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Birmingham Southern College

Birmingham Southern College

Birmingham-Southern College, or BSC, traces its roots to the Southern University which was established in 1856. The Birmingham College which was founded in 1898, merged with the Southern University in 1918 to form the Birmingham-Southern College. The campus of BSC is located on 192 acres of land in Birmingham, Alabama.

Birmingham-Southern College offers bachelor’s degrees in over 50 programs of study. Students can choose from courses in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, business, education, fine and performing arts, humanities, science, and mathematics.

The athletics department of BSC fields teams in baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, tennis, softball, and volleyball. Nicknamed the Panthers, the teams compete in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The college also publishes a monthly email newsletter called “From The Hilltop”.

Overview of Birmingham Southern College

Birmingham Southern is in Birmingham, AL. Birmingham is a medium-sized city. The school is classified as a United Methodist college. Birmingham Southern is a private, not-for-profit institution. The school issues awards (degrees) up to the level of Master's degree.

Areas of Study

Birmingham Southern offers many areas of study. Fields of study in vogue at the school include mathematics, music, science, drama and performing arts, and fine arts.

Birmingham Southern Selectivity

Not all applicants to Birmingham Southern are accepted. The top quarter of students at the school scored at least 640 on the verbal SAT test. Students' math SAT scores were most often in the range 510 to 630 in 2007-2008.

Faculty

The schools' faculty/student ratio of superior to most. The most successful professors at the school are given tenure, encouraging them to stay with the school for a long time.

Student Body

Approximately 1,389 students study at Birmingham Southern (in 2007-2008).

Student Life

The school offers a real campus feel. Birmingham Southern makes housing available to a large share of its students. Students participate in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference athletics. Athletic scholarships or financial aid help Birmingham Southern attract student athletes.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Birmingham Southern

Birmingham Southern College
900 Arkadelphia Road
Birmingham, AL 35254
General Phone: (205) 226-4600
http://www.bsc.edu

Birmingham Southern Programs and Degrees (2008-2009)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts88English, interdisciplinary studies, history, political science, economics, Spanish language, Latin American studies, sociology, ...
Business and Management74business management, accounting, international business
Science44biology, biopsychology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics
Therapy and Counseling29psychology
Fine Arts17art history and criticism, fine arts, painting, fine arts studies, sculpture
Education and Teaching17teacher ed, music teaching, education courses, secondary teaching, art education
Music9music, voice, various music studies, piano, music theory and composition
Mathematics8mathematics, mathematics and computer science
Religion and Philosophy6religion, philosophy
Drama and Performing Arts5dance, drama
Engineering4engineering
Computer Science and Engineering4computer science
Photography and Commercial Art1film and photography
Art Studies0art studies

Number of programs and degrees for Birmingham Southern in 2008-2009:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree29045
Master's degree162

Birmingham Southern Student Body

In 2007-2008, Birmingham Southern had a total enrollment of 1,389 students (1,332 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men53%
Women47%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate96%
Graduate4%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White84%
Black6%
Hispanic2%
Asian3%
American Indian4%
Unknown2%
(Foreign Students)0%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 180%
18-1948%
20-2138%
22-249%
25-291%
30-341%
35-391%
40-491%
50-640%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Alabama60%
Georgia11%
Tennessee8%
Florida5%
Louisiana3%
Kentucky3%
Mississippi3%
Texas3%
(International Students)1%
South Carolina1%
North Carolina1%

Birmingham Southern Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time80 %

Birmingham Southern Room and Board (2007)

Birmingham Southern offers campus housing for 1,420 of its 1,332 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Birmingham, Alabama for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Alabama Colleges).

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Birmingham Southern Admissions and Selectivity

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total2,1011,44969%45131%
Men97367669%23935%
Women1,12877168%21228%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal520640
SAT Math510630
ACT Verbal2331
ACT Math2128
ACT Composite2328

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Ranknot required
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT49%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT86%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Birmingham Southern Expenses and Financial Aid (2008-2009)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 25,586
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 25,586
Room and board$ 9,105
Room charge$ 5,245
Board (meal plan) charge$ 3,860
Books and supplies$ 1,100
Other expenses$ 900

Financial Aid:
Birmingham Southern participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 101200)

Birmingham Southern Faculty

Birmingham Southern has a tenure system for faculty.

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year31$83,06614$77,937
Associate professoracademic year17$67,86016$62,680
Assistant professoracademic year4$49,31310$51,041
Instructoracademic year2*3$35,972
Lectureracademic year3$37,8592*
No academic rankacademic year1*0*
All faculty totalacademic year58$71,64345$61,753

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Birmingham Southern Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference
BasketballSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference
BaseballSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference
TrackSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total9687183
Basketball161531
Baseball26026
Track11617
All Other Sports4366109

Birmingham Southern Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
International Business/Trade/Commerce

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Dance, General
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Art Teacher Education
Education, Other
Music Teacher Education
Secondary Education and Teaching
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels

ENGINEERING
Engineering, General

FINE ARTS
Art History, Criticism and Conservation
Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other
Fine/Studio Arts, General
Painting
Sculpture

LIBERAL ARTS
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
German Language and Literature
History, General
International Relations and Affairs
Latin American Studies
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics and Computer Science
Mathematics, General

MUSIC
Music Theory and Composition
Music, General
Music, Other
Piano and Organ
Voice and Opera

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Biochemistry
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Biopsychology
Chemistry, General
Physics, General

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

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Birmingham Southern Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Birmingham Southern Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Birmingham Southern Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in science
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Birmingham Southern % of degrees in science
Number of degree programs
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 6%Birmingham Southern Number of degree programs
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 8%Birmingham Southern Salaries of full-time faculty
% students on athletic fin. aid
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Birmingham Southern % students on athletic fin. aid
% of degrees in drama and performing arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%Birmingham Southern % of degrees in drama and performing arts
% of degrees in music
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%Birmingham Southern % of degrees in music
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%Birmingham Southern % of degrees in mathematics
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%Birmingham Southern Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
% of degrees in fine arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Birmingham Southern % of degrees in fine arts
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Birmingham Southern Student SAT scores
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
United Methodist affiliation
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Student employment services
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army, air force)
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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