by Kris Kennedy

Created on: April 15, 2010   Last Updated: April 17, 2010

Washington State Colleges

Washington State has one of the largest varieties of colleges within the state. Citizens need to leave the state for very little as far as a college education within a state funded school.

Major Universities

Washington State has two major Universities. One, a land grant college, Washington State University, opened in the small town in Eastern Washington of Pullma. Students will get a unique experience attending school there because it sits in the prime wheat farming land in the country. The other University, University of Washington, provides educational opportunity within the largest city in the state. The contrast is evident, but they have various programs as well.

The University of Washington possesses the sole medical school within the state of Washington. Many people also enjoy the University Of Washington Medical Center for State of the Art medical care. The animals care did not suffer because Washington State University has one of the few Veterinarian Schools in the school. The school actually cared for a live Cougar as the University Mascot until the late seventies when the school declared the keeping a cougar as cruel. Both schools share strong pharmacy schools

Regional Schools

The State of Washington realized early that some might not want to travel very far from home to attend college.These colleges started as colleges for teachers, but later became full-fledged Universities. There is a University, Central Washington University, situated within the center of the State. It is within driving distance to students in Eastern and Western Washington.  Eastern Washington University serves the community of Spokane Washington, which sits within a half hour drive, and the Western side of the state developed an unusual University, Western Washington. This University sits in far northwestern corner of the state n Bellingham. It holds a college within a University called Fairhaven. The popularity of this unique college prompted the state to build and start a unique university.

The Evergreen State College

The State capital did not have a University or a four-year college. In the seventies, the State built a new college with a unique educational system since students were flocking to the unique program at Fairhaven at Western State University. Students were required to design unique individualized education plans. Later the governor during the formation of the college, Daniel Evans, became one of its first Presidents. Even with colleges through out the state, the higher education developers decided to expand education options.

Branch Campus

More four-year institutions or at least upper level campuses proved necessary so the state decided against building another college. Some of the other colleges chose to begin branch campus. Within community such as Richland Washington and Vancouver Washington, Universities built branches. Students attend colleges in his or her home communities without living groups. These have been growing through out the years with the schools addressing the needs of their own communities.

Washington State has made a commitment to higher education. They expand wherever the needs arise.

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