Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Encyclopedia
The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is a private
teaching university in Harrisburg
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The university offers applied programs in the nationally critical science
, technology
, engineering
, and mathematics
(STEM
) disciplines. The University also matches students with mentors and requires internships in technology fields. Harrisburg University is the first private, non-profit science and technology
focused university to be chartered by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania in more than 100 years. The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement is affiliated with the university.
programs in science and technology related disciplines. The student/faculty ratio is 9 to 1 with an average class size of 12. The university follows a trimester system.
Concentrations include Food Safety & Quality Assurance; Nanobiotechnology; Nanobiotechnology & Nanofabrication: and Pharmaceutical Design
Concentrations include Computer and Information Security, New Media Design and Production; Software Engineering & Analysis.
Concentrations include Digital Health; eBusiness; Entrepreneurship; Information & Communication Technologies; Interactive Media Management; and Management
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an emerging high-tech field. This program allows students to master GIS related software. Some courses include: Intro to GIS, Geography
, Cartography
, Geospatial Technology, GIS Policy, Spatial Statistics, Satellite Remote Sensing.
Concentrations include biology, biological chemistry, chemistry, environmental science & renewable energy, and forensics.
The 36-credit-hour degree program covers essential skills and topics including procurement and risk management, to systems integration and organizational leadership. Additionally, the curriculum has received Registered Education Provider (REP) status through the Project Management Institute (PMI), providing preparation for the nationally recognized PMP certification.
This is a 36 semester credit hour program that provides students with leading edge approaches and skills to help them apply existing and emerging learning technologies in a variety of learning environments.
The 36-credit-hour degree program provides students with both technical and business skills to advance further in careers in information systems, and features renowned faculty teaching an interdisciplinary blend of information systems, systems engineering, and engineering management. Graduates are ready to lead, manage, and engineer the complex IT systems needed to support businesses and other organizations.
Information Technology Project Management Specialized Graduate Certificates:
, are all located in urban downtown
Harrisburg. The university is within walking distance of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
, which provides auditorium space and numerous cultural events for students.
, Reading Room, Student Services Center, 125-seat auditorium
, six student meeting areas, a multi-media production facility and a courtyard.
and the Pennsylvania Place. The housing options for housing in Harrisburg are all independently owned and operated. The University anticipates that approximately one hundred (100) of its enrolled students will reside across the street from the University’s Academic Center at the newly-renovated Residences on Market building located at 335 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA. Harrisburg University also teams with a private firm to provide outsourced student housing at various apartments around the downtown area.
for student clubs and activities, such as the Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP). HU students receive free membership in the organization, which involves students in various community progams. HYP members mentor students and participate in regular community events. In 2009, the Harrisburg University Bulletin (HUB) was founded. It serves as an independent student-run newspaper and a platform for student opinion and literature.
and 99% receive financial aid. 47% of the student body is male and 53% is female.
and mathematics
through a focus on some of the most important and complex civic issues facing society today. The center also operates offices in Somerset, New Jersey
and Washington D.C., and administers projects such as the internationally-known Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER), which is supported by a major grant from the National Science Foundation
.
Nearly 200 colleges and universities in more than 40 states and 10 foreign nations are working on the project, with faculty teaching SENCER courses to strengthen student learning in science
, technology
, engineering
and mathematics
(STEM
) by providing them with real-life problems and issues to which the various disciplines can be applied. Issues range from health challenges like asthma, HIV, diabetes, emerging infectious diseases and tuberculosis, to matters involving transportation, energy and environment, as well as specific civic concerns, such as maximizing the accuracy of the census and methods of voting.
The Center for Advanced Entertainment and Learning Technologies (CAELT), at Harrisburg University is collaborative partnership with Carnegie Mellon University
's Entertainment Technology Center
and the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania. Students and faculty from both CMU and HU work side-by-side on Synthetic Interviews
Software Technology projects. With speech recognition
capacities, this technology has many applications including enabling users to interview historical and fictional characters.
and federal government. Fortune 500
companies and other leading companies such as The Hershey Company
, Select Medical Corporation
, PPL
, Gannett Fleming, Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company, Tyco Electronics
and Penn National Insurance
have all supported the University since 2001.
The University began an initial comprehensive fundraising
campaign in 2006, called CONNECT: The Campaign for Harrisburg University, which has raised over $44-million, surpassing the overall goal of $40-million. The fundraising campaign has enjoyed widespread support from across the Harrisburg metropolitan area
. Several hundred individuals and organizations have made supporting Harrisburg University one of their top philanthropic investments.
Research Centers
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
teaching university in Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The university offers applied programs in the nationally critical science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
(STEM
STEM fields
STEM fields is a US Government acronym for the fields of study in the categories of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The acronym is in use regarding access to work visas for immigrants who are skilled in these fields. Maintaining a citizenry that is well versed in the STEM fields...
) disciplines. The University also matches students with mentors and requires internships in technology fields. Harrisburg University is the first private, non-profit science and technology
Institute of Technology (United States)
A handful of American universities include the phrases Institute of Technology, Polytechnic Institute, Polytechnic University, or similar phrasing in their names; these are generally research-intensive universities with a focus on engineering, science and technology.-Current:*Air Force Institute of...
focused university to be chartered by the Commonwealth
Commonwealth (United States)
Four of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia....
of Pennsylvania in more than 100 years. The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement is affiliated with the university.
History
Founded in 2001 to address Central Pennsylvania’s need for increased opportunities for study leading to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Harrisburg University is a private institution that produces graduates in science and technology disciplines. Harrisburg University ensures institutional access for underrepresented students and links learning and research to practical outcomes. As a private University serving the public good, Harrisburg University remains the only STEM-focused comprehensive university located between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.Academics
Harrisburg University maintains undergraduate and graduateGraduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
programs in science and technology related disciplines. The student/faculty ratio is 9 to 1 with an average class size of 12. The university follows a trimester system.
Bachelor of Science Programs (B.S.)
Concentrations include Food Safety & Quality Assurance; Nanobiotechnology; Nanobiotechnology & Nanofabrication: and Pharmaceutical Design
Concentrations include Computer and Information Security, New Media Design and Production; Software Engineering & Analysis.
Concentrations include Digital Health; eBusiness; Entrepreneurship; Information & Communication Technologies; Interactive Media Management; and Management
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an emerging high-tech field. This program allows students to master GIS related software. Some courses include: Intro to GIS, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, Cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
, Geospatial Technology, GIS Policy, Spatial Statistics, Satellite Remote Sensing.
Concentrations include biology, biological chemistry, chemistry, environmental science & renewable energy, and forensics.
Master of Science Degrees (M.S.)
The 36-credit-hour degree program covers essential skills and topics including procurement and risk management, to systems integration and organizational leadership. Additionally, the curriculum has received Registered Education Provider (REP) status through the Project Management Institute (PMI), providing preparation for the nationally recognized PMP certification.
This is a 36 semester credit hour program that provides students with leading edge approaches and skills to help them apply existing and emerging learning technologies in a variety of learning environments.
The 36-credit-hour degree program provides students with both technical and business skills to advance further in careers in information systems, and features renowned faculty teaching an interdisciplinary blend of information systems, systems engineering, and engineering management. Graduates are ready to lead, manage, and engineer the complex IT systems needed to support businesses and other organizations.
Certificate programs
- GIS Technologist and Developer Certificate
- Biotechnology
- Computer and Information Science
- Forensic Biotechnology
Information Technology Project Management Specialized Graduate Certificates:
- Managing Software Development Projects
- Business Analysis for Project Management
- IT Project Management
Non-Credit IT courses
The University offers computer science training classes taught by professionals over the internet.Location and campus
Harrisburg University uses the slogan "The city is your campus." The university's academic center along with additional class space in Strawberry SquareStrawberry Square
Strawberry Square is a mixed-use retail and commercial complex located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is owned and managed by the Harristown Development Corporation , a non-profit organization.-History:...
, are all located in urban downtown
Downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Downtown Harrisburg, is the central core business and government center which surrounds the focal point of Market Square, and serves a the regional center for the greater metropolitan area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA....
Harrisburg. The university is within walking distance of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The center is the first complex of its kind in the United States to use science as an entry to the arts. Whitaker Center exhibits science, the performing arts, and an IMAX theater under one roof...
, which provides auditorium space and numerous cultural events for students.
Harrisburg University Academic Center
The University's facilities include a 16-story $73-million at the corner of Fourth and Market streets in downtown Harrisburg. The Academic Center has room for 1,600 students spread out in 24 classrooms, six scientific teaching labs, a libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, Reading Room, Student Services Center, 125-seat auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
, six student meeting areas, a multi-media production facility and a courtyard.
Housing
Students can maintain an apartment in the city or commute from home. The university offers several options for housing, including the Residences on Market, the Harrisburg International HouseInternational House
International House is the name of:in Australia*International House, University of Queensland, a residential college on the campus of the University of Queensland...
and the Pennsylvania Place. The housing options for housing in Harrisburg are all independently owned and operated. The University anticipates that approximately one hundred (100) of its enrolled students will reside across the street from the University’s Academic Center at the newly-renovated Residences on Market building located at 335 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA. Harrisburg University also teams with a private firm to provide outsourced student housing at various apartments around the downtown area.
Student life
Harrisburg University partners with many local civic organizationsCivil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
for student clubs and activities, such as the Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP). HU students receive free membership in the organization, which involves students in various community progams. HYP members mentor students and participate in regular community events. In 2009, the Harrisburg University Bulletin (HUB) was founded. It serves as an independent student-run newspaper and a platform for student opinion and literature.
Demographics
As of 2011, Harrisburg University serves 1022 students (approximately 400 FTE) through its dual enrollment, undergraduate, graduate, training, certificate and its professional and continuing education programs. Its student population is 43% ethnic minorityMinority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
and 99% receive financial aid. 47% of the student body is male and 53% is female.
Research
The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (NCSCE), at Harrisburg University, supports and disseminates campus-based science education reform strategies that strengthen learning and build civic responsibility among students. The Center’s programs teach basic scienceScience
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
through a focus on some of the most important and complex civic issues facing society today. The center also operates offices in Somerset, New Jersey
Somerset, New Jersey
Somerset is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located at the easternmost section within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey. At the 2000 United States Census, the CDP population was 23,040...
and Washington D.C., and administers projects such as the internationally-known Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER), which is supported by a major grant from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
.
Nearly 200 colleges and universities in more than 40 states and 10 foreign nations are working on the project, with faculty teaching SENCER courses to strengthen student learning in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
(STEM
STEM
STEM can refer to*STEM fields – an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics*Scanning transmission electron microscopy...
) by providing them with real-life problems and issues to which the various disciplines can be applied. Issues range from health challenges like asthma, HIV, diabetes, emerging infectious diseases and tuberculosis, to matters involving transportation, energy and environment, as well as specific civic concerns, such as maximizing the accuracy of the census and methods of voting.
The Center for Advanced Entertainment and Learning Technologies (CAELT), at Harrisburg University is collaborative partnership with Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
's Entertainment Technology Center
Entertainment Technology Center
The Entertainment Technology Center is a department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at the Pittsburgh Technology Center....
and the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania. Students and faculty from both CMU and HU work side-by-side on Synthetic Interviews
Synthetic personality
A synthetic personality is a constructed, friendly, approachable persona, often used in broadcast media. The term was initiated by Andrew Tolson, and is related to face and politeness theory....
Software Technology projects. With speech recognition
Speech recognition
Speech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to recognition systems that must be trained to a particular speaker—as is the case for most desktop recognition software...
capacities, this technology has many applications including enabling users to interview historical and fictional characters.
Endowment
Harrisburg University is a model of public–private partnership and has received external support from the corporate sector, private individuals, and stateGovernment of Pennsylvania
-History:Pennsylvania has had five constitutions during its statehood: 1776, 1790, 1838, 1874, and . Prior to that, the province of Pennsylvania was governed for a century by a book titled Frame of Government, written by William Penn, of which there were four versions: 1682, 1683, 1696, and...
and federal government. Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies and other leading companies such as The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
, Select Medical Corporation
Select Medical Corporation
Select Medical Corporation is a leading provider of specialized health care in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Select Medical has 27,300 employees throughout the United States. The company was co-founded in 1996 by Rocco Ortenzio and Robert Ortenzio...
, PPL
PPL
PPL may refer to:* people* phospholipid * Pakistan Premier League, Pakistani soccer league* Pay per lead, method of marketing* Pontypool and New Inn railway station, Wales; National Rail station code PPL...
, Gannett Fleming, Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company, Tyco Electronics
Tyco Electronics
TE Connectivity, Ltd., previously known as Tyco Electronics, Ltd., and formerly a segment of Tyco International, is a leading global provider of engineered electronic components, network solutions, undersea telecommunication systems, and specialty products for customers in more than 150 countries...
and Penn National Insurance
Penn National Insurance
Penn National Insurance is a property-casualty mutual insurance company, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1919 by the Pennsylvania Farmers and Threshermen's Mutual Protective Association, under the name Pennsylvania Threshermen's and Farmer's Mutual Casualty Company, the...
have all supported the University since 2001.
The University began an initial comprehensive fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
campaign in 2006, called CONNECT: The Campaign for Harrisburg University, which has raised over $44-million, surpassing the overall goal of $40-million. The fundraising campaign has enjoyed widespread support from across the Harrisburg metropolitan area
Harrisburg metropolitan area
The Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area , as defined the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley, anchored by the cities of Harrisburg and Carlisle...
. Several hundred individuals and organizations have made supporting Harrisburg University one of their top philanthropic investments.
See also
- Institute of Technology (United States)Institute of Technology (United States)A handful of American universities include the phrases Institute of Technology, Polytechnic Institute, Polytechnic University, or similar phrasing in their names; these are generally research-intensive universities with a focus on engineering, science and technology.-Current:*Air Force Institute of...
- SciTech High SchoolSciTech HighThe Harrisburg University of Science and Technology High School also known as SciTech High, located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, welcomed its first students in September 2003...
- regional math and science magnet high school affiliated with Harrisburg University
External links
Research Centers