Towson University
Towson University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Towson University Featured Rankings
- #5 Most Affordable Colleges in Maryland
- #5 Best Public Colleges in Maryland
- #5 Best Research Universities in Maryland 2026
- #6 Best Grad Schools in Maryland 2026
- #6 Maryland's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #7 Accelerated Online Doctorate of Information Technology
- #8 Best Colleges in Maryland 2026
- #13 Online Master’s in Information Technology
About Towson University
According to Wikipedia, Towson University is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university has evolved into eight subsidiary colleges with over 20,000 students. Its 329-acre campus is situated in Baltimore County, Maryland eight miles north of downtown Baltimore. Towson is one of the largest public universities in Maryland and still produces the most teachers of any university in the state.
Towson University's Online Degrees
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Interactive Media Design
- Required Credits: 12
- Completion Time: 1 year
- Format: Fully online
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Database Management Systems
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Information Security And Assurance
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Information Systems Management
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Internet Applications Development
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Networking Technologies
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
MS in Applied Information Technology
- Required Credits: 42
- Format: Fully online
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Security Assessment And Management
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
MS in Integrated Homeland Security Management
- Required Credits: 74
- Completion Time: 2 years
- Format: Fully online
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Autism Studies
- Required Credits: 16
- Completion Time: 2 years
- Format: Fully online
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Action Research For School Improvement
- Required Credits: 21
- Format: Fully online
MS in Transformational Educational Leadership
- Required Credits: 36
- Format: Fully online
OTD in Occupational Therapy-Post Professional
- Required Credits: 33
- Format: Fully online
Towson University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18,948 | 82% | 83% | 67% | 1092 | 23 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Towson University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $12,186 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $6,506 |
| 30K - 48K | $13,700 |
| 48K - 75K | $17,468 |
| 75K - 110K | $23,245 |
| 110K+ | $28,082 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Towson University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Towson University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $70,158 a year, and 95% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Towson University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 21,858 | 18,205 | 3,653 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Towson University?
Towson University is located at 8000 York Rd, Towson, MD 21252-0001.
How Safe is Towson University?
Towson University reported 1.0 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most large partly residential campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Towson University has a violent crime rate of 0.06% and a property crime rate of 0.04%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft).
What Is Towson University Known For?
Towson University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Social Work
- Criminal Justice
- Communications
- Earth Sciences
- Education
- Computer Science
- History
- Medical
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Mathematics
- Economics
- Biology
- Nursing
- Political Science
- Chemistry
- Business
- Physics
- Religious Studies
- Literature
- Philosophy
Towson University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Towson University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Towson University ranks #159 in the U.S. and #370 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesTowson University ranks #222 in the U.S. and #392 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesTowson University ranks #257 in the U.S. and #912 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesTowson University ranks #298 in the U.S. and #1258 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesTowson University ranks #302 in the U.S. and #1248 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesTowson University ranks #306 in the U.S. and #1316 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesTowson University ranks #307 in the U.S. and #862 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesTowson University ranks #334 in the U.S. and #1217 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesTowson University ranks #335 in the U.S. and #843 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesTowson University ranks #354 in the U.S. and #1252 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesTowson University ranks #366 in the U.S. and #1517 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesTowson University ranks #372 in the U.S. and #2203 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesTowson University ranks #373 in the U.S. and #1519 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesTowson University ranks #382 in the U.S. and #1025 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesTowson University ranks #389 in the U.S. and #1579 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesTowson University ranks #389 in the U.S. and #1997 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesTowson University ranks #392 in the U.S. and #1393 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesTowson University ranks #410 in the U.S. and #1845 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesTowson University ranks #516 in the U.S. and #2280 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesTowson University ranks #549 in the U.S. and #1671 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesTowson University ranks #550 in the U.S. and #1838 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesWho Are Towson University's Most Influential Alumni?
Towson University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Social Work, Criminal Justice, and Anthropology. Here are some of Towson University's most famous alumni:
- Patrice Buzzanell
- A .
- Roger A. Pielke
- An American meteorologist.
- Amy Schumer
- An American standup comedian and actress.
- Stacy Keibler
- An American professional wrestler, dancer, and model .
- Dwight Schultz
- An American actor.
- Tom Manley
- A President of Antioch College as of 2016.
- Charles S. Dutton
- An American actor, director and producer.
- John Glover
- An American actor.
- Kevin Clash
- An American puppeteer and voice actor.
- James Burk
- A Sociologist.
- Mike Flanagan
- An American filmmaker.
- Gregory Kane
- An American journalist.
