Earning a Degree at West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University appears in our ranking of the Top 25 Most Affordable Online Business Graduate Degrees.
West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) allows students to earn their degrees at the main campus near Amarillo, as well as online. Colleges that offer degrees at WTAMU include the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, the Department of Chemistry and Physics, and the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business.
Some of the most popular degrees at West Texas A&M University include those in business, health professions, agriculture, the humanities, and education. Sixty-five percent of first-year students return for their second year of study, and the student-faculty ratio is 18:1. Around 36 percent of the university’s classes have 20 or fewer students enrolled.
Students who want to enroll in online courses will benefit from programs that are part of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement. Online programs are offered entirely online, as well as in hybrid formats where some classes are taken on campus. The university divides its programs into three classifications that include wholly online where all classes are offered online, fully online where 86 to 99 percent of classes are offered online, and hybrid/blended mode where 50 to 85 percent of classes are delivered online.
Some of the degrees available in online study include the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences, the Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies, and the Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems. Additional programs available online include the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and the Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics.
Some programs online offer the opportunity to specialize in a focused area of study. For example, the Bachelor of Science in Economics has a general degree path available or a specialization in Digital Collaboration and Economics. The university also has several graduate degrees available online.
Students can earn their Master of Science in Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics, their Master of Science in Engineering, their Master of Arts in Counseling, or their Master of Education in Curriculum Development. These degrees are available online, but some degree requirements might require a visit to a site in Texas for a practicum or hybrid class.
About West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University is a member of the Texas A&M University System, and it is located near Amarillo in a small town called Canyon. The university was known as West Texas State Normal College when it was established in 1910 and was one of the seven colleges established in the state that were designed to educate future teachers. The university would undergo a few name changes until it became West Texas A&M University in 1990.
More than 10,000 students are enrolled at West Texas A&M University, with approximately 2,500 of those students enrolled in postgraduate work. The suburban campus in Canyon, Texas, covers around 176 acres. The official colors of the school are white and maroon, and the official mascot is the Buffalo. Students on official varsity teams play as the Buffaloes or Buffs in NCAA Division II games.
West Texas A&M University Accreditation Details
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has accredited West Texas A&M University on an institutional level. Accreditation allows the university to award degrees. WTAMU is in the Level V category for accreditation and may award bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The university is also accredited by various national organizations that are recognized by the Department of Education.
Specialized accreditations include those from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation, and the Commission on English Language Proficiency. Programs are also accredited by organizations recognized by the Council for Higher Education. Those approvals include those from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Council on Social Work Education.
West Texas A&M University Application Requirements
West Texas A&M University has a 71 percent acceptance rate for freshmen applicants. To qualify for admission, students must have a high school GPA of at least 2.0 and meet one of several class rank and standardized test benchmarks. Students must graduate in the top 25 percent of their class or in the second quarter with an ACT score of 18, the third quarter with an ACT score of 21, or in the final quarter with an ACT of 23.
Students can ask for a review of their application even if they don’t meet one of the minimum application standards. There are additional requirements for students who have attended a Department of Defense High School or a private high school in the State of Texas. All students must submit an application fee of $55 when they apply.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for Texas residents in undergraduate programs at West Texas A&M University is $50 per credit hour. Some students may need to pay fees in addition to their tuition, but students won’t see their tuition rate change over the course of their college career at WTAMU. Some programs charge differential tuition. Those programs include nursing, any of the school’s business programs, and majors in computer science, engineering, or engineering technology.
One of the benefits of attending West Texas A&M University for prospective students who aren’t from Texas is that the out-of-state tuition rate is only $30 higher per credit than it is for in-state applicants. The rate once only applied to students from the states immediately surrounding the state, but the university expanded its reduced tuition rate to the entire country. The average tuition for out-of-state students at West Texas A&M University is $9,803 for 12 credit hours.
For financial aid, students at West Texas A&M University can qualify for the Buff Promise program, which allows students with an annual family income of $40,000 or less to receive money for tuition. The program awards more than $36 million in assistance each year. Students must be a Texas resident to qualify and enroll in an undergraduate program at the university.
Additional financial aid options are also available in the form of traditional student loans through the federal government’s Direct Loan program, as well as grants and scholarships from private, institutional, and state sources. Students should submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as early as possible and continue to submit a yearly FAFSA each year they attend West Texas A&M University.
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