History, Affiliations and Rankings
Troy University was established in 1887 in Troy, Alabama, USA. Started as a Troy Normal School in 1887, it was founded with the aim to educate and train new teachers by providing a four-year college degree. In 1957, the Alabama Board of Education decided to grant the college status and right to issue the degrees. It adopted the name "Troy State College” in the same year. As the number of students and faculties increased, Troy University started gaining more and more international recognition by opening satellite sites in Montgomery, Phenix City, and Dothan to serve the military personnel posted at Maxwell AFB, Fort Benning and Fort Rucker. The Board of Trustees agreed on April 16, 2004, to change the name of the university from Troy State University to Troy University. The transition to the new name was completed in August 2005 and was the fifth in the school's history. The university is also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master's, education specialist, and doctoral degrees. SACSCOC accreditation validates Troy University's excellence in faculty and academic programmes, services, financial stability, and other areas. Furthermore, this accreditation makes federal student financial assistance money available to qualified TROY students, facilitates course transfer to and from other institutions, and communicates to employers and others that TROY graduates have received a high-quality education.
Campus, Courses and Infrastructure
Today, Troy University comprises of five colleges, a graduate school, and a division of general studies including College of Arts & Sciences, College of Communications & Fine Arts, College of Education, College of Health & Human Services, The Sorrell College of Business, The Graduate School, The Division of General Studies. It offers 46 undergraduates, 22 postgraduate and 3 doctoral programs. TU also has the Confucius Institute which is affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education. It was founded with an aim to bring the knowledge of China that will serve the state in the areas of Business, Education, Culture, and Public Interests throughout the state of Alabama. It also offers part-time online programs to all students. Today, Troy University has one main campus which is located near downtown Troy, Alabama, USA. The campus is situated at one of the beautiful sites of Alabama which has a view of the rolling hills with many old oak trees present along the streets and throughout campus. Troy has also three satellite campuses situated at Montgomery, Phenix City, and Dothan.
Accomplishments and Alumni
One of the biggest accomplishments of Troy University is that it is one of the few universities which began offering online classes in the 1990s. In 1997, Troy University began offering online courses in the fall semester. Troy University is known for its innovation in offering in-class and online academic programs in servicing traditional, nontraditional, and military students. According to Forbes, Troy is the 640th best school in the country in 2019. Forbes' overall rating focuses on the value of a university's degree and, in part, analyses the market performance of a school's graduate. Since its inception, Troy University has had an extensive network of notable alumni that includes Lawrence Tynes - American footballer, DeMarcus Ware - American footballer, Bobby Bright - Former Mayor of Montgomery, Manuel H. Johnson - Former Vice-Chair of the Federal Reserve, Alfred G. Hansen - retired United States Air Force four-star general and more.
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
Troy University has over 100,000 alumni in 50 states of the USA and in other countries too. Also, the university has over 800 international students from 75 countries on the main campus and offers special programs for students such as the English as Second Language Center. The university also has a total enrollment of approximately 16,436 students out of which 8,741 are undergraduates and 1,087 are postgraduate students. The full-time TU undergraduate population is made up of 62% women, and 38% men. On the other hand, around 74% of full-time postgrad students are women and 26% are men. AT&T Communications, Microsoft, United States Department of States, eXp Realty, United Department of the Army and others are among the top firms to recruit Troy graduates.
