Bowie State University

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Bowie State University (Bowie State or BSU) is a public historically black university in Prince George's County, Maryland, north of Bowie. It is part of the University System of Maryland. Founded in 1865, Bowie State is Maryland's oldest historically black university<ref name=FactBook>Template:Citation</ref> and one of the ten oldest in the country.<ref name=About>Template:Cite web</ref> Bowie State is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

History

Teachers College

Bowie State University is the oldest historically black university in Maryland.<ref name=DigitalLibrary>Template:Cite web</ref> It was founded in 1865 by the Baltimore Association for the Moral and Educational Improvement of the Colored People as a teaching school.<ref name=History>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Gill&Kosub>Template:Cite web</ref> The school first used space at the African Baptist Church at Calvert Street and Saratoga Street, in Baltimore, Maryland.<ref name=Gill&Kosub/> In 1867, a dedicated facility was purchased nearby at Saratoga Street and Courtland Street, and the school was formally named the Baltimore Normal School for Colored Teachers.<ref name=History/><ref name=Phoenix>Template:Cite book</ref> After being reorganized in 1883 as the Baltimore Normal School, it educated African Americans to be teachers for African American students until 1908.<ref name=Gill&Kosub/> At that time, the school became a state institution of teaching under the Maryland State Department of Education and was redesignated as a Normal School No. 3.<ref name=History/><ref name=Gill&Kosub/>

Shortly thereafter, in 1910, the school moved to the Jericho Farm, a 187-acre campus in Prince George's County.<ref name=History/><ref name=Gill&Kosub/> About 60 students lived in the old farmhouse.<ref name=DigitalLibrary/> The school was renamed in 1914 as the Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie.<ref name=History/><ref name=Gill&Kosub/> A two-year professional degree was added in 1925, a three-year program in 1931, a four-year program for elementary school teachers in 1935, a four-year program for junior high school teachers in 1951, and a four-year program for secondary school teachers in 1961.<ref name=History/> In recognition of its principal role, the school was renamed in 1935 as Maryland Teachers College at Bowie.<ref name=History/>

Bowie State University

In 1963, Bowie State College was officially named a liberal arts school – with additional majors in English, history, and social science – although emphasis remained on teacher education.<ref name=History/> A Master's degree in education was added in 1969.<ref name=History/>

The school was renamed Bowie State University in 1988, as a member of the University System of Maryland.<ref name=History/> In the subsequent decades, Bowie continued to expand, especially in professional and Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.<ref name=History/><ref name=Gill&Kosub/> In 1992, it became the first HBCU to expand overseas, with graduate programs for military personnel stationed abroad.<ref name=FactBook/> By 2017, the school offered 20+ undergraduate majors and 30+ advanced degrees or certificate programs.<ref name=History/>

Bowie State University was ranked #61 in the United States and was #1 in the State of Maryland for alumni earnings above expectation according to The Economist magazine's first-ever rating of colleges in America, which was released in October 2015.<ref name="Economist-2015">Template:Cite magazine</ref> They used a statistical estimate for each college based exclusively on factors such as average SAT scores, sex ratio, race breakdown, college size, whether a university was public or private, and the mix of subjects students chose to study.<ref name="Economist-2015"/>

In 2020, MacKenzie Scott donated $25 million to Bowie State which is the second largest single gift in Bowie State's history. In 2025, she donated an additional $50 million which is the largest single gift in Bowie State's history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>https://wtop.com/maryland/2025/11/bowie-state-university-gets-50-million-dollar-unrestricted-donation-from-mackenzie-scott/</ref>

Academics

BSU has 29 undergraduate majors, 20 master's programs, 3 doctoral programs, and 20 certificate programs in disciplines as diverse as computer science, education, human resource development, organizational communication, and nursing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In partnership with the University of Maryland University College, it became the first historically black university to include overseas studies. It was also the first university in the nation to offer a bachelor's degree in pedology.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The university is home to The Maryland Center,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 providing community services. In partnership with the federal General Services Administration, the campus hosts the Bowie State University Telecommuting Center.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Bowie State University offers an honors program for academically talented and ambitious undergraduate students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Schools and departments

File:Bowie-state-university-torch.jpg
The Bowie State torch

College of Arts and Sciences<ref name=Colleges>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Columns-list

College of Business<ref name=Colleges/>

  • Accounting, Finance, and Economics
  • Management Information Systems
  • Management, Marketing, and Public Administration

College of Education<ref name=Colleges/>

  • Counseling
  • Educational Leadership
  • Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development

College of Professional Studies<ref name=Colleges/>

  • Behavioral Sciences and Human Services
  • Nursing
  • Psychology
  • Social Work

Campus and facilities

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Template:Multiple image The campus comprises 23 buildings with more than 988,897 square feet (92,000 m2) of space. It is located in Bowie, Maryland, between the metropolitan areas of Baltimore (25 miles) and Washington, D.C. (17 miles). An on-campus MARC Train station and Metrobus stops provide access to local transit. There are Wi-Fi and public computer labs across campus for student use.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Twenty-three percent of students live on campus in seven residence halls. Campus events include cultural performances, lectures, and sporting events. The oldest building still in use is Harriet Tubman Hall, built in 1921. The Template:Cvt Student Union Building, which replaced the old Wiseman Center, was inaugurated in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other recent improvements to the campus have been the $71 million Fine & Performing Arts Center, with 123,000 square feet for art, music, dance, visual communication and digital media arts, and theater programs,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> replacing the former Martin Luther King, Jr., Arts Center.

The $17.6 million Center for Business and Graduate Studies houses the College of Business, Graduate School, Graduate Admissions Office, the BSU Entrepreneurship Academy, and the Bowie Business Innovation Center, the first business accelerator to open at a Maryland HBCU.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Other facilities include the Christa McAuliffe Residential Community (CMRC) apartments, the Computer Science Building, a facility serving the computer science and computer technology programs, and the $6.5 million Center for Learning Technology (CLT), serving the College of Professional Studies.

On campus, the Bowie State Satellite Operations Control Center (BSOCC) is an orbiting satellite operation and control center allowing students to gain hands-on experience. In 2003, the center went fully operational. It is a joint venture operated by the university, the Honeywell Corporation, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

In September 2007, the university began negotiations with Prince George's County for the transfer of Template:Cvt of land to the school.<ref name=Gazette-2007>Template:Cite news</ref> According to county documents, the land, valued at $1.3 million, would cost the university nothing if used "for educational uses including facilities that benefit the welfare of students and faculty in their educational experience at the University". Adding this land would increase the university's size by 63%. The main focus for the land is the development of additional student dorms. The land will also be used to establish several retail businesses that will cater to students and the community.<ref name=Gazette-2007/>

Athletics

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Bowie State's athletes compete in the Northern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, in the NCAA's Division II. They compete and/or train on-campus in Bulldog Stadium, the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex, and the A. C. Jordan Arena.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Bulldogs play the following sports:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • Basketball
  • Bowling
  • Cross Country
  • Football
  • Indoor Track & Field
  • Outdoor Track & Field
  • Softball
  • Tennis
  • Volleyball

In addition, BSU sponsors athletic clubs for students at the intramural and recreational levels.<ref name=Intramural>Template:Cite web</ref> The Fitness Room in the Leonidas James Physical Education Complex also has open hours for students, faculty, and staff.<ref name=Intramural/>

Student life

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race and ethnicity Total
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Black Template:Bartable
Hispanic Template:Bartable
Two or more races Template:Bartable
White Template:Bartable
Unknown Template:Bartable
International student Template:Bartable
Economic diversity
Low-incomeTemplate:Efn Template:Bartable
AffluentTemplate:Efn Template:Bartable

Bowie State has many academic clubs, fraternities, honor societies, organizations, sororities, and student associations. The computer, education, French, and history clubs are examples of academic clubs. The art guild, concert and marching bands, jazz and brass ensembles, and others allow students to explore the fine and performing arts.

Media

As of 2017, Bowie State has one student newspaper: The Spectrum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

BSU-TV Channel 74 is a cable television station that broadcasts around the clock for the BSU community,<ref name=Radio-TV>Template:Cite web</ref> and WBSU Bulldog Nation Radio streams programming online.<ref name=Radio-TV/> Both stations are operated under the aegis of the Department of Communications.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They have converted from analog to digital technology.<ref name=Radio-TV/> WBSU Bulldog Nation Radio was launched in 2018 with support from Maryland-based Radio One.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

The university is a supporter of the Prince George's Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Music

The Symphony of Soul, also known as SOS, is the name of the marching/concert/pep band at Bowie State University.<ref name=SOShistory>Template:Cite web</ref> The Symphony of Soul has received rave reviews following collegiate performances, and when representing the university abroad. During the fall, students always expect the usual impromptu parade through the campus by the SOS. They were also a part of the NFL 2007–2008 season opener as they performed the National Anthem with Aretha Franklin and shared the stage with other recording artists such as Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and others.<ref name=SOShistory/> The SOS was featured in the Original Battle of the Bands held at RFK Stadium. The SOS drumline was named as one of Showtime Magazine's top ten amongst HBCUs.

Notable alumni

Notes

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References

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