Virginia Commonwealth University

About Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University, which was founded in 1968, is one of the state's leading medical education campuses and home to the Richmond area's only Level I trauma center. Additionally, the university hospital, VCU Medical Center, has over 200 treatment specialty areas.

Beyond medical education, VCU enrolls over 32,000 students annually in more than 60 bachelor's degree programs, 70 master's degree programs and 33 doctorate programs. The campus also offers certificate programs and professional degrees. The university hosts centers for environmental life science, a school of pharmacy, a Northern Virginia branch campus for social work and even a school for arts in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar.

Virginia Commonwealth University Admission and Enrollment Information

Prospective freshman applying to Virginia Commonwealth University must submit a minimum of four English units and three units each of math, history, science and foreign language. Candidates must also submit SAT or ACT standardized test scores along with a completed application, essay and application fee.

Graduate students must meet the individual requirements of the graduate programs to which they are applying, which may or may not entail submitting scores from the Graduate Record Examination standardized test.

Academic Colleges at Virginia Commonwealth University

College of Humanities and Sciences

Students may enroll in more than 100 fields of study through VCU's College of Humanities and Sciences. Majors and graduate degree programs are organized into departments including African American studies, biology, chemistry, English, forensic science, military science and philosophy, as well as three distinct schools, which are the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, the School of World Affairs and the School of Mass Communications.

School of Allied Health Professions

School of Allied Health Professions programs include gerontology, health administration, clinical lab science, nurse anesthesia, patient counseling, physical therapy, occupational therapy, radiation science and rehabilitation counseling. Five of the school's programs are ranked in the top 25 allied health programs by U.S. News and World Report. The nurse anesthesia program was actually ranked first according to the magazine.

School of the Arts

Another top-ranked school according to U.S. News and World Report, VCU's School of the Arts hosts the nation's top-ranked public university programs in sculpture, graphic design, fiber arts and glass. Additional majors and graduate programs include cinema, communication arts, dance and choreography, fashion design, film, photography and theatre arts.

School of Business

VCU's School of Business offers majors and graduate studies in accounting, economics, finance and real estate, information systems, management and marketing. The school also houses several specialty centers, including the VCU Center for Economic Education, Virginia Council on Economic Education and Virginia Family and Private Business Forum.

School of Dentistry

Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Dentistry prepares students for careers in dental hygiene, general dental practice and advanced specialty fields. The school offers a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene, a Doctor of Dental Surgery for general dental practice and graduate degrees in oral pathology, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics and prosthodontics.

School of Education

Another VCU division on the U.S. News and World Report's lists, the university's School of Education was rated as one of 'America's Best Graduate Schools' by the college ranking magazine. The school offers undergraduate concentrations in exercise science, community health education and physical education; graduate options are more plentiful and include master's degrees in special education, counselor education and middle school education. Doctoral degrees include educational leadership, research, special education and rehabilitation.

School of Engineering

Responding to demand in the greater Richmond area for more technology-trained graduates, Virginia Commonwealth University created this, its newest, department in 1996. The School of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemical and life science, electrical and computer engineering, biomedical engineering, computer science and mechanical engineering.

School of Medicine (includes the emerging School of Public Health)

VCU's School of Medicine--which also encompasses the university's emerging School of Public Health--is one of Virginia's largest and most comprehensive medical training centers. In addition to physician training programs, the School of Medicine offers dual M.D./Ph.D., M.D./Master of Health Administration and a M.D./Master of Public Health. The school also offers a variety of graduate degrees in addiction studies, anatomy, biochemistry, genetic counseling, molecular genetics, neuroscience, pharmacology and other related fields of study.

School of Nursing

Founded in 1893, Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Nursing is one of the state's oldest and largest nurse training programs, enrolling over 1,000 students in bachelor's, master's and doctorate degree programs. In addition to traditional registered nurse undergraduate programs, the School of Nursing offers nine graduate specialty fields as well as a Ph.D. nursing program.

School of Pharmacy

VCU's School of Pharmacy, founded in the late 19th century, was approved in 1955 as the first graduate school for pharmacists by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition to a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, the School of Pharmacy offers master's, doctorate and post-doctoral degrees in pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry.

School of Social Work

Ranked as the 14th best school for social work in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, VCU's social work school offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in social work. The school also has an off-campus graduate education site in Alexandria, Virginia, which is just outside of Washington, D.C.

VCU Graduate School

The VCU Graduate School is the umbrella organization that administers and manages the university's graduate and doctoral degree programs. Every school in the Virginia Commonwealth University offers its own range of relevant graduate degrees; but students interested in studying at the graduate level must apply and be admitted through the VCU Graduate School.

Contact Information

• Address: 910 W. Franklin St, Richmond, Virginia 23284
• Phone Number: (804) 828-0100