Drake University

Drake University is a private mid-sized university in Des Moines, Iowa, US, founded in 1881. The institution’s law school is amongst the oldest in the US.

The institution offers over 70 majors and 20 graduate degrees across six colleges and schools: College of Arts and Sciences, Law School, School of Education, College of Business and Public Administration, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

The Drake Curriculum requires undergraduate students to choose one or two areas of inquiry from artistic experience, critical thinking, the engaged citizen, historical foundations, information literacy, global and cultural understanding, scientific literacy, quantitative literacy, values and ethics and written communication. In addition, students do a World Languages and Culture Program where they learn Spanish, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Chinese or America Sign Language. Finally, students can also do a discussion-based inter-curricular course - the Honors Program - where they debate and write about topics such as American Presidents in the Age of Media, Blogs and Bullets: Social Media, Developing Democracy: Critical Issues, Life and Teaching of Jesus, Travel Seminar in Egypt, Sustainable Development in Uganda and others.

Outside academics, students can choose from 160 student organisations and a Division I athletics programme.

The college’s notable alumni include Roxanne Conlin, lawyer and former US Attorney for Southern District of Iowa and Iowa Senate, multiple Emmy Award winning actors Michael Emerson and Jeremy Piven, Ira Levin - author of Rosemary’s Baby, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Clark R. Mollenhof, former Chairman of McDonald’s Fred L. Turner, oceans expert, journalist and filmmaker Jon Bowermaster and professional golfer Zach Johnson.

The Drake Curriculum provides the foundation for undergraduate education, ensuring exposure to a broad selection of areas of inquiry. Other hallmarks of a Drake education include the Honors Program, First-Year Seminars, and World Languages and Cultures. Students also have extensive opportunities to study abroad, complete internships, and take part in independent research.

Extracurricular highlights include more than 160 active student organizations and a thriving Division I athletics program. Among co-curricular opportunities, students take advantage of many options for developing leadership abilities and engaging in service-learning.