About Western Kentucky University

Western Kentucky University is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a city with a population of 50,000, and located approximately 110 miles south of Louisville and 65 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee. U.S. Highway 31-W and Interstate 65 intersect with U.S. Highways 68 and 231 at Bowling Green, and the Cumberland and William H. Natcher parkways provide additional easy highway access to Bowling Green.

Western's undergraduate division provides four-year programs leading to the bachelor of arts, the bachelor of fine arts, the bachelor of general studies, the bachelor of science, the bachelor of science in nursing and the bachelor of music degrees. Eighty-eight (88) academic majors and fifty-seven (57) academic minors are available. A number of professional and pre-professional curricula provide additional options.

Eighteen (18) associate degree programs are offered leading to the associate of arts degree, associate of science degree, associate of applied science and associate of general studies degree. Three certificate programs are also offered.

Graduate Studies offers the master of arts, master of arts in education, master of business administration, master of science, master of music, master of public service, and the master of public administration. Western also offers the specialist degree and rank I and II programs. A joint doctoral degree program is offered with the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.

Vision and Mission

Western Kentucky University aspires to be the best comprehensive public institution in Kentucky and among the best in the nation.

Western Kentucky University shall be the University of choice for students and faculty who are dedicated to academic excellence.

True to the Western Spirit, the University offers an inviting, nurturing, and challenging environment, which is responsive to the intellectual, social, and cultural needs of a diverse learning community. Western's success is reflected in the success of its alumni, who are known for their leadership, adaptability, and commitment to Western.

Western Kentucky University shall produce nationally and globally competitive graduates and provide optimum service and life-long learning opportunities for its constituents.

Western From The Beginning

Western has been an educational leader since its beginning. Its roots come from the Southern Normal School of Bowling Green, and Western has been broadening horizons throughout the region since its founding in 1906.

The school's first president, Henry Hardin Cherry, expressed a theme for Western's eduational commitment that is a constant inspiration to faculty, students and alumni: "The Spirit Makes the Master."

Western grew in distinction with each decade. The institution changed locations, acquired other schools and became a teacher's college by 1922. In 1948, Western was elevated to Western Kentucky State College by the Kentucky General Assembly. Acquiring Bowling Green Business University, Western achieved university status in 1966.

As a university, Western has produced educational opportunities to more than 70,000 alumni who proudly call WKU "the home of the Hilltoppers."

Western's campus crowns a hill overlooking the city of Bowling Green and is proclaimed as one of the most beautiful in the nation.