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Southern Oregon University

Southern Oregon University

Southern Oregon University was originally established in 1872 as the Ashland Academy. It became the Ashland College and Normal School in 1879. However, due to lack of funds, the school closed down in 1890. In 1895, it reopened as the Southern Oregon State Normal School. In 1926, the campus was shifted to a new site, and it was eventually named Southern Oregon University in 1997. SOU is now a public liberal arts college in Ashland, Oregon, and offers enrollment to more than 5,000 students every year.

SOU offers classes in its main campus and its satellite campus in downtown Medford. The university consists of the:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • School of Business
  • School of Education

SOU offers graduate and post-baccalaureate degrees in subjects like arts, communication, computer science, business studies, history, mathematics, music, theater arts and social sciences, among others. It is particularly well known for its natural sciences, environmental science, criminology, theatre arts and Shakespearean studies programs.

SOU’s athletics teams are known as the Raiders and participate in sports like football, wrestling, cross country, basketball, softball, track and field and tennis.

Overview of Southern Oregon University

Students attend Southern Oregon University in Ashland, OR, a medium-sized suburb. The school is a public institution. Southern Oregon University degrees go up to the Master's degree.

Areas of Study

The school is known for its programs in media, music, art studies, drama and performing arts, and conservation and resource management.

Southern Oregon University Selectivity

Southern Oregon University is selective and does not offer open admission. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 440. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 460 and 560.

Faculty

Southern Oregon University has a tenure system for senior faculty.

Student Body

There are 4,832 students at the school (as of 2007).

Student Life

A lot of students at Southern Oregon University attend part-time. The school offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. Southern Oregon University values student athletics, and belongs to the Cascade Collegiate Conference and Division I Independents.

The school reports its educational mission is:
"Southern Oregon University challenges individuals to grow intellectually and personally as life long learners. We are an inclusive community that fosters student success by teaching, serving, creating, and leading. We engage regional, national, and international partners in meaningful research and civic, professional and artistic contributions. (In the process of being revised.)"

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Southern Oregon University

Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd
Ashland, OR 97520
General Phone: (541) 552-7672
http://www.sou.edu

Southern Oregon University Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Education And Teaching237teacher education, elementary school teaching, education, middle school teaching, teacher ed, secondary teaching, early childhood education
Business And Management179business management, finance, human resources, business and related services, accounting, MIS, electronic commerce
Liberal Arts172English, history, sociology, social services, anthropology, international studies, French language, economics, ...
Therapy And Counseling108psychology
Media73communication studies
Security And Law Enforcement72criminal justice and safety
Music61music
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy48health and physical education
Art Studies41art studies
Science35biology, physics, geology, chemistry, biological and physical sciences
Conservation And Resource Management29environmental studies
Drama And Performing Arts27drama, acting
Computer Science And Engineering19computer and info science
Mathematics16mathematics, mathematics and computer science

Number of programs and degrees for Southern Oregon University in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree72731
Master's degree25911
Postbaccalaureate certificate13113

Student Body

In 2007, Southern Oregon University had a total enrollment of 4,832 students (3,995 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men44%
Women56%
Full-Time93%
Part-Time7%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate81%
Graduate19%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White78%
Black1%
Hispanic4%
Asian3%
American Indian2%
Unknown9%
(Foreign Students)2%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 183%
18-1925%
20-2122%
22-2420%
25-2912%
30-345%
35-394%
40-495%
50-643%
65+0%

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

ResidencePercent
Oregon70%
California13%
Alaska4%
Hawaii4%
Washington4%
Colorado1%
Nevada1%
(International Students)1%
Idaho1%
Texas1%

Southern Oregon University Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time66 %
Part-Time35 %

Southern Oregon University Room and Board (2007)

Southern Oregon University offers campus housing for 1,347 of its 3,995 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

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

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Southern Oregon University Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total1,8711,74493%76044%
Men80472590%33446%
Women1,0671,01996%42642%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal440580
SAT Math460560
ACT Verbal1825
ACT Math1825
ACT Composite1925

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Ranknot required
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsnot required
Formal Demonstration of Competencerecommended
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT88%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT17%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Southern Oregon University Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 5,481
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 17,236
Room and board$ 7,941
Books and supplies$ 1,350
Other expenses$ 3,600

Financial Aid:
Southern Oregon University participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 321900)

Southern Oregon University Faculty

Southern Oregon University has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured7151
Non-tenured, but on tenure track1112
Non-tenured and not on tenure track2429

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Associate professorcalendar year0*5$59,554
Assistant professorcalendar year1*3$47,012
Instructorcalendar year1*1*
Lecturercalendar year0*1*
All faculty totalcalendar year2*10$52,720

*: 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 year40$66,64919$64,163
Associate professoracademic year33$52,14325$51,332
Assistant professoracademic year19$43,23912$42,460
Instructoracademic year8$35,28014$34,070
Lectureracademic year1*2*
All faculty totalacademic year101$54,76472$49,355

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

Southern Oregon University Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballDivision I Independents
BasketballCascade Collegiate Conference
TrackCascade Collegiate Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total554398
Football28028
Basketball91019
Track202
All Other Sports163349

Southern Oregon University Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Business, Management, Marketing & Related Support Services, Other
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce
Finance, General
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
Management Information Systems, General

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer and Information Sciences, General

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Studies

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

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Early Childhood Education and Teaching
Education, General
Elementary Education and Teaching
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
Secondary Education and Teaching
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
Teacher Education/Profess Development, Levels & Methods, Other

LIBERAL ARTS
American Indian/Native American Studies
Anthropology
Anthropology, Other
Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
Geography
History, General
International/Global Studies
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Social Sciences, General
Sociology

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics and Computer Science
Mathematics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

MUSIC
Music, General

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Health and Physical Education, General

SCIENCE
Biological and Physical Sciences
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physics, General

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

Southern Oregon University Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Southern Oregon University Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
% of degrees in music
(vs. all colleges)
Top 5%Southern Oregon University % of degrees in music
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%Southern Oregon University % of degrees in art studies
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%Southern Oregon University Number of degree programs
% of degrees in drama and performing arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%Southern Oregon University % of degrees in drama and performing arts
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Southern Oregon University Number of students
% of degrees in therapy and counseling
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 16%Southern Oregon University % of degrees in therapy and counseling
% of degrees in conservation and resource management
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Southern Oregon University % of degrees in conservation and resource management
% of freshmen enrolled part-time
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 17%Southern Oregon University % of freshmen enrolled part-time
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Southern Oregon University Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in media
(vs. all colleges)
Top 19%Southern Oregon University % of degrees in media
Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 19%Southern Oregon University Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Offers credit for life experience
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
On-campus day care
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
Offers athletic scholarships

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