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Samford University

Samford University

Samford University was founded in 1841 as Howard College. Its first classes were held on January 3, 1842. The college moved to its present campus in 1957. It gained university status on November 9, 1965, and was renamed Samford University in honor of Frank Park Samford. The university campus is spread across an area of around 180 acres in Homewood, Alabama. Samford University offers an array of degrees and programs through the following schools and colleges:

  • Beeson School of Divinity
  • Brock School of Business
  • Cumberland School of Law
  • Howard College of Arts and Sciences
  • Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing
  • McWhorter School of Pharmacy
  • Metro College
  • Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies
  • School of the Arts

Samford University competes in the Southern Conference and is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. Its sports teams are known as the Samford Bulldogs.

Among the famous graduates of Samford University are Deidre Downs, the winner of Miss America 2005; R. Albert Mohler, Jr., the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; and Charles Crist, the Governor of Florida.

Overview of Samford University

Students attend Samford University in Birmingham, AL, a large suburb. The school is proud of its Baptist status. Samford University is a private, not-for-profit institution. The school degrees go up to the Doctoral degree.

Areas of Study

Samford University has a greater breadth of degree programs (majors) than most colleges of its size. The school is known for its programs in medicine and law.

Samford University Selectivity

Samford University is selective and does not offer open admission. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 510. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 520 and 630. Many applicants are from out of state, an indication of the quality or special character of the school.

Faculty

The school maintains a faculty/student ratio (full-time) which is better than most colleges. Samford University has a tenure system for senior faculty. The full-time faculty at the school is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

There are 4,485 students at Samford University (as of 2007).

Student Life

The school offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. Samford University offers students meal plans. The school values student athletics, and belongs to the Ohio Valley Conference.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Samford University

Samford University
800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham, AL 35229-2240
General Phone: (205) 726-2011
http://www.samford.edu

Samford University Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Law165law, pre-law, foreign lawyers
Education And Teaching135early childhood education, educational administration, elementary school teaching, teacher education, education, student counseling, music teaching, physical education teaching, ...
Business And Management132business management, accounting, managerial economics, human resources, international business
Medicine122pharmacy, pre-dentistry, pre-med
Liberal Arts115history, English, political science, international relations, Spanish language, sociology, general studies, Classical languages, ...
Nursing And Emergency Medicine98registered nursing, nurse anesthetist
Religion And Philosophy80ministry, religion, theology, theological and ministerial studies, religious music, philosophy, philosophy and religious studies
Science53biology, biochemistry, physics, chemistry
Family And Social Work53family studies, social service professions, food and related services, public administration
Media52journalism, communication studies
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy30exercise science, athletic trainer, health and physical education
Therapy And Counseling28psychology
Design20interior design, graphic design
Music11music performance, piano, voice, music theory and composition
Engineering Technician10environmental control tech
Computer Science And Engineering8computer science
Drama And Performing Arts6drama, various performing arts
Mathematics5mathematics
Art Studies3art studies
Conservation And Resource Management3environmental studies
Engineering1engineering physics

Number of programs and degrees for Samford University in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree60860
First-professional degree3053
Master's degree16013
Post-master's certificate243
Doctor's degree232
Associate's degree102

Student Body

In 2007, Samford University had a total enrollment of 4,485 students (4,171 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men40%
Women60%
Full-Time99%
Part-Time1%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate63%
Graduate12%
First Professional24%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White86%
Black8%
Hispanic1%
Asian1%
American Indian0%
Unknown2%
(Foreign Students)1%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 181%
18-1927%
20-2127%
22-2422%
25-2912%
30-344%
35-393%
40-493%
50-642%

Samford University Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time84 %
Part-Time50 %

Samford University Room and Board (2007)

Samford University offers campus housing for 1,860 of its 4,171 (full-time) students.

(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 offers students a meal plan with 19 meals per week.

Samford University Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total1,8371,57386%64841%
Men65754683%25647%
Women1,1801,02787%39238%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal510630
SAT Math520630
ACT Verbal2127
ACT Math2229
ACT Composite2227

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT31%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT78%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Samford University Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 17,920
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 17,920
Room and board$ 6,320
Room charge$ 3,220
Board (meal plan) charge$ 3,100
Books and supplies$ 1,075
Other expenses$ 3,560

Financial Aid:
Samford University participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 103600)

Samford University Faculty

Samford University has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured9643
Non-tenured, but on tenure track3825
Non-tenured and not on tenure track2652

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year12$99,7124$94,615
Associate professorcalendar year9$82,7996$89,858
Assistant professorcalendar year6$89,96414$87,390
Instructorcalendar year1*1*
All faculty totalcalendar year28$90,22525$87,382

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

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year63$90,50918$69,794
Associate professoracademic year27$64,85221$57,241
Assistant professoracademic year38$54,89545$56,741
Instructoracademic year4$41,35911$39,492
All faculty totalacademic year132$73,51995$57,328

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

Samford University Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballOhio Valley Conference
BasketballOhio Valley Conference
BaseballOhio Valley Conference
TrackOhio Valley Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total148103251
Football73073
Track132033
Baseball31031
Basketball131326
All Other Sports187088

Samford University Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Business/Managerial Economics
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
International Business/Trade/Commerce

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Studies

DESIGN
Graphic Design
Interior Design

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
Visual and Performing Arts, Other

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Early Childhood Education and Teaching
Education, General
Educational Leadership and Administration, General
Elementary Education and Teaching
History Teacher Education
Music Teacher Education
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
Student Counseling and Personnel Services, Other
Teacher Education/Profess Development, Levels & Methods, Other

ENGINEERING
Engineering Physics

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, Other

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, Other
Human Development and Family Studies, General
Public Administration
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other

LAW
Law (LLB, JD)
Pre-Law Studies
Programs for Foreign Lawyers (LLM, MCL)

LIBERAL ARTS
Asian Studies/Civilization
Cartography
Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics, General
English Language and Literature, General
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
French Language and Literature
General Studies
Geography
German Language and Literature
History, General
International Relations and Affairs
Latin American Studies
Political Science and Government, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Journalism

MEDICINE
Pharmacy (PharmD [USA], PharmD or BS/BPharm [Canada])
Pre-Dentistry Studies
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies

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

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Nurse Anesthetist
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Athletic Training/Trainer
Health and Physical Education, General
Kinesiology and Exercise Science

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Divinity/Ministry (BD, MDiv)
Philosophy
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other
Religion/Religious Studies
Religious/Sacred Music
Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other
Theology/Theological Studies

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

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

Samford University Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Samford University Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 6%Samford University Number of degree programs
% of degrees in religion and philosophy
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 13%Samford University % of degrees in religion and philosophy
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%Samford University Dorm rooms per full-time student
% students on athletic fin. aid
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 14%Samford University % students on athletic fin. aid
% of degrees in law
(vs. all colleges)
Top 15%Samford University % of degrees in law
% of degrees in medicine
(vs. all colleges)
Top 15%Samford University % of degrees in medicine
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Samford University Number of students
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Samford University Salaries of full-time faculty
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Samford University Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Baptist affiliation
Offers credit for life experience
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (air force)
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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