Dakota Wesleyan University is a great place to learn, lead, serve, and explore your faith. We are committed to an education that prepares students for the careers of today and tomorrow. We know that employers are looking for students who can communicate, analyze, persuade, and collaborate while being technically proficient and continuing learning.
We offer an experience that transforms and prepares, in an atmosphere focused on the student both in the classroom and through co-curricular activities.
Dakota Wesleyan University is rooted in our four values: lifelong learning, leadership development, faith exploration, and genuine service to others. These values are deeply embedded in our United Methodist tradition and provide guidance and support to DWU graduates in their roles as thriving local and global communities.
Our student body is purposefully small, which allows for an ideal student: faculty ratio of 13:1. This means that every student at DWU is more than just a number. We use the Clifton StrengthsFinder to develop the unique strengths of each student as an individual.
We have intentionally created Dakota Wesleyan University to be a place where you can grow intellectually and ethically, where you can find, apply, and grow your innate strengths.DWU offers not only a transformative learning experience but a safe place to explore your faith and find meaning in community and service. All of this stems from a core mission based on our learning, leadership, faith, and service values. We are proud to put these values into practice in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and in our co-curricular activities.
As an inclusive educational community, Dakota Wesleyan University provides a transformative learning experience cultivating enduring intellectual growth, ethically grounded leadership, intentional faith exploration, and meaningful service. Discover your strength at DWU! From our Learn Strong program to the Clifton StrengthsFinder inventory, from our focus on employability to our recognition of the importance of creativity and adaptability, everything we do at DWU is focused on developing your natural talents, supporting your achievement, and preparing you for success.
Sure, you will get your degree from DWU—and in just four years, thanks to our 4-Year Graduation Guarantee. However, you will be gaining a personalized, hands-on education and focused on honing your strengths in academics, leadership, faith, and service. So bring your commitment, drive, and willingness to succeed and make a real difference in the real world.
Navigating the ins and outs of college life can be overwhelming. That is why we have lots of people here to support you on this journey. If you need help with academics, your professors are your best first stop. They can recommend tutoring services if that is what you need to succeed.
If you want someone to chat with – about relationships, challenges, homesickness, or just about anything, you might start with our campus counselor or campus pastor. For students with disabilities, you can learn about our services here. Our federally funded TRiO Student Support Services offers peer tutoring, peer mentorship, and many support services for students who qualify. For more information, contact Laurie Johnson, director of TRiO Student Support Services. If you would like to know all of the professionals in the student life department, you will find them here.
At DWU, 85% of students participate in some experiential learning – by conducting independent research, doing an internship, or presenting at professional conferences. This is a great way to dive into your areas of interest while gaining valuable, resume-building experience.
Our students have interned in state government, with sports agencies, telecommunications companies, manufacturers, retail companies, major healthcare organizations, law enforcement – the list goes on. For education majors, your student teaching experience is supplemented by the fact that we have an elementary school right on campus – you will find yourself in an elementary classroom as early as your first year.
Opportunities abound for clinical hours, whether for nursing students or athletic trainers. Moreover, for added realistic training, occasionally, our nursing and AT majors have done simulation events where they practice an on-the-field athletic injury from assessment to “emergency department” in our state-of-the-art simulation labs, with local M.D.s providing oversight and recommendations.
The great news is that you will find your professors and the Academic and Career Services Center are ready and willing to help you make the necessary connections to find the right experience for you. You may also find that independent research is a great way to set yourself apart. Through our Hughes Grant-in-Aid program, math and science majors may apply for funding to pursue an educational experience not available on campus. Students have traveled to other colleges in the U.S., and abroad they have done research worldwide and here in South Dakota, and they have experienced career-sparking volunteer opportunities.
You will graduate from DWU confident in knowing who you are and what you have to contribute to the world. Our job is to clear the path for you—which we do as a university that focuses on helping you discover your unique strengths. We also make sure that 99% of our students receive a generous financial aid package, removing even more potential barriers to your success because the bottom line is that we want you to be successful—a force for good and much-needed change in the world.
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