"Alvernia's Engineering programs are a four-year design sequence, culminating in a year-long design project sponsored by local businesses. Students work in groups with other Engineering majors on real-world design projects with Berks County engineering firms." — Matthew Prudente, PhD; Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Alvernia University is a private liberal arts university guided by Franciscan values that serves more than 3,000 students of diverse backgrounds from all over the country. Its main campus operates on 191 acres in Berks County—three miles from the heart of historic Reading, Pennsylvania—and is an easy car ride from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.
Alvernia offers a unique blend of a rigorous liberal arts core education for development of the mind, strong technical training in many high-demand majors, experiential learning through study abroad and internship experiences, and engagement with the community through our Franciscan-based community service model. We call our model of transformational education the Alvernia Advantage, and we believe this style of education transforms students into ethical leaders with moral courage. The Alvernia Advantage results in a superior track record of career placements and quality graduate school opportunities, with 95% of our students either employed or enrolled in a graduate program within six months of graduation.
Alvernia offers three Engineering majors: Electrical, Industrial, and Mechanical. All have specific core requirements with options of engineering electives to round out a student’s interests. Combined with a strong liberal arts foundation, an Alvernia degree prepares the next generation of graduates with an ethically and morally centered focus for success. With projected growth of 4%–8% over the next eight years, a career in engineering is a sound choice with great salary potential.
Alvernia offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and minors, including five-year master's degrees in Athletic Training and Occupational Therapy; advanced master’s degrees in Business, Counseling, Education, Leadership, Nursing, and Social Work; and doctoral degrees in Leadership, Nursing, and Physical Therapy.
Alvernia University ranks in the top 100 among the 2020 “Best Regional Universities in the North” by U.S. News & World Report out of more than 1,500 colleges and universities in the Northeast United States. Alvernia is also recognized as a 2020–2021 College of Distinction.
