Drexel University

Drexel University was founded in 1891 as the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry, by Philadelphia financier and philanthropist Anthony J. Drexel. The original mission of the institution was to provide educational opportunities in the "practical arts and sciences" for women and men of all backgrounds. The institution became known as the Drexel Institute of Technology in 1936 and in 1970 the Drexel Institute of Technology gained university status, becoming Drexel University.

Today Drexel University is a non-profit private research university with three campuses in the urban setting of the large city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Drexel University offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as undergraduate certificates/diplomas, associate degrees, bachelor degrees, master degrees in several areas of study. Drexel's knowledge community of researchers and scholars are socially, professionally and intellectually diverse.

Catering for roughly 26,000 students, Drexel offers around 200 degree programs. These include over 80 undergraduate majors, more than a dozen accelerated degree programs, and around 120 degrees and certificates for graduates and professionals.

Students at Drexel University can get a mix of in-class education and extensive on-the-job experience before graduation. Drexel operates a cooperative education program, sending students to more than 1,600 employers worldwide for six months at a time. Most co-ops are paid and the average salary a Drexel student will take home is more than $16,000. Students who complete three co-ops generally graduate in five years. Students who participate in a single co-op experience or no co-op experience can graduate in four years.

In its 2016 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Drexel the 99th among national universities in the United States, and the 8th in the "Most Innovative Schools" category. The publication also ranked the Library and Information Studies program the 10th in the nation.

Notable alumni of Drexel University include Michael Anderson, a former professional basketball player, and Earle I. Mack, a former ambassador to Finland, Earl Lestz - former President of Operations for Paramount Studios, Paul Baran - one of the inventors of packet switching and a founding father of the Internet.

The most popular majors by the number of registered students are business/marketing, health professions, engineering, visual and performing arts, biology, computer and information sciences, nursing, finance.

Drexel offers well-regarded programs through the College of Engineering and it has a medical school and a law school.

Besides, the LeBow College of Business has been ranked as the 38th best private business school in the nation according to the Business Week 2009 ranks.

Its online MBA program is ranked the 14th in the world by the Financial Times; the publication also ranks the undergraduate business program at LeBow as the 19th in the United States. The part-time MBA program ranks the 1st in academic quality in the 2015 edition of Business Insider's rankings.

The 2006 edition of U.S. News ranks the undergraduate engineering program #57 in the country and the 2007 edition of graduate schools ranks the graduate program #61. The 2008 edition ranks the University Engineering Program at #55 and in the 2009 US News Ranking, the university has moved up to the #52 position.

The College of Medicine was ranked #83 in the "Best Medical Schools: Research" category by U.S. News & World Report in 2015. In addition to its M.D. program, the College of Medicine offers several graduate programs in professional studies and biomedical sciences.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering was ranked the 18th of 88 programs in the 2011 National Research Council survey rankings.

The Physician Assistant program is ranked the 10th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its 2016 rankings.