Colleges in Ohio

There is an extraordinary number of Ohio colleges and universities. The University System of Ohio is one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive systems of higher education. Universities, adult education programs and colleges in Ohio serve nearly 600,000 students offering degrees from a Graduate Equivalency Diploma to a Ph.D.

Higher Education

Schools in Ohio make high-quality education in the state accessable and affordable. The USO is governed by the Ohio Board of Regents that is comprised of a nine-member advisory board that reports to the Chancellor. The Board was founded in 1963 by the General Assembly. Members are appointed by the governor with advice and final consent from the Senate. The Board advises the Chancellor on issues affecting Ohio schools of higher education. Other responsibilities include the development of an independent annual report on the state of all Ohio colleges and universities and a yearly performance review of the system's Chancellor.

There are 14 universities in the University System of Ohio with 24 branch campuses. The System has 23 community colleges and over 120 adult workforce and training centers. Additionally, Ohio has dozens of for-profit and not-for profit independent colleges and universities scattered throughout the state.

Currently, three Ohio colleges are on the Forbes annual list of 100 of America's Best Colleges. Oberlin College in Oberlin ranks highest at number 50 on the list. A private liberal arts college, Oberlin is the first institution of higher learning in the nation to regularly admit black and female students. The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is connected to the campus. It is the nation's oldest continuously operating conservatory. The college is a member of the Five Colleges of Ohio consortium and the Great Lakes Colleges Association. Academics include a College of Arts and Sciences, the Conservatory of Music and a five-year Double-Degree Program.

Ranking 69th on the Forbes list is Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. It is a private liberal arts college associated with the Episcopalian church. The oldest private college in Ohio, Kenyan is noted for its rustic setting and Gothic architectural buildings. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful college campuses in the nation and was so-named as such by Forbes in 2010. It offers several majors from Art History to Women's and Gender studies.

Case Western Reserve in Cleveland ranks 89th on the Forbes list. The university was created in 1967 as the Case Institute of Technology and the Western Reserve University formally federated. The university presently consists of eight schools of study including a School of Graduate Studies.

Economy

In 2010, the gross domestic product for Ohio was reported as $478 billion, the nation's seventh largest. The annual median household income in 2007 was $46,645. The state ranked second in the nation as having the best business climate by Site Selection magazine in 2010. It has also won three Governor's Cup awards from Site Selection for state growth and development in business.

Ohio's strongest business sectors are medicine, aviation, journalism, education, business management, accounting and hospitality and tourism. College graduates in Ohio will find an abundance of career opportunities to keep them remaining in the state. Two of the top employers are the University Hospital of Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. It is an excellent state for careers in nursing, medical assistant professionals and healthcare administrators. Corrections professionals are needed for the Department of Corrections, another main employer.

Major corporations such as Proctor and Gamble employ general business and business management workers. The trade, transportation and utilities sector employs over 1 million people. The state has the Midwest's largest bio-science sector and is a leader in the "green" economy. It is the nation's largest producer of rubber, fabricated metals, appliances, plastic and electrical equipment.

Ohio is an excellent state to learn, live and work in.