Ranked the Northeast’s 147th best college by Forbes, Roger Williams University is a private, nonprofit liberal arts NAICU member in Rhode Island that offers 51 bachelor’s majors, 11 master’s degrees, and eight graduate certificates, including 12 fully online, with a 14:1 student-faculty ratio. For example, the School of Justice Studies delivers a 30-credit, 15-month MA in Cybersecurity overseen by Dr. Doug White to train Certified Information Systems Security Professionals for employment at Raytheon, Fidelity, Dell, Apple, and more. Chaired by Dr. Michael Emmer, the MS in Construction Management builds a 30-credit, ACCE-accredited online curriculum of 12 months for 100 percent job placement with Kiewit, Hensel Phelps, Arden Engineering, Gilbane Building Co., and more.
Online on D2L Brightspace since Fall 2019, the MA in Special Education has accelerated a 30-credit, 12-month path to Rhode Island K-12 endorsements under Dr. Adam Moore with courses like Exceptionality Research, a 24-week teaching residency, and the EDU 652 capstone project. Directed by Dr. Eric Bronson, the MS in Criminal Justice has a fast 36-credit, thesis-optional sequence of 24/7 online classes from Criminological Theory to Public Policy plus opportunities to intern with the Massachusetts State Crime Lab and engage in the Justice System Training Institute. Other Roger Williams degrees include the MPA in Healthcare Administration, MS in Leadership, Ma in Forensic & Legal Psychology, Master of Business Administration, MS in Preservation Practices, and Master of Architecture.
Roger Williams University appears in our ranking of the 100 BEST FAST MASTERS PROGRAMS ONLINE.
About Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University originated in 1919 when the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) center in Providence. Until 1948, the Northeastern University extension only offered Rhode Islanders college-level night and weekend classes. That Fall, the YMCA Board of Directors launched the first full, two-year Associate of Applied Science degrees. In 1956, the General Assembly issued a charter to rename it Roger Williams Junior College after the Providence Plantations founder. On September 29, 1969, its campus was relocated to the former Ferrycliffe Farm in Bristol for about 1,300 students. The next month, Roger Williams Library was founded with more than 7,000 volumes. In 1970, Roger Williams joined the Union for Experimental Colleges and Universities. First accredited in May 1972, Roger Williams debuted Ampersand Press in 1980. By 1992, the Roger Williams University name was adopted. In 1993, RWU opened the Ocean State’s only School of Law.
Endowed for $85.1 million, Roger Williams University now employs 212 full-time and 319 part-time faculty training 4,860 Hawks from nearly 40 nations on the 143-acre Mount Hope Bay campus, at the Providence location, or online with 80+ clubs like Future Teachers of America. In 2016, Roger Williams received the NCTE Certificate of Excellence Award. In 2019, RWU won the Providence Business News Diversity & Inclusion in Education Award. Roger Williams University accepted a 2018 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award too. The U.S. News & World Report picked RWU 243rd for public affairs and 97th for engineering degrees. On Niche, RWU boasts America’s 226th best criminal justice degrees and 277th top campus. Money Magazine named Roger Williams University the 619th best value. Washington Monthly crowned RWU the 392nd top master’s institution.
Roger Williams University Accreditation Details
On May 30, 2017, the New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE) mailed formal notification to Roger Williams University about the reaffirmation of its Level V accreditation until the Fall 2021 Interim Fifth-Year Report led by Provost Margaret Everett, Ph.D., who earned the John Eliot Outstanding Teacher Award. Located 77 miles north via Interstate 95 in Burlington, Massachusetts, this superb six-state New England Region accreditor is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The Graduate School also lists the following program-specific accreditations:
- National Architectural Accrediting Board
- American Council for Construction Education
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
- Rhode Island Department of Education
Roger Williams University Application Requirements
Admission at Roger Williams University is classified as “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s for its 85 percent acceptance rate. Post-grad Hawks entering RWU Online programs must hold bachelor’s or higher degrees from regionally accredited colleges. Online 4+1 options require graduating from Rogers Williams with good academic standing. Bachelor’s majors can generally be in any related or non-related major. Only the MArch degree requires a Bachelor of Architecture for entrance. Cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or better are strongly recommended. Certain programs, such as the Online MS in Construction Management, prefer 2+ years of work experience. The Graduate School doesn’t require submitting GRE scores. Master of Business Administration cohorts present an average 502 GMAT score though. International graduate students need at least 85 TOEFL iBT, 6.5 IELTS, or ELS Level 112 marks. One-Year MA in Special Education entrants must possess valid K-12 teaching certification.
Roger Williams University’s Graduate School has varying admission deadlines. For instance, the MS in Construction Management has an April 1st priority date. The 4+1 MS in Criminal Justice closes on March 1st. The Joint Juris Doctor/MBA requires applying by December 1st. MS in Preservation Practices cohorts must file before May 1st. Check program dates before submitting the $50 RWU Application online to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Official transcripts are uploaded via Parchment or mailed to 1 Old Ferry Road in Bristol, RI 02809. Online master’s degrees may also require a one-page letter of intent, professional resume, recommendation form, SlideRoom portfolio, or teaching certificate copy. Contact (401) 254-6200 or gradadmit@rwu.edu for more information.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The graduate school at Roger Williams University has standard tuition of $984 per credit. Each three-credit master’s course costs $2,952. Certain online programs fall above or below this rate though. The MS in Leadership charges $648 per credit or $1,944 each class. Online MS in Construction Management cohorts are billed $1,084 per credit or $3,252 per course. Master of Architecture courses are $4,902 a piece for $1,634 per credit. Only full-time School of Architecture students are offered the flat-rate $19,608 semester tuition. RWU Online master’s programs also incur a $135 distance learning fee each term.
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the Office of Student Financial Aid gets 100 percent of new, full-time RWU Hawks enrolled with median tuition assistance of $15,117 each for $16.9 million combined. Endowed funds include the Alister McGregor Scholarship, Brett Berman Memorial Scholarship, Diane Drake Memorial Scholarship, Gingerella Family Scholarship, Hemond Brothers Scholarship, Jeffrey William Manuck Memorial Scholarship, Jeremy Warnick Scholarship, Paul Langello Scholarship, Sergeant Jim Cole Peace Officer Scholarship, Sparks Memorial Scholarship, and Michele Cron Yeaton Memorial Scholarship. Top online MS in Criminal Justice students could qualify for the $3,000 School of Justice Studies Scholarship. Since 2007, the Gregory W. Bolden Memorial Scholarship has supported undergrads and post-grads from Providence with minimum 2.75 GPAs. Federal programs, including the Graduate Plus Loan and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, require FAFSA forms coded 003410. The Rhode Island Foundation also has graduate-level awards like the Aldo Freda Legislative Pages Scholarship and Beacon Brighter Tomorrows Scholarship.
Get to know Roger Williams University more at the Graduate School website.
Related:
TOP 25 MOST AFFORDABLE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY ONLINE PROGRAMS
30 PROS AND CONS FOR GETTING A FAST ONLINE MASTER’S DEGREE
ARE ONLINE MASTER’S PROGRAMS EASIER TO GET INTO?
5 TYPES OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS RECOGNIZED BY THE IRS
89 RACIAL EQUITY RESOURCES FOR HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITIES
