This school appears in our ranking 20 Most Affordable Master's in Liberal Studies Degrees Online: Private College 2018.
Prescott College was founded by Congregationalist minister Dr. Charles Franklin Parker in 1966 after the Ford Foundation's Post-Secondary Education Conference. Modeled as the "Harvard of the West," Prescott was focused on training 21st century leaders for fixing social and ecological ills. Facing financial trouble, it was forced to relocate in 1974 to Hassayampa Hotel as the Prescott Center for Alternative Education. Eight years later, Prescott College was reborn at its current 13-acre Quad City grounds in Arizona's Yavapai County. Budgeting $4.5 million, Prescott remains a small private, nonsectarian liberal arts CIEL member and Veteran Supportive Campus with 1,200 enrolled. Linked to 4,491 LinkedIn alumni, Prescott has trained Tom Udall, Kathleen Stephens, Gary Paul Nabhan, and others.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked Prescott the 81st best Western regional institution with 71 percent retention. On Niche, Prescott College holds "A" ratings for diversity, safety, and student life. The Princeton Review included Prescott among its "Best 382 Colleges." Best Value Schools labeled Prescott the 15th cheapest online pick. The Fiske Guide honored Prescott College among the country's 13 most interesting universities. College Factual placed Prescott 287th for location diversity, 13th for ecology, and #1 for natural resources conservation. In Washington Monthly, Prescott is the 200th best West buck and 88th top master's university nationwide. PayScale recorded a mid-career median salary of $69,100 for Prescott College graduates. The Sierra Club deemed Prescott the 157th coolest school.
Prescott College Accreditation Details
In November 2009, Prescott College submitted to a comprehensive evaluation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association to renew the Level V accreditation for another 10 years under its current president, John Flicker. Based over 26 hours northeast in Chicago, this mega 19-state Midwest authority is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit the standards for Prescott's 14 baccalaureate, 10 master's, one doctoral, and seven certificate programs, including online. The "College of Distinction" is properly licensed by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. Prescott also boasts the country's first college-wide accreditation from the Association for Experiential Education.
Prescott College Application Requirements
Classified as "moderately difficult" by Peterson's, Prescott College accepted 215 of the 314 Fall 2016 applications for a 68 percent admission rate. Starting online master's study requires finishing at least 120 baccalaureate credits at accredited institutions. Any major is welcome because prerequisites are rare. The holistic reviews will value talent, citizenship, experience, and community service over numbers. Yet maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher during the last two years is expected. Prescott also has GRE Prep courses to help score in the top 50th percentile. Non-native English speakers need a minimum ESL grade of "B" or TOEFL scores of 550 (paper) and 213 (computer).
Prescott College has general rolling admission for its three enrollment periods each year. Nevertheless, the priority deadlines are currently January 1st for Fall, February 1st for Summer, and November 1st for Spring. The Social Justice & Community Organizing Master of Arts has an online cutoff of May 1st. The Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master of Science also forged its own dates of August 3rd and December 7th. Submit the completed application online or mail the downloaded PDF to 220 Grove Avenue in Prescott, AZ 86301. Please contact (928) 350-2100 or [email protected] for further help. Online master's entrants shouldn't forget these:
- Non-refundable $50 application fees
- Official verification of bachelor's completion
- Three direct letters of recommendation
- Current résumé or CV on career preparation
- Personal essay displaying online readiness
- Arizona teaching certifications if applicable
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2018-19, Prescott College will bill Master of Arts students $10,740 per semester full-time. Master of Education students pay slightly less at $7,176 each term. Extra costs include the $1,120 orientation fee, $50 sustainability fee, $115 technology fee, and $30 Freedom Education Fund fee. Annual graduate attendance in Arizona equals around $24,602. However, the limited-residency online master's programs charge differently for $874 per credit. The Social Justice & Community Organizing M.A. is the exception at $284 per credit or $10,224 total. The Online Sustainability Education Ph.D. hikes up pricing to $1,298 by credit.
According to the NCES College Navigator, 96 percent of full-time Prescott students share $3.62 million in combined financial aid for average packages of $10,814 each. Institutional funds include the Changemaker Scholarship, Graduate Fellowship, Cycling Club Scholarship, AmeriCorps Service Award, EcoLeague Graduate Scholarship, Ponderosa Scholarship, Arizona Teaching Intern Scholarship, and PhD Fellowship. The Freedom Education Fund has a May 1st deadline for undocumented immigrants to receive full tuition. Prescott is certified by the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services for GI Bill benefits. The Graduate Teaching Scholarship Program offers limited LRU assistantships worth $6,000 for aiding Moodle courses. Interest-free, five-month payment plans are offered with TMS each term. Filing the FAFSA form with code 013659 would also unlock Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans.
Online Degrees Available
Since 1978, Prescott College has perfected the "limited residency" model to now offer nine bachelor's, 10 master's, and one doctoral options online via Moodle. Four post-master's certificates in Ecotherapy, Equine-Assisted Mental Health, Expressive Art Therapy, and Adventure-Based Psychotherapy are also available. Online classes with a highly interactive 9:1 student-faculty ratio generally require one face-to-face colloquium in North Central Arizona each semester. Online benefits include the Academic Helpdesk, New York Times Pass, 4+1 Accelerated tracks, Learning Commons, affordability, Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), and EcoLeague member exchanges. Two sample online graduate degrees are:
Master of Arts in Social Justice & Community Organizing
Starting each August 100 percent online, Prescott's Social Justice & Community Organizing Master of Arts helps mobilize grassroots initiatives that fight oppression and prejudice to improve people's quality of life. Linked to the Kino Bay Center for Cultural Studies, the 36-credit, 12-month program led by Dr. Ernesto Todd Mireles ends with capstone research after digital courses like Urban Politics, Landscapes of Neoliberalism, and Leadership Development.
Master of Arts in Environmental Studies & Sustainability
Directed by Dr. Edward Boyer, a 2007 NSF Field Stations Grant recipient, the Environmental Studies & Sustainability Master of Arts challenges online Prescott post-grads to advance ecological conservation efforts with brief stints in the Bradshaw Mountains. The 36-credit, hybrid degree partnered with the Natural History Institute admits Fall cohorts for courses like Ecopsychology, Climate Justice, and Environmental Education before the applied project.
Learn about more online offerings, such as theMaster of Arts in Adventure Educationn Master of Arts in Arts & Humanities, Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Master of Education in Principalship, at the Prescott College website.