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Founded in 1871 as the Cumberland Valley State Normal School, Shippensburg University is a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Ship values its community feel, as is evident from our student-faculty ratio of 20-to-1. Personalized attention is key to both our students' success and our academic programs, of which 13 are accredited. Beyond the classroom, our students have access to unique resources, such as the Center for Land Use and Sustainability, a stock trading room, centers for entrepreneurial leadership and innovation, a fashion archive and museum, and the only public elementary lab school the state. The ship is located about an hour south of Harrisburg. Our campus is in the center of the East Coast's major metropolitan areas, making Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and New York accessible options for students to visit and complete internships. Through highly effective and innovative teaching, student learning and personal development, complemented by a wide variety of out-of-class experiences, continue to serve as the hallmarks of a Shippensburg University education. The ultimate goal is to have students develop to their utmost the intellectual, personal, and social capabilities they need to perform as competent citizens prepared to embark on a career immediately upon graduation or after advanced study. Committed to public service and community-centered in its relationships to the region, the university works closely and collaboratively with other organizations at institutional, programmatic, and individual levels to develop shared goals, share resources, and invest cooperatively in the future region. To be recognized as the premier public [comprehensive] university in providing high-quality education for students and a wide array of programs and services to meet the needs of South Central Pennsylvania and beyond. Overall, our purpose is to help build a better, healthier South Central Pennsylvania and beyond, economically and culturally, through recruiting, retaining, and developing students, faculty, and staff who have the abilities, skills, and values to compete and contribute to their community in an evolving world. Being a part of the Shippensburg University community is about so much more than academics. There are plenty of opportunities to discover something new and create lifelong relationships. Your goals and well-being will always be at the top of mind for the entire Ship family. At Shippensburg University, our faculty and staff care about your well-being and are committed to helping you succeed. We provide superior support services for tutoring, career goals, and students with documented disabilities. An education at Shippensburg University means you will get the tools you need to get where you want to go. Only professors teach classes at Ship, never teaching assistants. You will connect with faculty in small classes, get personalized academic guidance, and build relationships that will help you succeed. With over 100 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate programs, Ship students are in demand in various fields. Employers know that before our students graduate, they get hands-on experience through internships, service learning, study abroad experiences, community service, and research. The Career, Mentoring, and Professional Development Center is always ready and willing to help you succeed, even after you graduate. The team will assist you with anything from resume building to navigating the interview process and beyond. Students in their first year at Ship will participate in the First-Year Experience, which provides them with additional skills, support, and mentorship during the transition into college. If you are undecided about a major or need time to explore majors, you can be admitted as an exploratory student. The Office for Exploratory Studies will provide you with the support and guidance you need while planning your future. Shippensburg University has plenty of opportunities for community service, recreation, professional development, fraternity and sorority life, and much more. If the over 150 clubs and organizations already on campus do not cut it for you, you can create your own. We offer plenty of entertainment choices throughout the year, including concerts, movies, speakers, sporting events, trips, and lots of other various activities. Many of our groups on campus relate to specific fields of study so our students can network, boost their resumes, and gain essential skills outside the classroom. The ship also has plenty to offer when it comes to athletics, the arts, activism, and so much more. The ship was founded as the Cumberland Valley State Normal School in 1871 and received official recognition and approval by the commonwealth on February 21, 1873. Two months later, on April 15, we admitted our first class of 217 students from South Central Pennsylvania. Seeing the more significant potential for the school, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased it in 1917. Over the next few decades, great strides were made. On November 12, 1982, the governor signed Senate Bill 506, establishing the State System of Higher Education. Shippensburg State College was designated Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, effective July 1, 1983. At Ship, we are committed to sustainability in all areas of university life. Here you will find a wide variety of projects and practices to make campus life more sustainable. We use single-stream recycling, run our farm and community garden, and even have a professor who makes biodiesel from waste vegetable oil to run our ceramic kilns. We're also pursuing greener building practices for our campus facilities. View full university