Marquette University Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

SANDREA

Marquette offers a wide range of classes that are sure to fit anyone's academic interests. There are some classes that are truly challenging not only academically but because they will challenge you to question you perceptions of the world you live in; while others are enlightening and full of interesting group discussions. Some classes have a reputation for being harder than others, but as long as you are willing to work and be open to seeking help from the tutoring department, peers, teacher's assistants, and most importantly you're teacher, you are sure to succeed. Many of my favorite classes are education classes because they are pack with engaging lectures and conversations., but also require its students to participate in service learning, a field placement, or student teach. As an education major, I look forward to work with students and teachers in elementary schools to get real world experience before I am actually on my own teaching. I am also a psychology major and many of the courses that I have taken like the Psychology of Prejudice or Human Sexually have been some of the most interesting and entertaining classes I have taken.I have even met some of my closes friends in class and one of them is currently my roommate! Classes aren't just about academics, your professors really want you to have a good understanding of the material and be able to somehow apply it to your every day life. Marquette really does want to produce well rounded men and women.

Elizabeth

Marquette has definitely been upping its academics in the past few years. Although not the most competitive school, there are definitely standards that both students and the colleges set. Students can be found cramming in the library or union. But a common motto here is "Work hard, play harder." Class participation, which is pretty common tends to lag on Fridays. Nonetheless, students know when to crack down and professors are always willing to help (as well as meet you for a drink afterwards....). While every school has its "nightmare professors" most of mine and those of my peers have been great, always wanting to engage with students about their ideas on various subjects. There are always a wide variety of electives, and while core curriculum classes can be a drag, it definitely broadens your mind.

Betsy

I think this is very dependent on your major and the college you are in. I know for myself I started in the college of Engineering and was there for two years. In engineering, there wasn't really homework, it was just three exams and a final and those were your grades. This required a lot of independent studying and really motivating yourself to not just cram the night before an exam. After two years I transferred to the school of Business. Here, there was a lot more smaller assignments that were meant to prepare you for those exams. I preferred this so much more b/c I simply didn't have the ability to motivate myself to study but I know when I have homework assignments, I actually have to do them! I've also found the the school of business had much smaller class sizes and teachers who put a lot more effort into getting to know me and helping me. I've had professors help me with internships, getting full time jobs, helping me pick my classes, etc. They're really there to help, whereas I didn't get those same feelings in my largest class, which was probably sophomore year Chemistry with about 150 people. Still, there's something to be said for the fact that my largest class still only had 150 people, much less than you'll find at some larger schools. Because Marquette is in a big city, there are so many companies around which really puts pressure on students to get internships during the school year. My friends have interned at some really big name places which has helped boost their resume for when they go to apply for full-time jobs. It's a great advantage that schools in "college towns" don't really get to find.

Sterling

Marquette has a great balance of fun and work. Between classes, student organization events and meetings, having an on-campus job, and hanging out on the weekends, time can become scarce but most Golden Eagles handle that very well. For many students, they make their schedules to fit their needs as much as possible( i.e time for naps, study breaks, lunch, extracurricular activities, work). Students are not overly competitive here when it comes to grades and many are willing to participate in study groups before a big exam or midterms/finals.

Sterling

Marquette has a great balance of fun and work. Between classes, student organization events and meetings, having an on-campus job, and hanging out on the weekends, time can become scarce but most Golden Eagles handle that very well. For many students, they make their schedules to fit their needs as much as possible( i.e time for naps, study breaks, lunch, extracurricular activities, work). Students are not overly competitive here when it comes to grades and many are willing to participate in study groups before a big exam or midterms/finals.

Michael

I still maintain contact with several of my professors years after graduation, and they recognize me when I'm back on campus. Profs are very helpful and will always be willing to meet with you for extra help in office hours, or even to just discuss what's going on in the world. I've used several as references for law school and application to the bar.

Samantha

My professors all knew my name and it was easy to get them to respond to e-mails or to meet with them during office hours. I studied slightly more than most students, but I always had at least one weekend night free (as long as I studied during the day). Participation in class is strongly encouraged and usually graded by the professor. My average class size in the College of Business Administration was around 30-40, depending on the subject and the semester. I had three lecture hall-sized classes throughout my four years, and only one of those was in the College of Business Administration. The accounting program is one of the top in the state and likely in the Midwest as well - we routinely rank in the top ten of the nation for CPA exam scores. There are several major-specific and general professional organizations in the College of Business, so we interact with our teachers quite a bit out of class. I also had an exceptionally wonderful advising experience in my accounting major. I definitely felt like my education prepared me for the CPA exams and for the real world.

Andy

It's a challenging academic environment, but that's what I wanted. You develop your skill set that way--time management, leadership, communication, etc. The professors are engaging and the classes are small enough to hold you accountable and push you to excel. Of course, like at any school, you put in what you want to get out. I worked hard, and I landed great internships and an agency job in Chicago when I graduated. Thank you, Marquette!

Erin

I love the well-rounded education that students receive with a focus on ethics and social justice. Marquette focuses on preparing the student for life after college and the ability to know and defend the morals and values that are important to you. Students develop great critical thinking skills as well as the ability to work in small groups, all skills which are important to any job one takes after college. The core curriculum requires students to take so many philosophy courses, theology courses and diverse cultures courses. At first I was terrified of Theology and Philosophy. These have been some of my favorite courses at Marquette because they really challenge more than your academic understanding of the subjects, but make you think about your own belief system. Theology isn't just about the Christian faith but out all religious experiences, so it is nothing to be afriad of. The Diverse Cultures courses offer a wide variety of options that allow you to learn more about the outside world. I have had awesome experiences with professors on campus. I would say 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my professors knew/know my name. I have professors from Freshman year that still stop me to ask how I'm doing or that I'll go sit and chat with to catch up. They are great at engaging the classroom and really making you think outside the box. They also offer a lot of availability outside of the classroom, in office hours or through other forms of contact if you ever need help. I also am a big fan of my advisor who is a faculty member and very helpful with whatever questions I have. Our student body isn't really competitve like you might find at some ivy league schools. Its more about challenging yourself than competing with the others around you. I think this is great and makes academics much less stressful. I have so many classes that I've loved at Marquette. I would say my favorite right now is my Conceptualizing Justice and Peace course. Its a Tuesday evening course which at first wasn't ideal, but I actually really like that time now because every week we trade off who brings dinner for the class. There's six of us and class focuses a lot on contemporary issues and discussion. We've had several guest lecturers that are important figures in the themes of the class and invoke wonderful discussion. My least favorite class was astronomy. I definitely misunderstood what astronomy was when I signed up for this one and was not prepared as a first semester Freshman. Another really unique class I've taken is a biology course for non-biology majors. Its called Pathogens, Plants and People and focuses a lot on contemporary issues in the environment and other topics that are actually useful for us in everyday life. The professor was amazing and really cared about the subject she was teaching.

Jerry

The academics at Marquette are very challenging. In high school, I graduated with a 3.9, with the highest GPA possible at the school at a 4.0. Students study a lot if they are an engineering major or science major. The business, engineering, and nursing programs are amazing at Marquette. However the science department is very poor. All of the TA's for the chemistry department are from a different country. In fact in both of my chemistry labs I felt I had to learn how to both decipher the language of the TA and try to figure out how to do the labs out of a poorly written chemistry lab book. In fact some of the TA's would have to ask the students what a word was in English or would forget certain English words. Also sometimes the TA's didn’t know how to do the labs. The chemistry teachers are not very good at teaching. My first chemistry teacher could barely speak English and his tests covered things the students didn't learn how to do. My other chemistry teacher mumbled and had illegible handwriting so I had to stop attending class because I couldn't understand anything. The chemistry department was a very big let down for me when I came to this school. In fact chemistry used to be my favorite subject until I had go though Marquette's poor chemistry program.

Jerry

The academics at Marquette are very challenging. In high school, I graduated with a 3.9, with the highest GPA possible at the school at a 4.0. Students study a lot if they are an engineering major or science major. The business, engineering, and nursing programs are amazing at Marquette. However the science department is very poor. All of the TA's for the chemistry department are from a different country. In fact in both of my chemistry labs I felt I had to learn how to both decipher the language of the TA and try to figure out how to do the labs out of a poorly written chemistry lab book. In fact some of the TA's would have to ask the students what a word was in English or would forget certain English words. Also sometimes the TA's didn’t know how to do the labs. The chemistry teachers are not very good at teaching. My first chemistry teacher could barely speak English and his tests covered things the students didn't learn how to do. My other chemistry teacher mumbled and had illegible handwriting so I had to stop attending class because I couldn't understand anything. The chemistry department was a very big let down for me when I came to this school. In fact chemistry used to be my favorite subject until I had go though Marquette's poor chemistry program.

Trevor

Depends on your major, but there are a lot of small classes offered at MU. There are a lot of the big lecture hall classes as well. Students are very competitive. Lots of studying during the week. MU does not offer many "blow off" classes, most take quite a bit of effort. This is not an easy school by any means, however if you are determined to get a good grade, it is not that hard. Just put time into it.

Harper

Most classes are between 20-40 students. The only exception is freshman year history/science lectures and of course any general science class. Otherwise you can expect your class sizes to get smaller as you advance through your major. The business school is great. All the professors and the Career Services center totally help students find internships and jobs. My experience with professors has been great. They are always readily available for help outside of class. Every prof has office hours and gives their email address out. If you are in the business school, expect to do a lot of group projects your junior and senior year. They are time consuming but so helpful.

Alison

Academics at Marquette remind me a lot of highschool. Professors know your name, even in the bigger classrooms, and you get to know the professors in your major on a personal level. The classes in the core studies are not quite as personalable, but you get to meet people from all otehr colleges which helps you to meet people. The classes are beneficial and most are challenging. Marquette also requires religious, science, foreign language, mathematical, and philosphy classes, which provides a very rounded education. Everyone learns at their own pace, and tutors are readily available. There is really no competition for grades from what I have experienced, however I know some majors are more competitive than others. I was a communication/ advertising major, so most of my assignments were creative group projects or writing, which is not competitive as an engineering exam by any means. The one piece of advice I would give students is to apply yourself to each class, especially freshman and sophomore year.

Jane

Throughout my four years, I would say 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the professors knew my name. Its a smaller classroom environment and I felt that all my teachers truly cared about our learning.

Megan

Every one of my profs knew my name. Many stop in the hall to ask how things are going. Fav class - Marketing Research. Dr. Garrett is a wonderful prof. Least Fav - Acco. I hate numbers and Prof. Dole wasn't very helpful Students study a lot - but they have fun too. Its all about balance. Class participation isn't just common - its expected. My majors are Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Ive asked my professors for advice and recommendation letters. They are always willing to help anyway they can.

Josh

Professors definitely know your name at Marquette. Building good relationships with professors is nowhere near as difficult as it is at a large university. Participation in class is often encouraged, and sometimes required by professors. Studying is a necessity for many classes, as most of the university's programs are a challenge, but I find that I appreciate the classes in which I have to study much more than the ones in which I don't. Students in the honors program have a tendency to be competitive and overly fastidious, but the majority of the students are not competitive amongst themselves. The academic requirements are geared towards learning for its own sake, rather than job preparation. Theology and philosophy classes are required for every student, and competency in a foreign language is also required for many majors. I think these requirements are a good thing, because they teach students about parts of our world that lie at the very heart of our civilization. Having the broad education that Marquette offers helps you to know how to think about complex issues that affect the world today, from a variety of perspectives.

Megan

Quality teaching. Teachers prepare their students for the world after graduation. The library is always full which shows the hard work and dedication that comes from being a Marquette student. Teachers are always available for help. In the college of communication, we can email and even Instant Message our teachers with questions and concerns.

Karen

class participation is always encouraged, a lot of times you will be graded on the amount you participate. Attendance is required in most classes.

Matt

Academics are fine. Some professors know my name. I hate taking classes that will not help me in life, which Marquette forces its students to do.

Ryan

Professors often know your name and care about how you do. My adviser will call me and tell me when certain events are going on and email me to check on how classes are going. The learning atmosphere is strong, however, many educational opportunities lack compared to research universities.