Becker College is a private, independent, co-educational four-year college offering undergraduate (associate’s and bachelor’s) degrees, and adult education degrees (associate’s and bachelor’s) and certificate programs. The College traces its history to 1784—one of the nation’s top-25 oldest institutions of higher education—with a founding charter signed by John Hancock and Samuel Adams. The College evolved from the union of two institutions: Leicester Academy—the third preparatory school in Massachusetts, the first in central Massachusetts, and the first in the Commonwealth to accept female students—and Becker’s Business School, a Worcester school that offered career preparation for men and women.

Becker has been named one of the best institutions for undergraduate education by The Princeton Review. Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and three colleges outside the U.S. are profiled in The Best 377 Colleges: 2013 Edition, The Princeton Review’s flagship college guide.

Becker promises each student a transformational educational experience that offers relevant and outstanding academic programs, a connected and creative learning experience, and engaged and committed global citizenship.  The College’s six core values—excellence, accountability, community and diversity, social responsibility, integrity, and creative expression—support its mission to prepare graduates to thrive, contribute to, and lead in a global society. Nearly 2,000 students from across the nation and around the world make up a vibrant and active Becker College community. 

LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENT

The Worcester Campus is situated in the Elm Park neighborhood of Worcester—New England’s second largest urban center, with a population of approximately 180,000.  With its quiet tree-lined streets and historic Victorian-style homes, the Worcester Campus is only a short walk from the downtown business district.  The greater Worcester area is home to more than 30,000 students at 13 colleges. The Leicester Campus is situated in a quintessential New England country town, adjacent to an historic village green. This rural setting provides space for Becker’s Division III athletic team facilities and for the animal studies programs. The College provides students with a free shuttle service, which enables them to move easily between campuses.  Becker College is less than an hour’s drive from Boston, three hours from New York City, and 70 miles or less from three major international airports. 

THE COLLEGE’S MISSION

The mission of Becker College is to deliver to each student a transformational learning experience—anchored by academic excellence, social responsibility, and creative expression—that prepares graduates to thrive, contribute to, and lead in a global society.

ACCREDITATION

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• American Veterinary Medical Association Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities
• National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission

ACADEMICS

Our academic programs combine rigorous course work and experiential learning into an innovative curriculum that prepares students for a wide range of future professional opportunities and the necessary competencies to lead in a global society. Degrees are offered in animal studies, business, criminal justice and legal studies, design, education and psychology, liberal arts and biology, nursing, and exercise science. In addition to core curriculum programs, students have numerous opportunities to participate in internships and practical experiences in rural, suburban, and inner-city settings. State-of-the-art teaching facilities include the nursing program’s simulation laboratory and the College’s on-campus animal clinic.  

Class Size/Student to Faculty Ratio: 17/16:1

POINTS OF PRIDE

• Named by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education for its popular guidebook, The Best 377 Colleges: 2013 Edition.
• Home of the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI), a first-in-the-nation, statewide center that creates opportunities for industry-leading game design companies to work with Massachusetts faculty and students on game development projects and curriculum enhancements.
• Recipient of a 2011 Urban Design Appreciation Award from Preservation Worcester, for the College’s adaptive reuse of historical properties on its Worcester Campus. (Leicester and Worcester Campus properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.)
• Recognized by Leading Women of Massachusetts in its Salute to Companies That Are Leading Women to the Top™.
• 95% placement rate for employment and graduate study.

Nursing:

• Ranked #1 among undergraduate nursing programs in Massachusetts, with a 2011 99 percent NCLEX pass rate for prelicensure nursing graduates.

Interactive Entertainment—Game Design:

• Named by The Princeton Review among the top 10 colleges in the U.S. and Canada for video game design for four consecutive years.
• One of only two institutions in Massachusetts to be recognized in The Princeton Review’s top-10 colleges for video game design in 2012.
• Ranked number 23 in the world by the Animation Career Review in its list of the “Top 100 Schools for Animation, Gaming, and Design.”
• Called “a popular destination for prospective game designers” by the U.S.News & World Report.

Animal Studies:

• Launched a new School of Animal Studies for undergraduate animal studies, with an endowed academic chair and dean.
• Becker College is #1 in New England and #15 nationally and is among the top-15 producers nationally among four-year private institutions in awarding undergraduate animal studies degrees in 2011-2012. 
• One of only two private colleges in New England to offer AVMA-accredited undergraduate programs in veterinary technology.
• The College’s fully operational veterinary clinic, open to the public, sees more than 1,000 patients annually and provides students with hands-on experience.
• Enrollment in animal studies programs has grown 22 percent since May 2008.

Our Students:

• In 2011, Becker College students participated in 44,079 hours of practicum, pre-practicum, externship, or internship experiences.
• Becker College students annually perform nearly 80,000 hours of community service.
• The student-led ONE Chapter ranked #1 in the nation for the ONE Campus Challenge for more than a week (March 2012) among over 110 colleges and universities–some more than 10 times our size. ONE Campus Challenge, an intercollegiate competition, mobilizes students in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases.
• Three animal studies students spent over 100 hours assisting the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association Charities Mazunte Turtle Project in Oaxaca, Mexico.
• In the spring of 2013, the Mission2Go student organization, dedicated to volunteering all over the world to improve the lives of others, will travel to Haiti to assist in construction of the Be Like Brit Orphanage.

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Students thrive on campuses that foster the College’s core values of excellence, accountability, community and diversity, social responsibility, integrity, and creative expression. There is a connectedness between students and faculty that enhances learning and student success and provides each student with personal attention and a close-knit, family atmosphere. Becker College has more than 20 student clubs and organizations, and numerous student leaderhip opportunities.

Athletics

More than one-third of student-athletes completed the fall 2011 semester with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Becker College athletics offers eight men’s varsity programs, seven women’s varsity programs, and two co-ed sports, competes at the NCAA Division III level, and is a member of the following:

• Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference-Northeast (men’s ice hockey)
• New England Collegiate Conference (baseball, softball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, field hockey, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, golf, volleyball)
• Great Northeast Athletic Conference (men’s lacrosse)
• New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance (women’s lacrosse)
• Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (football)
• Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (equestrian)

Off-Campus Opportunities

Worcester offers a wide array of social, cultural, and recreational opportunities, including entertainment and sports arenas, semi-professional sports team—the Worcester Sharks (ice hockey)—first-class museums, the Hanover Theatre, outdoor recreation areas, and a wide range of shopping and dining options. Because we are a member of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, made up of 11 other Worcester-area colleges, our students have access to each member’s facilities, events, and activities.

 Campus Facilities and Equipment

A variety of housing options are available for those students who choose to live on campus. The Worcester Campus offers housing in historic homes, and the Leicester Campus offers both historic homes and contemporary residences. Both campuses offer all-female, all-male, co-ed, over 21, and all-freshman living spaces. Each campus has its own classrooms, dining hall, library, campus center, and fitness facility.

Students in the equine programs are involved in the daily maintenance and care of horses at the Becker College Equestrian Center in Paxton. The Becker College Lenfest Animal Health Center houses the College’s veterinary clinic, which sees more than 1,000 patients annually. The center also includes teaching facilities for laboratory animals, grooming, dog obedience, and laboratories for animal care and veterinary technology students. 

Recently Completed Project: The new George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Campus Center (Leicester Campus)