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Graduate Handbook

About the Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University is composed of the main campus (University Park) and campuses at 18 other locations, as well as the Hershey Medical School and the Dickinson School of Law.

The University Park Campus of Penn State is located in the center of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a scenic area of ridges and forested mountains. The University is within three to five hours of Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. The surrounding town, the Borough of State College (population about 40,000), offers a variety of apartment dwellings, shopping areas, and specialty stores within walking distance of the campus. With the efficient bus system, many students do not need a car at the University.

There are approximately 43,000 students at the University Park campus, 6,000 of them graduate students. In addition, approximately 36,000 students pursue their studies at the Commonwealth Campuses. Penn State is a public land-grant institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across the entire spectrum of the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences. The University is large and well equipped, yet compact enough so that you can walk from one end of the campus to the other in half an hour. The Penn State graduate community is served by the Graduate School and the Graduate Student Association, both located in Kern Graduate Building, and by the Office of International Programs in Boucke Building. The Graduate School's functions include admissions, financial aid, and general supervision of the graduate programs in all fields. The Graduate Student Association, which is composed of all graduate students, is an academic and service-oriented organization. The Office of International Programs provides help with visa and job information, guidance in finding housing, and international cultural events for the international graduate students who attend Penn State.

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