Troy University


Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century and state universities in the late 20th century.
Troy University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master's, education specialist, and doctoral degrees.
In August 2005, Troy State University, Montgomery; Troy State University, Phenix City; Troy State University, Dothan; and Troy State University all merged under one accreditation to become Troy University. Prior to the merger, each campus was independently accredited. The merger combined staff, faculty, and administrators into a single university.
Today, the university serves the educational needs of students in four Alabama campuses and 60 teaching sites in 17 U.S. states and 11 countries. Troy University has over 100,000 alumni in 50 states of the U.S. and in other countries.

History

Troy University is a public university with its main campus located in Troy, Alabama. It was founded as a normal school in 1887 with a mission to educate and train new teachers. Laura Montgomery Henderson was one of the school's original teachers.
Over time, the school evolved into a four-year college and in 1957 the Alabama Board of Education adopted the name "Troy State College" and granted it the right to issue master's degrees. In the 1960s the college opened satellite sites in Montgomery, Phenix City, and Dothan to serve the military personnel posted at Maxwell AFB, Fort Benning, and Fort Rucker. More sites associated with military centers located throughout the United States and abroad followed in the subsequent decades, as well as support centers for students and alumni unrelated to the military. As a leader in online education, Troy University began offering online courses in the Fall Semester of 1997. Troy University is known for its innovation in offering in-class and online academic programs in servicing traditional, nontraditional, and military students. In spring 2018, Troy University was ranked #19 among the "Most Innovative Schools" in U.S. News & World Report annual peer assessment survey. The main campus enrollment as of the fall of 2016 is 7,911 students. The campus consists of 36 major buildings on plus the adjacent Troy University Arboretum.
At least three prominent political figures have been associated with Troy University: George Wallace Jr., son of the late Governor George C. Wallace, who was a former administrator at the university; Max Rafferty, the California Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1963 to 1971, was dean of the education department from 1971 until his death in 1982; former Governor John Malcolm Patterson taught U.S. history at the institution during the 1980s.

Name change

When created by the Alabama Legislature on February 26, 1887, it was officially named the Troy State Normal School. The school was located in downtown Troy until moving to the present location on University Avenue in 1930.
In 1929, the name was changed to Troy State Teachers College and it subsequently conferred its first baccalaureate degree in 1931.
In 1957, the legislature voted both to change the name to Troy State College and to allow it to begin a master's degree program. The name was changed once again in 1967 to Troy State University.
On April 16, 2004, the board of trustees voted to change the name of the institution from Troy State University to Troy University. The transition to the new name was completed in August 2005 and was the fourth in the school's history.

Troy University System

The Troy University System is a public university system in Alabama that coordinates and oversees the three branch universities of Troy University. The system was formed in 1982, as the campuses in Dothan and Montgomery were granted independent accreditation status. In April 2004, "State" was dropped from the university's name to reflect the institution's new, broader focus. In August 2005, all Troy campuses were unified under one accreditation.
Troy University has a total of four campuses located across the state of Alabama:
In addition to the four campuses, there are also 23 additional support sites across the southeastern United States and other countries.

Academics

Troy University cumulatively offers 46 bachelor's degree programs, 22 master's degree programs, and 3 doctoral programs.

Organization

The university is composed of five colleges, a graduate school, and a division of general studies:
  • College of Arts & Sciences
  • College of Communications & Fine Arts
  • College of Education
  • College of Health & Human Services
  • The Sorrell College of Business
  • The Graduate School
  • The Division of General Studies

    Confucius Institute

Established in 2007, the Confucius Institute at Troy University is a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, funded and arranged in part by Hanban, which is itself affiliated with the Chinese government, and the stated aim of which is to promote the Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching, and facilitate cultural exchanges. The institute also offers summer camps for high school students, consultation for economic development, and promotion of Chinese outreach programs. Some have expressed concerns related to academic freedom and political influence of the Chinese government specially regarding such things as the comment of a former senior Chinese official, Li Changchun that Confucius Institutes are "an important part of China's overseas propaganda set-up". Troy University was the first college in Alabama to open a Confucius Institute. Troy closed the institute in March of 2023, since the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act would remove the university's eligibility to receive defense funding for having the institute starting in October of that year.

Center for International Programs

The university has over 800 international students from 75 countries on the main campus, and offers special programs for students such as the English as Second Language Center. Troy also has a dormitory named Pace Hall.

Undergraduate admissions

In 2025, Troy accepted 92.6% of undergraduate applicants with those enrolled having an average 3.5 high school GPA and an average 1060 SAT score or an average 21 ACT score.

Rankings

Troy University has acquired several different institutional rankings:
  • In 2019, Forbes ranked Troy as the 640th-best school in the nation. Forbes overall ranking centers on the value of the degree obtained by a university's students and measures, in part, the marketplace success of a school's graduate.
  • For 2020, U.S. News & World Report ranked Troy in categories for the Regional Universities, South Region, as well as separate categories for Best University Online Programs, as follow:
Regional University, South#45
Top Public Schools in Regional Universities, South#27
Best Online Graduate Business Programs #61
Best Online Graduate Business Programs for Veterans #27
Best Online MBA Programs#95
Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans#53
Best Online Master's in Criminal Justice Programs#17
Best Online Master's in Criminal Justice Programs for Veterans#11
Best Online Graduate Education Programs#89
Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs#14
Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs for Veterans#6

Campus

Troy University's main campus is located near downtown Troy. The campus sits along rolling hills with many old oak trees present along the streets and throughout campus. The first two buildings that were built on campus were John Robert Lewis Hall and Shackelford Hall, both of which are still standing on campus today. Bibb Graves, who was Alabama's governor at the time of the building's dedication, is remembered for commissioning the Olmsted Brothers architectural firm of Brookline, Massachusetts, to design the campus landscape plan. The Troy University Board of Trustees voted to rename the hall in John Lewis's honor on August 26, 2020.
Across from the chapel is a very small lake named Lake Lagoona, which is the drainage point of the creek that runs through the Trojan Oaks Golf Course.
The Trojan Oaks Golf Practice Course, which used to be full-service, 9-hole, 3,211-yard golf course, is one of the pristine features of the campus with its rolling hills, oak and pine trees, and a creek running through most of the course. Troy was one of only 87 universities in the United States to have operated a full-service golf course on its own campus before closing the course and revamping it into a golf practice facility, and is still one of the few schools to operate a 9-hole or greater practice course on its campus.
One of the favorite features of the campus is Janice Hawkins Park, which features an amphitheater, walking trails, a lagoon and several prominent art installations. Paved sidewalks curve throughout that park, and a pedestrian bridge straddles the lagoon on one end. Among the art installations are the "Violata Pax Dove", by the artist Fred "Nall" Hollis, and 200 replica terracotta warriors that are spread throughout the park, representing the famous excavations in China.