Yesterday & Today

Becker College traces its history to 1784 and has more than 22,000 alumni worldwide. With campuses in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts, the College serves nearly 1,800 students from across the country and around the globe and offers more than 29 diverse bachelor degree programs, as well as a variety of adult learning options. The College’s unique class options and hands-on, professional approach to higher education have earned Becker a national reputation, particularly in the fields of computer game development, veterinary science, business, education, and nursing.

For the past two years, The Princeton Review has named Becker among the top 10 colleges in the U.S. and Canada for video game design.  It is one of only two private colleges in New England to offer AVMA-accredited undergraduate programs in animal sciences, and its nursing program is ranked among the best in Massachusetts with a May 2011 NCLEX pass rate of 100%.

In April 2011, Becker was designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as home of the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI), a first-in-the-nation, statewide center facilitating cooperation and innovation among the digital games industry, the public sector, and academia. MassDiGI has positioned Massachusetts as a global leader in the digital games industry and is working to facilitate job growth, economic development, and entrepreneurship.

Becker ranks #1 in New England and #15 nationally amongst private colleges/universities in awarding undergraduate animal studies degrees in 2010-2011.  Enrollment in the animal science programs has grown 30% percent since 2008.  It is one of only a few programs nationwide that operates a working animal clinic on campus, providing students opportunities to conduct examinations and perform procedures under the supervision of faculty veterinarians. In May 2011, Becker received  a $1.5 million grant from the Allerton Foundation to establish an endowed chair, the Allerton Chair of Animal Health Sciences.

To help accommodate current and future growth, the College recently broke ground on its new Campus Center. This $9 million, 35,727-square-foot center on the Leicester Campus will have a tremendous positive impact on student life.

Becker’s alumni include Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton gin, who was a member of the first graduating class in 1788. William Morton, “Father of Modern Anesthesiology,” graduated in 1836. Harry G. Stoddard, Worcester industrialist, graduated in 1893. Robert Goddard, “Father of Modern Rocketry,” studied at Becker in 1898.

Becker graduates continue to achieve notable success. Edward Fendell, who graduated in 1951, was head of the  Communications Systems Section, Flight Control Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on July 20, 1969,  when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Southwest Airlines President Emeritus Colleen Barrett graduated in 1964. After graduating in 1967, Jim Daopoulos went on to referee at Superbowl XXXIII.

The mission of Becker College is to deliver to each student a transformational learning experience – anchored by academic excellence, social responsibility, and creative expression – that prepares graduates to thrive, contribute to, and lead in a global society.  Dedicated to the belief that it exists primarily for the student, the college  concerns itself with the whole person, emphasizing not only classroom education, but also practical experience through liaisons with the business, professional, and service communities. The college is proud to have adhered to this mission, and to the values which support it, for more than 200 years.

The College’s mission emphasizes relevance—to its students’ lives, to the community, and to global citizenship. Becker alumni have the knowledge and skills to succeed in the career of their choice, to practice good citizenship, and to value lifelong learning.