• Universities

The University of Charleston (UC) is a private university for undergraduate and graduate students in West Virginia. It has a small college feel, with around 2,400 students and a student to faculty ratio of 14:1.In 1888, the Methodist Episcopal Church founded the Barboursville Seminary. The seminary’s 25 students took lessons in an abandoned courthouse. The school was renamed Morris Harvey College after a benefactor saved it from financial problems and it moved to Charleston in the 1930s. In 1942, the college became independent from the Methodist Church. Finally, after many decades of growth, it became the University of Charleston on December 13 1978.There are four schools at UC: Business and Leadership, Pharmacy, Arts and Sciences and Health Sciences. The university also runs a Physician Assistant ProgrammeGraduate degrees on offer at the university include doctorates of pharmacy and executive leadership and master's degrees for physician's assistant, strategic leadership, business administration (MBA) and forensic accounting.UC’s “Learning Your Way” curriculum embeds practical and logical skills into each major. Whichever field students study, from biology to Spanish, they will also learn critical thinking, creative habits and effective communication.Students at UC can earn credit for prior learning through avenues including time in the military, advanced placement (AP) exams and even life experiences.The university campus sits on the banks of the Kanawha River, a short distance from downtown Charleston. Each year the campus hosts a blues and barbecue festival on its riverfront lawn.