Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in Pennsylvania
- #1 Pennsylvania's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 Best Online Associate Degree Programs in Pennsylvania
- #2 20 Fastest Online Bachelor's of Nursing Degree Programs
- #3 20 Most Affordable Online Bachelor's of Cybersecurity
- #3 Most Affordable Online Public Health Doctorate Programs
- #4 The Most Influential Colleges in Football Today
- #4 Online Master’s in Green Technologies
- #5 Best Online Colleges for Veterans
- #5 Online Bachelor's in Strategic Communications
- #6 Best Online MBAs Pennsylvania
- #7 The 50 Best No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #8 Most Affordable Online Computer Science PhD Programs
- #8 Accelerated Online Doctorate of Computer Science
- #11 Online MBA Sustainability
- #12 Pennsylvania's Best Online Colleges 2022
- #14 Most Influential Colleges in Lacrosse Today
- #20 Easiest Online Degrees from Accredited Schools
- #21 The Most Influential Colleges in Soccer Today
- #21 Most Influential Colleges in Sports Today
- #22 Best Public Grad Schools
- #43 Best Grad Schools 2025
- #96 Best Universities World 2025
About Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) was founded in 1855 as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania.
In 1862, the school’s name was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. In 1874 it was changed once again, this time to Pennsylvania State College, at which time a classical liberal arts curriculum was married to the agricultural training program.
In 1953, under the presidency of Milton S. Eisenhower—the brother of former US Army Supreme Commander and then–US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower—the college was upgraded to Pennsylvania State University.
With 23 campuses statewide in addition to the flagship University Park campus, Penn State is the first-tier public university system in Pennsylvania (the University of Pennsylvania being a private institution). With a total student population of more than 96,000, it is one of the largest universities in the US.
Prominent Penn State connected individuals include the following:
- Poet, Theodore Roethke
- Novelists, John Barth, Joseph Heller, Alan Furst & Richard Russo
- Screenwriter, Steven E. de Souza
- Computer scientists, Jef Raskin & John M. Carroll
- Physicists, David Bohm, Roger Penrose & Lee Smolin
- Nobel laureate in chemistry, Paul Berg
- Climate scientist, Michael E. Mann
- Plant geneticist, Nina Fedoroff
- Population geneticist, Masatoshi Nei
- Anthropologist, Nina Jablonski
- Radical social critic and Catholic priest, Ivan Illich
- Online education pioneer, Michael G. Moore
- Former US Senators Richard Schweiker, Rick Santorum & Kelly Ayotte
- Prime Minister of Bhutan, Jigme Thinley
According to Wikipedia, The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State and sometimes by the acronymn PSU, is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, In 1863, Penn State was named the state's first land-grant university. Its primary campus, known as Penn State University Park, is located in State College and College Township in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania State University's Online Degrees
What Is Pennsylvania State University Known For?
Pennsylvania State University is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:
- Earth Sciences
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Philosophy
- Computer Science
- Education
- Biology
- Criminal Justice
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Business
- History
- Sociology
- Medical
- Social Work
- Communications
- Economics
- Nursing
- Political Science
- Literature
- Law
- Religious Studies
Pennsylvania State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Who Are Pennsylvania State University's Most Influential Alumni?
Pennsylvania State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Earth Sciences, Criminal Justice, and Computer Science. Here are some of Pennsylvania State University's most famous alumni:
- Paul Berg
- An American biochemist, Professor emeritus at Stanford University & Nobel laureate in Chemistry .
- Steven Levy
- An American journalist.
- Graham Harman
- An American philosopher.
- Douglas Comer
- An American computer scientist.
- Todd May
- An American political philosopher.
- Benjamin Bloom
- An American psychologist.
- Harry J. Anslinger
- A 1st Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics .
- Iris Marion Young
- An American philosopher .
- T. Colin Campbell
- An American biochemist.
- John Mashey
- An American computer scientist.
- Carol Ryff
- An American psychologist .
- Thomas R. Dye
- An American political scientist.
Who Are Pennsylvania State University's Most Influential Faculty?
Pennsylvania State University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Earth Sciences, Criminal Justice, and Computer Science. Here are some of Pennsylvania State University's most famous alumni:
- Réka Albert
- A Hungarian scientist.
- Mary Jane Irwin
- An American computer scientist.
- Martin Bojowald
- A German physicist.
- Arthur M. Lesk
- A Molecular biologist.
- Priscilla Cohn
- An American philosopher.
- Rodolphe Barrangou
- A Researcher.
- Beth Shapiro
- An American biologist.
- James Z. Wang
- An American computer scientist.
- Aylin Yener
- A Researcher.
- Pius Adesanmi
- A Nigerian-Canadian professor .
- Graeme Sullivan
- An American artist.
- Michael Kulikowski
- An American historian.