About Lycoming
Under the forward-focused theme "Into Our Third Century," Lycoming College is observing its 200-year anniversary during the 2011-12 academic year. The College is proud to be recognized as one of the 50 oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States. Steeped in tradition, yet featuring a new vitality, Lycoming is nationally-recognized for its commitment to quality education.
1400 students from across Pennsylvania and the United States call Lycoming College home. They are served by over 300 faculty and staff members. The College concentrates all of its resources exclusively on the undergraduate student experience. It's what we do best—provide a quality education in small classes taught by a highly credentialed faculty.
While Lycoming's curriculum emphasizes courses in the liberal arts and sciences, there are 35 majors, with many featuring contemporary tracks like health care administration, actuarial mathematics, and environmental sustainability.
"Wow" is often the first impression when one walks on to our beautiful campus. This is the way a college should look. Older buildings blend comfortably with newer structures and the grounds are impeccably groomed and tailored.
Whether a visitor for a day, a student for four years, or a lifelong resident, people enjoy the energy and the scenic beauty of Williamsport and Lycoming County.
At a time of uncertainty and flux in higher education, Lycoming College is remarkably stable. Just 3 presidents have served the College since 1980 and our endowment is among the top 10% in the country.
Our graduates are impressive. While most of our alums are making a difference in a small corner of their world, some have gone on to make contributions on the national level and include an Academy Award Winner, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a US Congressmen, a state governor, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
Lycoming is listed in all of the essential college guides. In its annual edition of America's Best Colleges, Lycoming is ranked in the top tier of the national liberal arts and science colleges.
The phrase "liberal arts and sciences" refers to a grouping of subjects that, in Western culture, are defined as essential for the truly educated person. They include courses from the:
- Humanities — arts, English, foreign languages, cultures, history, philosophy, and religion
- Social Sciences — anthropology, political science, psychology, and sociology
- Sciences — biology, chemistry, astronomy, physics, and mathematics
The liberal arts and science courses are the foundation of a Lycoming education. Not only do our professors make these classes come alive by linking course relevance to real world situations; they also simultaneously work to help students develop their skills in writing, speaking, analysis, research, and information retrieval. As a result of taking several courses from each of these categories, we're confident that our students will graduate from Lycoming as better thinkers, better problem solvers, and better communicators; all skills that are in high demand by employers and graduate school deans.
About one-third of a four-year student schedule will come from the liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Another third will come from the major concentration and yet another third are electives — courses students may take to enhance their major, to add a second major, or to explore interests outside of their major.
In the tradition of America's best colleges, we at Lycoming believe the delivery of these courses should also come with an emphasis on small classes taught by highly credentialed, full-time faculty. Our average class size is just 18 students and 90% of our professors have the top degree in their field. While our professors are engaged in their own special research projects, they are teachers first and their success is measured by their students' success.