• Wheaton's Top Ten:
  Must-Know Facts
• Traveling to Wheaton
• Driving directions
• Flying to New England
• Taxi and limo services
• Commuter rail and buses
• Hotels
• Campus map
• Printable map (pdf)
• Virtual campus tour
• Office of the President
• Facts about Wheaton
• Wheaton's mission
• History of the college
• Wheaton trustees
• Area attractions
• Local banks
• About the Boston area
• Traditional Wheaton songs

Facts about Wheaton

26 East Main Street
Norton, Massachusetts 02766-2322
(508) 286-8200

Location

A more than 400-acre residential campus in Norton, Mass., the fastest growing region in the state; 35 miles south of Boston, 15 miles north of Providence.

History

Founded in 1834, chartered as a four-year liberal arts college for women in 1912. Coeducational since 1988. Phi Beta Kappa charter established in 1932.

President

Ronald A. Crutcher, B.M., Miami University; D.M.A, Yale University School of Music.

Faculty

One hundred forty full-time faculty members, with an equal number of men and women. The student-faculty ratio is 10:1. Average class size is 15 to 20 students.

Enrollment

Selective admission drawing more than 1,550 men and women from nearly every state and more than 69 countries. For the Class of 2012, 3,827 high school students applied for 405 available spots.

Expenses and Financial Aid

The comprehensive fee for 2008-2009 is $48,010. Approximately 60 percent of students receive some form of student aid, including grants, work-study, loans and outside scholarships. Outstanding applicants may be awarded an academic scholarship.

Academic Programs

Liberal arts, featuring more than 600 courses leading to the A.B. degree. Forty major concentrations and more than 50 minors; interdepartmental, interdisciplinary and self-designed majors offered. Wheaton's unique Connections program links courses across academic disciplines, allowing students to explore diverse areas of knowledge and approach topics from multiple perspectives. Dual-degree programs in business administration, communications, engineering, optometry and religion.

Traditional classroom study enhanced by emphasis on real world experience. The Filene Center for Work and Learning works with students and faculty to create opportunities for learning through internships, community service, research, work and campus leadership. Unique second transcript documents students' field learning, and connects experiences with academics and life aspirations.

The Center for Global Education works with faculty and students to infuse global perspectives in the curriculum and culture of Wheaton. As an extension of the academic experience, study abroad offers the opportunity to learn about the host culture, acquire greater fluency in the host language and learn from professors and with students from the host country. Wheaton offers more than 45 study abroad programs, and in recent years students have studied in more than 50 different countries.

Domestic study away programs available include Washington, D.C. semester with American University; Mystic Seaport Program with Williams College, National Theater Institute semester at the Eugene O'Neill Theater, SALT Documentary Center in Portland, Maine

Honor Code

Wheaton's honor code rests at the core of the institution. Students pledge to act with honesty and integrity, to respect the property of the college and their peers, and to demonstrate concern for the the dignity and rights of others. Self-scheduled finals, unproctored exams and self-governance are principles of Wheaton's honor system.

The Wheaton Distinguished Fellows program brings Boston leaders in business, law, government, media, science and medicine to campus to offer students insight into how academic disciplines are applied in the real world.

Cross registration with Brown University available. Twelve College Exchange membership provides study options at Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Trinity, Vassar, Wellesley, Wesleyan and Williams.

Student Achievement

Wheaton students have won more than 100 prestigious academic awards since 2000, including three Rhodes Scholarships, as well as Fulbright, Truman and British Marshall scholarships.

Student Life

Our more than 50 clubs and other student-run groups, encompass a wide range of interests, such as academics, the arts, student government, media and writing, intercollegiate and intramural athletics, and social awareness.

The Boston Area

Boston is the place where legends are made. From Bunker Hill to Beacon Hill, Fenway Park to Faneuil Hall, Boston offers an exciting mix of culture, commerce and history to the more than 300,000 college students who live and study in and around "The Hub." Boston also offers some of the world's finest opportunities to put classroom theory into practice at one of its many high-tech companies, research facilities, cultural organizations or corporate headquarters.

Campus Facilities

Wheaton has outstanding facilities to support academic, residential and co-curricular life including a $20 million arts facilities expansion, National Science Foundation-funded digital imaging center, and state-of-the-art library and language labs. The Balfour-Hood Center houses a campus pub, café, game room, fitness center, post office, lounges, media center and videotape editing room, radio station, and meeting space for student clubs and organizations. Wheaton also boasts one of the finest NCAA Division III athletic facilities in New England in its Haas Athletic Center.

Athletics

Wheaton fields 21 intercollegiate athletic teams and its program ranked among the top 20 percent in the country last year in NCAA Division III. Wheaton competes against institutions such as Bowdoin, Brandeis, MIT, Smith and Williams. Teams include: baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, indoor track and field, lacrosse, outdoor track and field, soccer, softball, swimming/diving, synchronized swimming, tennis, volleyball (women).

School Colors The college colors are "Wheaton blue" and white.