Overview
Bradley University was founded in 1897 as a nonsectarian institution of higher education. The University is characterized by strong professional programs based on an extensive liberal arts and sciences background.

The Graduate School enrolls approximately 800 students from a wide variety of academic and occupational backgrounds. Roughly half of the graduate students are women; about one third are international students.

Bradley University's graduate students experience great success in finding employment in their fields. The Smith Career Center assists students in defining career goals, creating a job-search plan, obtaining career-related work experience, and contacting prospective employers. Caterpillar, Inc., and other major companies employ many graduates in the fields of engineering, business, and computer science. Bradley's nurse administration, nurse-administered anesthesia, and physical therapy programs provide excellent employees for area hospitals.

The Location and Community
Bradley University is located in the heart of Illinois, in Peoria, a metropolitan area of 350,000, midway between Chicago and St. Louis. Peoria is large enough to provide a wide range of recreational, cultural, and professional activities and yet small enough to maintain a strong community spirit.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
Bradley University's Graduate School has programs leading to master's degrees in nearly thirty disciplines within the Foster College of Business Administration, the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, and the Colleges of Education and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, and Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Foster College of Business Administration offers the M.B.A. with a general management focus as well as concentrations in finance, management, and marketing; a Master of Science degree in accounting; and an Executive M.B.A. program focusing on leadership. The Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts offers the M.A. and M.F.A. in art with areas of concentration in painting, sculpture, drawing/illustration, interdisciplinary art studies, printmaking, ceramics, photography, and visual communication and design. The College of Education and Health Sciences offers the M.A. in curriculum and instruction, educational administration, human development counseling, human service administration, and learning behavior specialist. The College also offers an M.S. in nursing with concentrations in administration and nurse-administered anesthesia and a Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.). The College of Engineering and Technology provides programs leading to the M.S.C.E., M.S.E.E., M.S.I.E., M.S.Mf.E., and M.S.M.E. All offer research and theses opportunities. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers an M.S. in biology; an M.S. in chemistry for part-time students; an M.S. in computer information systems; an M.S. in computer science in the areas of numerical methods, systems programming, and information storage and retrieval; and an M.A. in English, with emphases in literature and writing. Support courses are offered in geological sciences, history, mathematics, philosophy, political science, and sociology. In addition, the Graduate School offers a Master of Liberal Studies (M.L.S.) degree program. The Graduate School seeks to increase access to its programs by offering many of its courses during the late afternoons and evenings to accommodate working students.

Facilities & Resources
The Graduate School and the Office for Research and Sponsored Programs at the University provide the focus for faculty and student research activities. Special centers of activity, such as those within the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship and the Materials Testing and Research Lab, bring the University's human resources to bear on the problems of industry, business, and the community. Other special centers are the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center, the Center for School Leadership, the Center for Business and Economic Research, and the Center for Energy Assessment. Bradley's Cullom-Davis Library, which has more than 1.3 million items, is research oriented. Students and faculty members have bibliographic access to holdings throughout the country through OCLC, a computerized bibliographic network that allows access to 6,000 libraries in the U.S. and other countries. The library holds major microform collections, including the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) documents, Library of American Civilization, and Library of English Literature. University computing facilities include high-end Sun engineering workstations, high-end Macintosh work stations, and campuswide computer labs as well as networked residence halls and selected apartments. Also on campus is the Caterpillar Global Communications Center with its innovative telecommunications center. Bradley is also an Internet-2 site.

Expenses and Aid
Credit-hour tuition is as follows: 1-7 hours, $490 per semester hour; 7½-11½ hours, $595 per semester hour. Tuition for the Master of Liberal Studies program is $280 per semester hour.

Financial Aid:
The Graduate School offers teaching, research, and administrative assistantships to qualified full-time and part-time students. Awards are made on a competitive basis. Full-time students with full-time assistantships can earn up to 18 hours of tuition per year and an average stipend of $5000 per year. Part-time students with part-time assistantships earn a proportionately smaller amount. The Graduate School offers graduate scholarships to both full-time and part-time students; scholarship awards may cover up to one third of the cost of tuition. Caterpillar Masters Fellowships are awarded annually on a competitive basis to outstanding students who have graduated from an accredited university, demonstrated superior academic achievement, and are committed to research or creative production. The fellowships provide an annual stipend of up to $8000, in addition to a full-tuition waiver. The University participates in the USX loan program, which offers favorable interest rates for students in business, computer science, and engineering. Information regarding other loans is available through the financial aid office at Bradley.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Living expenses vary, but students should anticipate a cost of at least $800 per month for room, board, and miscellaneous expenses.

How to Apply / Application
Students must have completed their baccalaureate education prior to their intended enrollment date and have their application materials submitted to the Graduate School at least six weeks before the date they intend to register. Applications for graduate assistantships and scholarships must be received by March 1 for fall and October 1 for spring entry. Required examinations are the GRE General Test for biology and electrical engineering, the GMAT for the M.B.A. and accounting programs, and the MAT or GRE for education and nursing. Art applicants must meet portfolio requirements. International applicants must submit TOEFL scores and show financial resources sufficient to cover tuition and living costs. An application fee and two letters of reference are required of all applicants.

International Students
International applicants have specific needs. For more information, visit the Graduate School web site's International Section.

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