Wayne State College
Wayne, Nebraska
Wayne State College, long recognized for providing educational excellence in a small, friendly setting, has been the educational and cultural anchor of northeast Nebraska for more than 100 years.
What began as an institution devoted to teacher education has transformed into the region’s most affordable leading comprehensive college, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. More than 3,600 students and 120 faculty members call Wayne State home.
Wayne State College offers more than 90 undergraduate degrees and four graduate programs. True to its beginning roots as a teachers college, education continues to be one of the most popular majors on campus. Other popular majors include business, criminal justice and pre-professional programs, which prepares students for medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy school.
Sitting on a beautiful campus covering 128 acres, Wayne State is anchored by the Willow Bowl, named for the majestic willow trees lining the space.
Several artistic performances and visual arts exhibits are hosted on campus each year, all of which are open to the public. The college is also home to the Nordstrand Visual Arts Gallery and northeast Nebraska’s only planetarium, the Fred G. Dale Planetarium.
Wayne State is home to 15 exciting NCAA Division II athletic teams and participates in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Wayne State College, founded in 1891, is a comprehensive institution of higher education dedicated to freedom of inquiry, excellence in teaching and learning, and regional service and development. Offering affordable undergraduate and graduate programs, the college prepares students for careers, advanced study, and civic involvement. The college is committed to faculty-staff-student interaction, public service, and diversity within a friendly and collegial campus community.
Get to know Wayne State College
College Highlights
Wayne State College graduates go on to become leaders in their field. In fact, nine out of every 10 graduates are working in their field of study, in such exciting fields as medicine, journalism and teaching. Why are Wayne State graduates so employable? It’s simple: the college’s approach to education.
EDUCATION AND INNOVATION
With innovative programs such as NENTA (Northeast Nebraska Teacher Academy) and RHOP (Rural Health Opportunities Program), Wayne State students gain real-world experience and knowledge that prepares them for success in and out of the classroom.
NENTA places highly qualified Wayne State College teaching majors as substitute teachers in participating school districts. Wayne State College students gain real-world teaching experience while the 14 participating school districts gain insight from students who are learning the latest in curriculum and instruction. This kind of real-world experience makes Wayne State College teaching majors some of the most sought after and employable students after graduation.
Students wishing to explore a career in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, dental hygiene or clinical laboratory science are prepared for post-graduate study thanks to the RHOP program. Students accepted into the program receive a tuition waiver for their undergraduate study at Wayne State College, and are automatically accepted into programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Upon completion of their study at UNMC, these students go on to become health providers in rural areas throughout Nebraska.
ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY
Non-U.S. Citizen: 2%
Hispanic/Latinx: 11%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 3%
White, non-Hispanic: 79%
Native/Indigenous American or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 1%
Asian, non-Hispanic: 1%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 3%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown: 1%
DEDICATED FACULTY
At Wayne State, the focus is not just teaching, but learning. Top-notch faculty (not graduate assistants) focus on student engagement in the college’s classrooms. With a small student-to-faculty ratio (19:1), Wayne State keeps classrooms small so that students are involved in class discussion. The end result? Students who are academically challenged, are gaining a real-world education, and who feel like their professors care about their academic success.
SERVICE-LEARNING
Hands-on learning occurs outside of the classroom for many Wayne State courses. The college’s Service-Learning program promotes, mobilizes, and supports the efforts of Wayne State, united in strengthening academic and co-curricular programs through service-learning in the college’s communities, state and nation. Service-learning also plays an important role in engaging and retaining Wayne State students.
STUDENT LIFE
There are nearly 100 student clubs and organizations on campus, which not only means there is always something going on, but there is always something to get involved in.
Wayne State College clubs and organizations encompass a wide variety of interests. Art, politics, athletics, business and multicultural affairs are just a few of the interests that can be explored. These clubs and organizations often sponsor on-campus events like bringing a nationally renowned speaker to campus, or hosting off-campus adventures that allow students to apply classroom knowledge in the field.
Wayne State’s clubs and organizations, intramural sports, student activities board, and NCAA athletics bring more than 400 student-centered activities to campus each year. Most of them are free. And that amounts to a whole lot of fun.
ATHLETICS
NCAA Division II. WSC is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in all sports.
15 Varsity sports programs:
Men’s sports sponsored include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field.
The women compete in basketball, cross country, golf, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, softball, volleyball, and soccer.
Mascot: Wildcats
Colors: Black and Yellow
PREPARATION FOR SUCCESS
Wayne State thinks of its degree in two ways. First, there’s the piece of paper that signifies completion of a rigorous course of study that has supplied skills, data, and knowledge verifying a certain level of mastery of a chosen major. WSC students are ready to assume roles as teachers, trainers, laboratory assistants, business leaders, construction managers, coaches or pursue graduate studies or medical school by virtue of the college’s granting of the degree.
But there’s another way to think about a Wayne State degree. A Wayne State degree could be summed up by Malcolm Forbes’ contention that “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” At first blush that might seem an odd statement to make when we spend years seemingly filling your mind with tons of information.
What Wayne State actually does as an institution is open students’ minds to critical thinking and analysis. Through the course of a WSC education, the college gives its students the tools to discover for themselves those things necessary to make a life and make a living. By opening their minds, WSC makes it possible for them to shape their future, create their careers and continue the lifelong process of learning.
A Wayne State degree puts graduates in good company with the thousands of others who have earned their degrees at WSC. Wayne State graduates include young scientists honored for their work by Nobel laureates, Fulbright winners, a former governor, many state senators, doctors, business executives, lawyers, actors, reporters, even an Elvis impersonator.
A Wayne State degree places graduates among the 98 percent of WSC alumni either employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation. Many WSC graduates join a state education workforce in which one out of every 10 teachers holds a degree from Wayne State.
Tuition & Cost
Tuition (in-state): $5,580
Tuition (out-of-state): $11,160
Fees: $1,848
Room: $4,130
Board: $4,290
Contact Wayne State College
Contact Admissions
www.wsc.edu/admissions
(866) 972-2287
admissions@wsc.edu
Campus Location
1111 Main Street
Wayne, NE 68787
(402) 375-7000