Charleston Southern University (CSU) was founded in 1964. This private institution of higher education has been ranked as one of the top 100 best colleges of the South by US News and World Report and is also known as one of America’s “best buys” in higher education. Located conveniently in the heart of Charleston, South Carolina, CSU’s campus offers a beautiful and historical landscape as an everyday feature of college life. Interestingly, CSU’s 300 acre location was once a rice and indigo plantation. As a student you can enjoy the many beaches and water activities that Charleston offers during your free time such as sailing, angling trophy fish like marlin and mahi mahi or kayaking through black water swamps and barrier islands.Accredited by the Commission of Colleges and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, CSU is South Carolina’s largest independent university. Furthermore, what makes CSU unique is it’s devotion to its Christian values while encouraging knowledge and scholarship, as CSU is also a Christian university focused on combining faith with learning and leading with serving. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and is looking forward to being recognized nationally as a Christian university that acts as a leader in the three areas of learnin, leading, and serving, mentioned above.
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Charleston Southern University
Academics
Charleston Southern University offers the following degrees for undergraduates: bachelor of science, bachelor of arts, bachelor of technology, and bachelor of management arts. It also offers a variety of master degrees focusing on: nursing, criminal justice, education and business administration. The most popular undergraduate majors are business administration, biology, psychology and nursing.
The following section is a breakdown of the university’s six degree granting colleges and their accompanying features. The College of Distance and Continuing Education offers degrees to students that are already working in a chosen career field. The bachelor of management arts is a 48 credit hour major that is geared towards strengthening managerial skills and each course is only 7 weeks long. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences offers majors in political science and English.The College of Science and Mathematics offers majors in athletic training kinesiology, applied mathematics and biochemistry. The school of business offers economics and a graduate degree in business administration. The School of Education offers elementary education, music education and master degrees in secondary administration and supervision. Lastly, the School of Nursing also offers degrees in health promotion and has a new online RN-BSN program.
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Most Popular Fields of Study
The top 5 fields of study completed at Charleston Southern University.
The Bridge Program is a program created for those who want to enter into a bachelor program but do not meet the necessary requirements for normal admission. Those individuals who may need remedial review in core subjects such as English, mathematics, writing, or reading, for example, could possibly fall into this category. The program offers 3 areas of study: Bridge English students focus on writing and mechanics, and college reading with study skills. Bridge math students focuses on pre-algebra and reading and study skills; and the last option, Bridge “full” students take a developmental course in pre-algebra, writing and mechanics, as well as reading and study skills. During the program students will have constant academic advising, a strict attendance policy to ensure students attend class, mandatory tutoring in English and math, and the benefit of a small classroom size for personalized instruction.
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Charleston Southern University
Admissions
Charleston Southern University has a rolling admission, but test scores are due by mid August. CSU has a very selective admissions process, only admitting about 63% of all applicants. Incoming freshmen are required to have an ACT score of 19 and a SAT score of 480 in reading and 440 math. Although the website does not mention that official high school transcripts are needed, CSU does state that incoming students should have taken in high school 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 3 years of science with two labs and 3 years of histories.
Transfer students must have 24 transferable credits with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA. International students are open to apply for admission if transcripts and SAT/ACT scores meet the minimum requirements. Non English speakers must have proof of passing the TOEFL and financial documentation, of which details can be found on the website. CSU also offers an accelerated online bachelors program tailored to adult students. Adult students do not need to have previous college experience/credits for this program;, they only must show proof of independence and work status.
Another program offered at CSU is its Honors Program. To be considered for admissions into the honors program, incoming freshmen should have a minimum GPA of a 3.0, a score of 1200 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT. They are also required to complete an essay that explains their educational goals.
Graduate requirements for admission depend on the program of study. Generally, however one must have official college transcripts and test scores from either the GMATor GRE. For instance, the master degree programs in education require a 2.75 GPA in the last two years of undergraduate studies, two letters of recommendation from a principal or supervisor, a writing sample, a completed disposition survey and a valid South Carolina teaching certificate,depending on which program you choose to seek admission.
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Financial Aid
CSU has 9 institutional scholarships available and 8 South Carolina state scholarships, like the Palmetto Fellows Enhancement awarded to math and science students and the International Missionary Dependent award. Other ways that students meet the cost of school is through traditional federal financial aid, which awards grants and loans. Prospective students can apply for federal financial aid by completing the FAFSA online. FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and will determine which federal grants or loans a student is eligible for. Keep in the mind that the federal deadline for submission of the FAFSA is in mid June for the upcoming fall and spring semesters. For the state of South Carolina, the deadline falls in mid June. Students can also seek outside private scholarships on their own.
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Student Financial Aid Details
How many students use Financial Aid, and how much do they use?
Charleston Southern University 2241st for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best South Carolina scholarships and financial aid
CSU enrolls over 3000 students: 62% are female and 38% male. CSU has a number of different sororities and fraternities for students to join. They also have typical academic clubs such as the French club and outreach clubs such as Catalyst that goes out into the community and serves those less fortunate and in need. Because CSU is first and foremost a Christian university, there are a variety of different ministry activities on campus. These ministries stand on 3 principles: to reach, raise, and release potential witnesses of Jesus Christ. These ministries help to train students on how to effectively minister the word of God through worship service, small group instruction, and spiritual growth conferences. Other student activities include club sports such as soccer and intramural sports like Ultimate Frisbee.
There are many helpful resources for students to make sure the best educational experience is offered. The Learning Center offers specially trained professional tutors that help students in several areas of study. The tutors help students to better understand and grasp material covered in class. Writing tutors help students prepare class essays, come up with ideas and organize and clarify points in ones writing. If college life gets you down, counseling services by qualified counselors that give you a Christian perspective are available. They will discuss issues that deal with school such as time management and academic problems to more personal issues such as depression, loneliness and relationship issues.
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Student Enrollment Demographics
How many students are enrolled at Charleston Southern University?
Do you go to church on Sunday morning but never miss an important afternoon game? Well, you won’t be disappointed at CSU. Being a Christian university CSU desires to educate the whole man and this means fulfilling the competitive sports drive that is present in everyone. CSU competes in the NCAA Division I Big South Conference. CSU also has both men and women basketball and golf. With a women majority, students competitive level sports are more geared to women, having basketball, cross-country, tennis,track and field volleyball and soccer aqs possible options. They also have the typical offering of sports for men, such as baseball, football, track and field and cross country.
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Charleston Southern University
Additional School Information
Housing
Because Charleston Southern University has a large female student population, the majority of the residence halls are all female. Russell West which doubles as housing and office space is the only coeducational resident hall. Upper class women house the buildings first two floors while incoming freshmen males house the third. The other floors are occupied by security and housing offices, counseling services and the Air force ROTC. Russell East houses all incoming freshmen women. Women’s North and Women’s South house other female students in a mixture of freshmen, transfer student and upperclassmen. These dorms are unique in that they have furnished kitchens. The Quads are the resident halls that hold all-male students. There are actually three quad buildings that all come equipped with laundry facilities and a shared volleyball courtyard. All resident dorm rooms have the same floor plans, suite like rooms that hold up to five people, and Jack and Jill bathrooms.
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Bibliography
US News and World Report LP. “Charleston Southern University: Overview.” Web. 18 April 2011. <http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-college>
Official Site for Charleston Vacations & Charleston Tourism. Web. 25 April 2011. <http://www.charlestoncvb.com/visitors/>
Charleston Southern University. Web. 18 April 2011.
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Feel free to add comments or additional information regarding Charleston Southern University, or discuss this school in the University Discussion Forum
over 1 year agoAdrianne Woods
I am a student at Charleston Southern. We DO have study abroad programs, though not to the same extent as a larger school. This past year, groups went to Guatemala and India, and we have groups that go to Mexico, Ghana, China, and the Eastern Europe. The study abroad started in 1997 with a month-long, language-intensive trip to Spain. All our programs are during the summer.
This website and associated pages are not associated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Charleston Southern University. StateUniversity.com has no official or unofficial affiliation with Charleston Southern University.
I am a student at Charleston Southern. We DO have study abroad programs, though not to the same extent as a larger school. This past year, groups went to Guatemala and India, and we have groups that go to Mexico, Ghana, China, and the Eastern Europe. The study abroad started in 1997 with a month-long, language-intensive trip to Spain. All our programs are during the summer.