed a spot in a variety of professional schools so long as a high academic standard is maintained throughout their undergraduate studies. Schools with such a program include medicine, physical therapy, dentistry, pharmacy and others.

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In addition, an accelerated program in the School of Education offers a combined undergraduate, teaching certificate and master's degree in five years.

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Expansion

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More recently the university has focused on what it calls life sciences as an avenue of future expansion, with the 2001 opening of the Lois E. and Eugene P. Trani Life Sciences Building. Construction is expected to begin in 2005 on a Monroe Park Campus Extension, which will include the second phase of the School of Engineering building and a new home for the School of Business, along with residential and retail development.

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The university has expanded rapidly in recent years, with construction focused mainly along the Broad Street corridor. The school is approximately 70 percent commuter and 30 percent on-campus resident, with new residence hall Brandt Hall opening in August 2005. RAMZ Hall opened in mid-January 2005, seven months behind schedule after a fire destroyed most of the still-under-construction building in March of 2004. The Shafer Court Dining Center (permanently taking over cafeteria functions from the Hibbs Building, now under renovation) and Phase III construction and renovation of the University Student Commons were completed in 2004. The Ackell Residence Center (formerly known as West Broad Street Student Apartments) was opened in 2001 across the street from the West Broad Parking Deck, e2 Bookstore and VCU Welcome Center that were completed in 1998. 1998 also saw the opening of a new School of the Arts Building, also on Broad Street.

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West Grace Street Student Housing is home to the University Honors Program and freshman honors housing with single one-person rooms. Formerly the Capital Medical Center, the university purchased and converted the building in 1998. The building is also home to the VCU OccuHealth Alliance, part of the VCU Health System.

Related Topics:
VCU OccuHealth Alliance - VCU Health System

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Growing pains

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VCU has also seen a significant growth in student enrollment and bureaucracy over the past few years, with each successive freshman class being the largest in the university's history. Because the university offers such a wide variety of degrees with relatively sparse classroom space, some have complained that there are not enough course offerings to meet demand, and an increase in non-tenure track "teaching collateral" faculty has yet to catch up with increased student enrollment, or to offset the loss of senior, tenured faculy through early retirement buy-outs. Students are regularly forced to seek overrides to enroll in classes and search for the few openings that become available on the university's electronic enrollment system. Also, especially in upper division offerings, some classes are offered on a rotating basis by semester, sometimes forcing students to take longer than the normal four years to complete their degree.

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