Philadelphia University

Catalog 2008-2009

School House Lane and Henry Avenue

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144-5497

215.951.2700

www.PhilaU.edu

Anti-Discrimination Policy

Philadelphia University does not discriminate on any condition of ethnicity or ancestry, or on the basis of creed, race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation or disability in its admissions, education programs, activities or employment practices. This policy is in accordance with state and federal laws, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The programs, policies, procedures, requirements, tuition and fees described in this catalog are subject to change without notice, at the discretion of the University.

Responsibility to Keep Informed

Students are ultimately responsible for their own progress toward graduation; they are expected to use the catalog as a reference handbook and to familiarize themselves with the principal policies and procedures contained in it. The online version of this catalog (www.PhilaU.edu/catalog) will be updated annually. Students are responsible for monitoring the Web site concerning changes to policies and procedures that might affect their progress toward graduation and regularly check campus mailboxes and Philadelphia University email as a means of keeping informed.

A Brief History of the University

Philadelphia University was founded in 1884 as the Philadelphia Textile School, in the wake of the 1876 Centennial Exposition. A group of textile manufacturers, led by Theodore Search, noticed a sizeable gap between the quality and variety of American textile products and those displayed by European mills. To address this, the group established the School to educate America’s textile workers and managers.

Several years later, the School affiliated with the Pennsylvania Museum (now the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and School of Industrial Art. By the mid-1890s, the School had settled at Broad and Pine Streets in downtown Philadelphia. The School survived the Depression and entered a new period of growth at the outset of World War II. In 1941, the School was granted the right to award baccalaureate degrees and changed its name to the Philadelphia Textile Institute.

By 1949, the School, which was no longer affiliated with the museum, began conducting classes at its present site in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Throughout the 1950s, the School continued to grow, and in 1961, changed its name to Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science.

The student population doubled from 1954 to 1964, and again by 1978. Programs in the arts and sciences and business administration were added. The institution purchased an adjoining property in 1972, doubling the size of its campus.

As Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science, the institution offered its first graduate degree, the Master of Business Administration in 1976. With the purchase of properties in 1980 and 1988, the size of the campus nearly doubled again and grew to include additional classrooms, research laboratories, student residences and athletic facilities. In 1992, the 54,000-square-foot Paul J. Gutman Library was built.

The College continued throughout the ’90s to provide its students with the highest quality education and real-world experience demanded by their chosen professions, adding majors in a wide range of fields. To better reflect the institution’s breadth and depth, the College applied for and was granted university status by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1999. And, in a historic move, the Board of Trustees voted to change the School’s name to Philadelphia University, making it the only private university to be named after the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science became Philadelphia University on July 13, 1999.

The University now has six schools, which includes the Schools of Architecture, Business Administration, Design and Media, Engineering and Textiles, Liberal Arts, and Science and Health.

Mission Statement

Philadelphia University is a student-centered institution that prepares graduates for successful careers in an evolving global marketplace. By blending the liberal arts and sciences, professional studies, interdisciplinary learning and collaborations in and out of the classroom, students learn to thrive in diverse and challenging environments. Our students are encouraged to form supportive relationships with each other as well as faculty, staff and alumni in an academically rigorous setting that is focused on intellectual and personal growth. Philadelphia University is an experiential learning community where integrity, creativity, curiosity, ethics, responsibility and the free exchange of ideas are valued.

The University Today

At Philadelphia University, we believe that education is a lifelong experience. Since the late-19th century, we have been a leader in professional education — helping individuals meet the challenge of achieving their goals. Our innovative programs prepare our students for 21st-century careers by giving them the Power to Do.

Our graduates have consistently excelled in textile engineering, design, materials management and manufacturing. Today, Philadelphia University’s alumni are global leaders in design, architecture, fashion, business, engineering, health professions, textiles, materials technology and science.

To prepare such leaders, academic programs are grounded in the arts and sciences within an integrated curriculum and are taught with a hands-on approach by dedicated faculty. Our faculty are teachers, researchers and practitioners who are passionate about the University’s mission.

Here, personal attention and ongoing advisement are cornerstones. From the moment students enroll, they have a network of resources to help them transition to a university environment, support them academically and facilitate their personal and professional development. These benefits, together with an emphasis on quality education, are the reasons why we bring out the best in every student.

Philadelphia University, founded in 1884, is a private university with 3,100 part- and full-time students from 38 states and 30 countries. The University offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs leading to the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, master’s degrees and a doctoral degree in Textile Engineering and Science. Academic programs encompass architecture, design, business, engineering, textiles, fashion, science and health.

The Campus

The 53 buildings on the University’s 100-acre campus range from historic Victorian mansions to contemporary classroom, library and residential facilities. The latest additions – The Kanbar Campus Center, a 72,000 square-foot social hub for students, faculty and staff, and the Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center have transformed our main campus and are having a dramatic impact on the academic and social environment for all members of the University community. The Tuttleman Center, a 31,500 square-foot, high-tech academic facility, is fully wired and offers students and faculty access to the most sophisticated technology available.

The tree-lined Main Campus is located on the edge of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park in the beautiful residential area of East Falls, 15 minutes from historic Center City Philadelphia. Today over 50 percent of the University’s students live in on-campus housing, including co-ed and single-sex residence halls, town homes and two- or three-bedroom apartments. And about 25 percent live in off-campus housing close to the University.

The Philadelphia University campus is wired with a sophisticated network directly to the desktop providing campus-wide, file-transfer capability, personal directories, email and high-speed Internet access. The campus’s advanced technology also provides voice mail and cable television to anyone living in the residence halls or townhouses.

The Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center is home to three regulation-size basketball courts, a state-of-the-art fitness center, aerobics studio, racquetball court and elevated jogging track, as well as a 251-space underground parking garage. In addition, Athletic facilities on campus include a baseball field, softball field, tennis courts, and soccer and lacrosse field.

The University is also close to beautiful countryside, big-city life, concerts, galleries and museums, great restaurants and theaters.