Academics
Students at Delaware State University have access to fortyfour bachelor’s degree programs, organized into four colleges and seventeen academic departments; Kinesiology, Criminal Justice, and Mass Communications are three of the most popular majors. The school has campuses in both Wilmington and Georgetown, as well as two farm properties in the state; its Airway Science program also maintains a fleet of planes and base of operation at a nearby air park. Though each academic pathway ultimately leads to a degree, interdisciplinary study is encouraged, and departments often collaborate in forming curriculums and undertaking research. Numerous centers and institutes (including the Center for Integrated Biological and Environmental Research and the Environmental Cooperative Science Center) allow students and faculty members to pursue research, and social science researchers at DSU are currently using data to predict and explain the effects of social and cultural forces on population distribution. The DSU College of Business sponsors an Entrepreneurship Symposium, which is designed to open a dialog as to how entrepreneurship education in sub-Saharan Africa can be made more practical. The Office of Student Success offers academic advising and encourages students to create an Individual Development Plan that will guide them through their four years, and the General Education requirements establish a breadth of knowledge and social ability in students regardless of their major.
Career
The Office of Student Leadership and Activities provides the resources and guidance for dozens of registered student organizations and clubs; as nearly half of the students are commuters, these offer the chance to interact and advance within an identifiable framework, such as a fraternity or sorority. The Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center also offers a commuter lounge, as well as a restaurant, bookstore, and an auditorium that may be partitioned into three separate parlors. Outlets for creativity are valued at DSU; the Arts Center Gallery exhibits student and faculty work, as well as hosting events and lectures in music, art, and theater. And WDSU-TV is an organization/YouTube channel that features programs written and produced by students through the Mass Communications Society. Numerous choral groups are open to students, ranging from the University Choir (performing choral literature from medieval to 20th century), Chamber Singers to the Choral Union. The school’s energetic marching band “The Approaching Storm” puts on a halftime show at Hornets football games, and all games end with the band’s “fifth quarter” post-game performance; they also perform at the annual Homecoming, which features the coronation of Mr. and Miss Del State.
Culture
The Office of Career Services guides students throughout their entire time at DSU via the D.E.E.P. path, which offers actions and assessments appropriate to students at each year. Students begin with a Career Services Orientation, and go on to build resumes, obtain internships, attend school job fairs, and ultimately prepare for interviews or further education. The online Hire-a-Hornet system allows students to post resumes and apply for openings, and periodic internship and job email blasts are issued to students. The school’s micro-internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that let students demonstrate their skills to potential employers and alumni, and introduces students to a variety of career paths. Notable alumni include NFL player Darnerien McCants, musician SZA, and jazz musician and composer Clifford Brown.