Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University or VCU for short, is a large urban university with its main (and original) campus located in Richmond, Virginia. VCU is particularly recognized for its large art school and life sciences programs. With more than 26,000 students at the beginning of 2004, VCU was the third-largest research university in Virginia. VCU School of Medicine is a fully accredited U.S. medical school and houses the nation’s oldest transplant program.

The college recently boasted having a faculty chemistry professor John B. Fenn awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Table of contents

1 History

2 Academics

3 Campus

4 External links

History

The school began in 1917 as the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health, and later became the Richmond Professional Institute. In 1968, RPI merged with the Medical College of Virginia, which was founded in 1838, to create VCU.

Academics

Baccalaureate, master's, doctoral, professional and certificate degree programs are offered through the College of Humanities & Sciences, School of Allied Health Professions, School of the Arts, School of Business, School of Dentistry, School of Education, School of Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, and School of Social Work.

VCU now hosts the Illustration Academy, a program taught by nationally known illustrators. The program is open to all applicants, from students to professionals, and features demonstrations from the artists, classes, and lectures on the business side of the industry.

VCU also runs and organizes the VCU French Film Festival each year, the largest French film festival in the United States

Campus

VCU has two campi in Richmond. The VCU School of Medicine, whose campus is adjacent to the city’s business and financial district. The VCU Academic Campus is located at the end of a part of town called "The Fan District", which was a neighborhood built in the early 20th-century. This campus begins around Belvidere Street. Most buildings are located on or in the streets between Broad Street and Main Street. VCU also has a branch campus in Education City, Qatar.