Fairmont State University

The Mission of Fairmont State University is to provide opportunities for individuals to achieve their professional and personal goals and discover roles for responsible citizenship that promote the common good.

Fairmont State University aspires to be nationally recognized as a model for accessible learner-centered institutions that promote student success by providing comprehensive education and excellent teaching, flexible learning environments, and superior services. Graduates will have the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind necessary for intellectual growth, full and participatory citizenship, employability, and entrepreneurship in a changing environment.

Fairmont State University considers its broad objective to be the education of its students as intelligent and productive persons, capable of participating in and understanding the world of the twenty-first century. Accordingly, the University seeks to provide a suitable environment for free and responsible inquiry into the nature, sources and implications of human knowledge and culture, and it challenges students to promote their own intellectual, social, and personal development.

The University faculty serves this objective by guiding students in acquiring knowledge and by maintaining a dialogue with them. The University fully supports the ideal of a well-educated society and upholds the academic freedom of its faculty and students, confident that the best interests of the community are served when the search for truth is imaginative and vigorous.

The University follows a liberal policy of student admissions and believes that it can help highly-motivated students to overcome many challenges in their academic preparation. Because its academic standards are high, the Fairmont State University degree represents a level of achievement respected throughout the nation.

The University has a traditional interest in preparing teachers for public schools in West Virginia, as well as in other states. Recognizing the importance of able teachers to a progressive society, it requires outstanding academic performance of its teacher candidates and offers them sound professional training for elementary and secondary teaching.

Drawing many students from its immediate vicinity, the University welcomes the enthusiastic support it receives from Fairmont and surrounding areas. In return it participates actively in community projects, shares its programs and facilities with the public and serves the community as a center of information and culture.

As the demand for highly trained professionals in every field increases, more and more students are choosing to pursue a master's level degree. The degree, once considered primarily a stepping stone toward a doctorate, is becoming, for many, a terminal degree. Many fields which once employed graduates with bachelor's degrees now prefer to hire those with master's degrees. FSU is meeting that need by offering master’s degrees in criminal justice, business and a variety of areas within the field of professional education.

Graduate Studies at Fairmont State University are designed to give students advanced knowledge in a special field of study, higher levels of professional competence, an understanding of and respect for scholarly research and a sophisticated knowledge of the techniques of continued, lifelong intellectual growth. These goals are achieved through coherent, orderly programs of study, investigation and supervised practical experiences that are carefully planned by each individual student in consultation with a graduate faculty advisor.

Choosing to pursue a Master's degree program at Fairmont State University represents a commitment to excellence, personal growth, and lifelong learning. Our graduate programs are committed to a student-centered learning environment that emphasizes concrete experiences, intellectual discourse, and critical reflection. FSU is small enough to allow each graduate student opportunities for interaction with fellow students and distinguished faculty members, yet large enough to provide challenging and diverse areas of study. To better serve graduate students, the university schedules classes at times designed to meet the scheduling needs of part-time as well as full-time students. In fact, several programs and many courses are delivered primarily online. Such courses typically receive student ratings which surpass those of traditional, face-to-face classes.

Our goal is to provide improved access to education at Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community and Technical College by providing courses in various nontraditional ways to meet the needs of students who cannot attend regular day and evening classes and to enhance the course offerings to our traditional students. On-campus mandatory meeting dates are listed in the class schedule.

The mission of Campus Card Services is to provide support to all students, staff, and faculty in all areas of operation relating to their ID Card. We are committed to providing a safe and secure identification system that meets the needs of all involved. Our goal is to expand our services in an efficient and convenient way with a user-friendly and customer-oriented approach.

Study abroad can be an important part of any program of study at Fairmont State.International experience develops a global perspective and human connections with the world at home and abroad. Students who choose to study internationally enhance their career possibilities and further their personal development.A variety of opportunities are available to fit the goals and situation of many students. The International Study Coordinator will help to identify appropriate programs and register intent to participate. Fairmont State students have successfully completed programs in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with program length ranging from one week to one academic year.Programs are carefully screen to allow for transfer of credit back to Fairmont State University upon successful completion. With advance planning and approval, students will not fall behind on progress toward their degree.

Study abroad is appropriate for students seeking any degree on campus. In addition to broadening experience and gaining confidence, students gain insight into higher education in other countries and the daily lives of their fellow students. This perspective adds depth of knowledge to their program of study, and to their future career in any field.