About Penn State Behrend
Penn State Behrend is a four-year and graduate college of Penn State that offer students the best of two worlds: The friendly, student-centered environment of a smaller college and the academic resources of a major research university.
With 5,050 undergraduate and graduate students, 40-plus academic programs, and an 854-acre campus, Penn State Behrend is among the largest campuses in the Penn State system. Penn State Behrend is also among the top public colleges and universities in Pennsylvania for student-to-faculty ratio, SAT scores, first-year student retention rate, and graduation rate, based on U.S. News & World Report data.
Penn State Behrend offers more than forty degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and associate degree levels as well as a range of minors and certificates in addition to continuing education and training programs for youth, business and industry, and area residents.
AT A GLANCE- Located in Erie, Pennsylvania
- The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:16, and the average class size is 26.
- Academic areas of study are organized within four schools: the Black School of Business, School of Engineering, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and School of Science.
- The 854-acre campus features more than 50 buildings, from the original Glenhill Farmhouse to the 160,000-square-foot Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center.
- Recognized as an arboretum through its membership in the American Public Gardens Association, the Penn State Behrend campus is home to more than 200 species of native and exotic trees.
- Research is a critical area of focus for the college's faculty, staff, and students. Annually, the college funds nearly $350,000 in undergraduate research opportunities and faculty participate in $6.1 million of sponsored research.
- The college is also home to Knowledge Park, a 200-acre research and development complex on the eastern edge of campus that gives companies housed there access to the college’s strengths in applied research and technology transfer, while providing internship and employment opportunities for students and graduates.
