Degrees Offered at Alaska Pacific University
Alaska Pacific University appears in our ranking of Best Tiny Colleges.
Alaska Pacific University, or APU, is a small private university in Anchorage, Alaska. It offers a small number of undergraduate degrees, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees. The school’s courses of study place particular emphasis on indigenous studies, health careers and sustainability.
Prospective undergraduate students might attend APU if they’d like to earn an Associate Degree in Nursing. They could go on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (in the RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program), Health Sciences or Environmental Public Health.
Students who’d like to study a subject unrelated to medicine can explore degrees, like the Bachelor of Arts in Alaska Native Governance, the Bachelor of Science in Marine and Environmental Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Outdoor Studies or a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability Studies. The university also has undergraduate degrees in counseling psychology, creative and professional writing and liberal studies.
The master’s degree programs also cover a variety of interesting subjects, including counseling psychology, environmental science, information technology, business administration, health services administration, strategic leadership and outdoor environmental education.
Alaska Pacific University also offers a combined Master of Science and graduate certificate in Outdoor and Environmental Education With a Teaching Certificate, as well as a combined Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration in Accelerated Business Administration/ Master of Business Administration.
Students can earn undergraduate certificates in community health, Alaska rural management and health occupations. Graduate certificate programs include a certificate for teachers K – 8, graduate studies in investments and entrepreneurship and innovation. APU’s doctoral program is in counseling psychology.
The school additionally offers a dual credit program for high school students who want to earn college credits. Students can take classes on campus or online. The school also has options for students who aren’t seeking a degree.
About Alaska Pacific University
Alaska Pacific University got its start in the late 1950s as Alaska Methodist University. APU’s founder, Peter Gordon Gould was an Aleut, who became the state’s first Native minister of the United Methodist Church. Today, it is a small college in Anchorage, Alaska, that offers specialities in indigenous studies and rural management, healthcare and the liberal arts.
Despite being a small college, it has earned its share of praise from entities like the US News and World Report, which ranked APU 82nd on its Regional Universities West list and 91st on its Top Performers on Social Mobility list. Although the university’s origins were of a religious nature, it offers no religious studies degrees.
Incoming freshmen students are expected to live on campus and remain in campus housing for the first two years of their studies. Due to its location, the outdoors and the environment play a big role in the school’s academic programs, as well as in student life. It’s the home of a renowned Nordic Ski Team.
Its ski center, APU Nordic Ski Center, is a place where Olympic-level cross-country skiers come to train. The university itself has a ski team, and in the past, the ski team from the former Alaska Methodist University competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics.
Notable alumni include Olympic cross-country skier, Sadie Bjornsen, author and sportswriter, Lew Freedman and Liquid Blue vocalist, Scott Stephens.
Alaska Pacific University Accreditation
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is the organization that provides APU with its accreditation. Accreditation is a peer-review process.
Alaska Pacific University Application Requirements
Prospective Alaska Pacific University students can complete their APU application online. The admissions page on the school’s website offers tips and a checklist for students to follow as they are completing their application. For most undergraduate students, the application process is the same. However, the school does have some extra requirements for international students and early honors admissions students.
Below is an outline of the information and materials the admissions office requires from undergraduate students. The information for graduate applications follows that section.
Students who’d like to enroll in the associate program, as well as those interested in bachelors degrees, need to turn in the following:
- The completed application
- Transcripts from high school or other colleges attended
- ACT or SAT scores (optional)
- Writing sample or personal essay (early honors)
- In-progress high school transcript (early honors)
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- Foreign Credentials Evaluation (international students)
The online application for APU has some particular elements that students will want to be aware of before they begin their application. Students must create an online account and create a username and password for that account. However, the username and password becomes invalid once students have completed the application and turned it in.
Prospective master’s or doctoral students must also fill out the online application. Depending on the program they’re applying to, they may be additionally asked for the official transcripts from the schools they attended prior to applying to Alaska Pacific University. Other required documents could include a personal essay, a CV or resume, a statement of interest, standardized test scores and letters of recommendation.
Finally, non-degree seeking students also apply online. However, the school only requires the application and no additional supporting documents. The school accepts a GED score in lieu of transcripts.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Alaska Pacific’s tuition costs vary, depending on whether or not students are full-time or part-time. Costs also vary, depending on the program that students are involved in. Here is a breakdown.
Part-time undergraduate students pay $20,350 in tuition for the year. Room and board will run around $8,230. Students will pay an estimated $1,200 for books and supplies. University fees run just over $500, while transportation and miscellaneous costs are expected to come in at around $4,500 or so.
Students in the graduate programs, except the doctoral program, pay $7,800 in tuition. The estimate for their room and board comes in at just over $17,000 per year. Transportation and personal expenses are expected to cost about $4,500. Fees run just over $400. Books and supplies will cost around $600.
The doctoral program costs $15,120 for the year. The undergraduate professional studies program charges $5,700 in tuition; this is a part-time cost. The Alaska Native Executive Leadership program runs $8,600 for tuition.
APU students who need financial aid to pay for their schooling are advised to fill out the FAFSA form. The information on this form qualifies them for federal financial aid, as well as campus- and state-based programs. Alaska Pacific University offers scholarships, work-study programs, grants and loans to students who qualify.
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