Brenau University
Brenau University began in 1878 as the Georgia Baptist Female Seminary in Gainesville, Georgia. While it is not now nor has it ever been a religiously affiliated institution, it is privately run, located on a forty-three acre campus that is home to a student body of around 2,500 undergraduates and graduates – over ninety percent of them female – at a student to faculty ratio of somewhere around 17:1.
Academic programs at Brenau University are based at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The main body of the institution – the Women’s College – is, as the name suggests, female-only. There is also, however, the evening and weekend college, plus online courses. There are fourteen different undergraduate programs. These include occupational therapy, liberal studies (associate’s degree), interior design, business administration (plus three concentrations), organizational leadership, dance, education (early childhood, special education and middle grades) and nursing. Just under half of these programs are also available online. The graduate programs at Brenau are even more extensive than the undergraduate programs. The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree alone offers five separate concentrations. Three master’s degrees are available in the area of teaching, plus two in education. Other subjects in which master’s degrees may be obtained include nursing, clinical counseling psychology and occupational therapy (a field for which the college provides a post-professional program as well). Two doctorates are provided by the University, both in education.
Brenau University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. SACS provides accreditation to institutions within an eleven-state area, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Some accreditation is also extended to parts of Latin America. (SACSCOC, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033 – (404)679-4500 – Fax: (404)679-4558).