Where passion meets purpose
Founded in 1859, Valparaiso University's campus spans more than 350 acres and features state-of-the-art facilities, including science laboratories, Doppler radar equipment, art and digital media studios, and the James S. Markiewicz Solar Energy Research Facility, which houses the only solar furnace at an undergraduate research facility in the United States.
The most recent addition to campus, the Center for the Sciences: Chemistry and Biochemistry, is a 55,800-sq. ft. innovative facility consisting of primarily wet laboratories. At the core, an interdisciplinary lab facilitates student-faculty collaboration as students hone research skills. The Center for the Sciences reinforces Valpo’s commitment to STEM education and engenders great opportunities for innovative teaching and advanced student-faculty research.
Valpo offers more than 70 undergraduate degree programs and interdisciplinary options through the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Nursing and Health Professions. Recently developed programs include Bioengineering, Data Science, Environmental Engineering, Integrated Business and Engineering, Mechatronics, Music Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, and Supply Chain and Logistics Management.
Students cultivate strong connections with their professors and classmates as part of a close-knit community. Programs for first-year and undecided students offer guidance and tools for academic and career planning and ensure students become involved on campus and persist to graduation as they develop strong analytical, writing, and problem-solving skills.
Students come to Valpo from across the country and around the world and represent a variety of faith and cultural backgrounds. Faith is an integral part of life at Valpo, and no matter where students are starting from, they can come to Valpo to explore what they believe and dream about how they want to live.
The University encourages thoughtful dialogue across differences and offers students the opportunity to expand their worldview. In addition to multicultural organizations and international banquets on campus, students can learn about other cultures through more than 50 study abroad programs in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Valpo is nationally recognized for the quality of innovative character of its academic programs, for the quality of its outstanding undergraduate teaching, and as a U.S. News & World Report “best value.” Each year, students perform more than 247,000 hours of community outreach and service learning.
The University offers numerous opportunities for students to develop leadership skills through 16 national sorority and fraternity chapters, 19 NCAA Division I athletic programs, thriving arts programs, and more than 100 student clubs and organizations. Students engage in myriad experiential learning activities, from internships at companies like NASA and Paramount Pictures to undergraduate research in our labs and solar furnace to service projects that bring health care and clean water to communities around the world.