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Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

375 Church St, North Adams, MA 01247

http://www.mcla.edu/

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School Description

Provided by Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a public, residential, liberal arts college, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Its distinctive purpose is to provide a high quality alternative to private liberal arts institutions at a lower cost.

We offer liberal arts and professional majors. Our students balance courses within their major, in core courses, and electives. We infuse this work with experiences designed to maximize your engagement and deepen learning. Our graduate programs include a Master's in Education, Leadership Academy for school administrators and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS).

Our faculty will know your name and share your dreams, and our classes will be small and personalized. It is this rare combination of value and values that ensures students get their money's worth at MCLA, right from the start, while also earning a substantial lifelong return on their investment.

Our graduates are the powerful result of this commitment to high-quality, affordable education. That's the promise of a public liberal arts college whose value is as enduring as the beautiful mountains that surround us.

To complement your coursework, out-of-the-classroom experiences allow for new ways of thinking and promote personal growth as you develop the social skills and ethics you will need in a rapidly changing global society.

MCLA is located in North Adams, in the northwestern corner of Massachusetts, in Berkshire County's vibrant arts community. While North Adams is the smallest city in the state, it offers a number of great shops, artists' galleries and museums within walking distance of the College, and a full-service regional hospital less than two miles away.

North Adams also boasts the state's highest mountain peak and numerous state parks and natural wonders. The city is home to MASS MoCA, one of the nation's largest contemporary art museums.

We are located close to the Vermont and New York borders, and within a three-hour drive of both Boston and New York City. Our students come from all over the Northeast, and our professors and staff enjoy the benefits of living where nature and culture are in harmony. Our campus is safe, beautiful, and a place where you can focus on learning.

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Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is a public, residential, liberal arts college, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges and is located in North Adams, Massachusetts. Originally established as part of the state's normal school system for training teachers, it now offers a variety of programs leading to Bachelor of Science and Arts degrees, as well as a Master of Education track. MCLA is the smallest college in the state system.

From the 1960s, the college's athletic teams were known as the Mohawks. In response to concerns about racial stereotyping, the name Trailblazers was adopted in 2002.

History

Founded in 1894 as North Adams Normal School; offered first instruction at postsecondary level in 1897; changed name in 1932 to State Teachers College of North Adams, added upper division curriculum, and awarded first degree (baccalaureate) in 1932; added upper graduate program in 1937; in 1960, the college changed its name to North Adams State College; in 1997, the name changed to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), reflective of specialty school status within the Massachusetts State College public system.

Location

MCLA is located in North Adams, MA, 1 mile from the downtown area of 14,700, in the northwestern corner of the state, bordering both Vermont and New York. Approximate travel time from Boston is 2 ½ hours; 3 hours from New York City; 1 ¼ hours from Albany, NY and 2 hours from Hartford, CT. Located 50 miles from Albany, NY; 180 miles from New York City; 135 miles from Boston, MA

Degrees

Awards on the undergraduate level B.A. and a B.S. and also confers a Masters in Education M.Ed. and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS). MCLA offers 19 majors and 35 minors, on average 300 academic courses offered each semester (Fall/Spring)

Athletics

MCLA has over 40 student clubs, 11 competitive NCAA Division III sports (men only: baseball, basketball, cross-country, soccer, golf; women only: softball, basketball, cross-country, soccer, tennis, volleyball) competes in the ECAC and the MASCAC

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Read the full entry on Wikipedia

Quick Facts

Chance of Admission:
Location:
Northeast
Setting:
Small Town Setting
Type:
Public
Size:
Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad)
Mascot:
Trailblazers
Nickname:
MCLA

Students & Campus Life

Undergraduate Enrollment:
1,458
On Campus Housing:
Available
Full Time Students:
98%
Athletic Programs:
Available
> More Students & Campus Life

Expenses

Average Tuition:
$ 14,562
Students Receiving Aid:
85%
> More Expenses & Financial Aid

Admissions

Application Fee:
$ 25
Selectivity:
Selective
> More Admissions

Degree Programs at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Bachelor's Level Programs

  • Agriculture and Natural Resources

    See more schools with programs in Agriculture and Natural Resources
    • Natural Resources and Conservation See more schools with programs in Natural Resources and Conservation
      • Environmental Studies.
        A program that focuses on environment-related issues using scientific, social scientific, or humanistic approaches or a combination. Includes instruction in the basic principles of ecology and environmental science and related subjects such as policy, politics, law, economics, social aspects, planning, pollution control, natural resources, and the interactions of human beings and nature.
        See more schools with programs in Environmental Studies.

  • Arts & Humanities

    See more schools with programs in Arts & Humanities
    • English Language and Literature See more schools with programs in English Language and Literature
      • English Language and Literature
        A general program that focuses on the English language, including its history, structure and related communications skills; and the literature and culture of English-speaking peoples.
        See more schools with programs in English Language and Literature
    • History See more schools with programs in History
      • History
        A program that focuses on the general study and interpretation of the past, including the gathering, recording, synthesizing and criticizing of evidence and theories about past events. Includes instruction in historiography; historical research methods; studies of specific periods, issues and cultures; and applications to areas such as historic preservation, public policy, and records administration.
        See more schools with programs in History
    • Philosophy See more schools with programs in Philosophy
      • General Philosophy
        A program that focuses on ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. Includes instruction in logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, symbolism, and history of philosophy, and applications to the theoretical foundations and methods of other disciplines.
        See more schools with programs in General Philosophy
    • Visual and Performing Arts See more schools with programs in Visual and Performing Arts
      • Visual and Performing Arts
        A general, undifferentiated program that focuses on the visual and performing arts and that may prepare individuals in any of the visual artistic media or performing disciplines.
        See more schools with programs in Visual and Performing Arts

  • Business

    See more schools with programs in Business
    • General Business See more schools with programs in General Business
      • Business Administration and Management
        Generally, this program prepares individuals to plan, organize, direct, and control a firm or organization. To aid them in taking a leading role in business, individuals in this program study management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing, and business decision-making.
        See more schools with programs in Business Administration and Management

  • Education

    See more schools with programs in Education
    • General Education See more schools with programs in General Education
      • General Education
        A program that focuses on the general theory and practice of learning and teaching; the basic principles of educational psychology; the art of teaching; the planning and administration of educational activities; school safety and health issues; and the social foundations of education.
        See more schools with programs in General Education

  • Interdisciplinary Studies

    See more schools with programs in Interdisciplinary Studies
    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
      Any instructional program that is derived from two or more distinct programs to provide a cross-cutting focus on a subject concentration that is not subsumed under a single discipline or occupational field.
      See more schools with programs in Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies

  • Life Science

    See more schools with programs in Life Science
    • Biology See more schools with programs in Biology
      • Biology/Biological Sciences
        Students in this program study general biology at an introductory level. This major provides students with a broad overview of biology and includes instruction in general biology and programs covering a variety of biological specializations.
        See more schools with programs in Biology/Biological Sciences

  • Mathematics and Statistics

    See more schools with programs in Mathematics and Statistics
    • General Mathematics
      A general program that focuses on the analysis of quantities, magnitudes, forms, and their relationships, using symbolic logic and language. Includes instruction in algebra, calculus, functional analysis, geometry, number theory, logic, topology and other mathematical specializations.
      See more schools with programs in General Mathematics

  • Natural Sciences

    See more schools with programs in Natural Sciences
    • Physics See more schools with programs in Physics
      • General Physics
        A general program that focuses on the scientific study of matter and energy, and the formulation and testing of the laws governing the behavior of the matter-energy continuum. Includes instruction in classical and modern physics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, mechanics, wave properties, nuclear processes, relativity and quantum theory, quantitative methods, and laboratory methods.
        See more schools with programs in General Physics

  • Social Sciences

    See more schools with programs in Social Sciences
    • Psychology See more schools with programs in Psychology
      • General Psychology
        A general program that focuses on the scientific study of individual and collective behavior, the physical and environmental bases of behavior, and the analysis and treatment of behavior problems and disorders. Includes instruction in the principles of the various subfields of psychology, research methods, and psychological assessment and testing methods.
        See more schools with programs in General Psychology
    • Sociology See more schools with programs in Sociology
      • Sociology
        A program that focuses on the systematic study of human social institutions and social relationships. Includes instruction in social theory, sociological research methods, social organization and structure, social stratification and hierarchies, dynamics of social change, family structures, social deviance and control, and applications to the study of specific social groups, social institutions, and social problems.
        See more schools with programs in Sociology

  • Technology

    See more schools with programs in Technology
    • Software Development See more schools with programs in Software Development
      • Computer and Information Sciences
        A general program that focuses on computing, computer science, and information science and systems as part of a broad and/or interdisciplinary program. Such programs are undifferentiated as to title and content and are not to be confused with specific programs in computer science, information science, or related support services.
        See more schools with programs in Computer and Information Sciences

Master's Level Programs

  • Education

    See more schools with programs in Education
    • General Education See more schools with programs in General Education
      • General Education
        A program that focuses on the general theory and practice of learning and teaching; the basic principles of educational psychology; the art of teaching; the planning and administration of educational activities; school safety and health issues; and the social foundations of education.
        See more schools with programs in General Education

Students

General

Full-Time vs. Part-Time
Full-Time 98%
Part-Time 2%
Men vs. Women
Women 62%
Men 38%
Race/Ethnicity
Caucasian 91%
Other 3%
African-American 3%
Hispanic 2%
Asian 1%

Geography

In State vs. Out-of-State
In-State 72%
Out-of-State 28%
Top States for Incoming Freshman
Massachusetts 72%
New York 20%
New Jersey 1%
Rhode Island 1%
Vermont 1%
Percent of Students International: 0%

Housing

On-Campus Housing Available: Yes
Percent of Students Living On-Campus: 59%
Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: No

Athletics

Member of: NAA, NCAA
Sports Include: Basketball (Massachusetts State College Ath Assoc)
Baseball (Massachusetts State College Ath Assoc)
Track (Massachusetts State College Ath Assoc)
Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) In-State Out-of-State  
Published Tuition and Fees:
 $ 5,617 $ 14,562  
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads:
 $ 1,030 $ 9,975  
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads:
 $ 4,587 $ 4,587  
Financial Aid Avg. Amount Received % of Students Receiving Aid  
Federal Grants:
 $ 2,895 27%  
State and Local Grants:
 $ 2,435 36%  
Institutional Grants:
 $ 2,413 42%  
Student Loans:
 $ 2,817 69%  
Any Aid:
   85%  

Selectivity (Undergraduate Only)

Acceptance Rate: 75% (Selective)
Test Scores  
SAT Scores:  
% of Students Submitting SAT Scores: 94%
Bottom 25th Percentile: Verbal: 475, Math: 450
Top 75th Percentile: Verbal: 590, Math: 560

Application Requirements (Undergraduate Only)

Application Fee: $ 25.00
Formal Demonstration of Competencies: Not Required
High School Diploma or Equivalent: Required
High School GPA: Required
High School Rank: Not Required
High School Record: Required
Recommendations: Not Required
TOEFL: Not Required
Test Scores: Required

College Advice

Yahoo
James W
James W

Question: which is the best/worst Massachusetts state college?

Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater Fitchburg State College, Fitchburg Framingham State College, Framingham Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay Salem State College, Salem Westfield State College, Westfield Worcester State College, Worcester
14 months ago
Cotton Tablecloth
Cotto...

Best Answer

Worst (by far): Salem State College, Salem Best (a toss-up): Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston OR Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams

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