Ashland University is a mid-sized, private, non-profit university in Ashland, Ohio, United States. The university consists of a 135-acre main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. It was founded in 1878 and is affiliated with the Brethren Church. Judeo-Christian values are the foundation of the educational and social environment of the university.
Today, the university offers nearly 70 undergraduate majors and nine pre-professional programs. The majors include actuarial science, toxicology/environmental science and entrepreneurship, which are unusual for an institution of its size. In addition, it offers most traditional liberal arts majors as well as a wide range of majors in business and education. The education program, which offers pre-K through doctorate level courses, is one of the largest among independent and state institutions in Ohio. Academic programs are enhanced by an Honors Program and the John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs.
The university consists of four Colleges—the College of Arts and Sciences, the Schar College of Education, the Dauch College of Business and Economics, and the Schar College of Nursing and Health Sciences—and a large Graduate School offering degree programs in Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA), Master of American History and Government (MAHG), Master of Arts in Health and Risk Communication, Master of Education (MEd), Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs.
U.S. News & World Report has ranked Ashland University in the Top 200 National University institutions in the 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Reports’ America’s Best Colleges survey.
Ashland University participates in NCAA Division II for athletics. Ashland’s athletic teams are known as the Eagles, and the colors are purple and gold. Ashland participates in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.