Colleges in Wyoming

Colleges in Wyoming are members of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The WICHE is a 16-state commission that helps to ensure access and success for higher education in the West. Wyoming schools have been a member of the Commission since 1953. The WICHE benefits Wyoming colleges in a number of ways. The WICHE Student Exchange Programs have served tens of thousands of students over the decades saving millions of dollars by reducing tuition rates.

Wyoming schools of higher education are active in three WICHE Student Exchange Programs: the Professional Student Exchange Program, the Western Undergraduate Exchange and the Western Regional Graduate Program. Wyoming colleges include the state's only public four-year institution, the University of Wyoming, Laramie. It is also located in Cheyenne. The university has earned the honors Best 366 Colleges, Best Value Colleges and Best Western Colleges.

The choice of 2-year colleges in Wyoming is broader, with public junior colleges widely dispersed throughout the state from Northwest College to Eastern Wyoming College. The state's second largest and centrally located city, Casper, is the home of Casper College and Central Wyoming College

Students wanting to earn a Bachelor's degree or a Master's degree will most likely attend the University of Wyoming, which has programs in more than 100 majors. The system of higher education in the state is unique, and the number of 2-year institutions fuel the opportunity for shorter degrees.

Two-year business schools, community colleges, medical technology colleges and others offer many certificate programs and 2-year career training degrees. These Wyoming schools help students master specific skills to prepare them to enter the state's diverse workforce. Graduates have been trained for careers in hospitality, tourism and travel management, welding technology/welder and auto body repair, the mineral extraction industry, accounting and finance, medical insurance billing, healthcare administration, medical assistant professions and nursing.

Economy

In 2012, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis found the Gross State Product(GSP) of Wyoming to be $38.4 billion. Components of the state's economy are somewhat different from those of other states. The travel and tourism sector and the mineral extraction industry drive the economy of Wyoming. About 50 percent of the land in the state is owned by the federal government and 6 percent is controlled by the state.

In 2001, the mining production sector's total taxable value was more than $6.7 billion. The tourism industry is very important to the state's economy, bringing in over $2 billion in revenue annually. In 2002, there were more than six million visitors to the state's ruggedly unique and beautiful national parks and monuments. The most popular attractions for tourists to visit in Wyoming are Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Teton National Park, Devils Tower National Monument, Independence Rock and Fossil Butte National Monument. Each year, Yellowstone National Park alone greets more than three million visitors from the rest of the nation and around the world.

Agriculture has long been an important sector of Wyoming's economy. Over 91 percent of the land in the state is considered to be rural. Although waning, agriculture still proves to be important by the way of influencing the culture and lifestyle of the state's residents. The main products that the state has historically produced include livestock for beef, sugar beets, hay, wheat, barley, and wool.

Wyoming's mineral outputs include natural gas, coal, crude oil, uranium, trona and coalbed methane. It is the United State's leading producer of coal, producing 395.5 million short tons in 2004. In 2007, the state ranked second in the nation in the production of natural gas. Although the supply of uranium the state produces is dwindling, it is significant to the industry because of its recent rise in value.

The state of Wyoming's unique educational system, economy and natural beauty make it a great place to learn, live, play and work.