•AVERAGE: 69
Furman University is located in Greenville, SC at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Established in 1826 by the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the school was named for Baptist Minister Richard Furman. It is the oldest college in South Carolina. Furman left the Baptist Convention in 1992, but has kept the Judeo-Christian ethics associated with the church. Set on 750 acres, the campus is notable for its Bell Tower and the 40-acre Swan Lake. Additionally, the campus features an Asian Garden, which includes the Place of Peace, a Buddhist temple moved to the site from Japan and reconstructed and a replica of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin from On Walden Pond, located on the west side of the lake. Alumni include Lay snack foods founder Herman Lay and singer/songwriter Amy Grant.
Academic Programs
Furman University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges and offers Bachelor’s Degrees and Master’s Degrees in 42 majors. Presently, there are no online degree programs, but over 2/3 of the student body completes an Internship during their academic career. Furman is noted for Music and Teacher Education programs, although the largest programs on campus are in Social Sciences and Business fields. In the fall of 2016, the university unveiled The Furman Advantage, a strategic vision that combines learning with immersive experiences outside the classroom, creating a personalized pathway that prepares students for lives of purpose, successful careers and community benefit.According to Furman University’s Mission Statement, the school’s “primary mission… is to provide a distinctive undergraduate education encompassing humanities, fine arts, social sciences, mathematics and the natural sciences, and selected professional disciplines. At the heart of the undergraduate program are the general education requirements. The requirements ensure that all undergraduates will be introduced to the major methods of inquiry that characterize liberal study. In accordance with the traditional assumptions of liberal education, both out-of-class and in-class experiences are designed to develop the whole person — intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Furman seeks highly motivated students with inquisitive minds, varied perspectives, a sense of personal integrity and moral responsibility with the potential to be leaders and to make future contributions to society.”