Founded as a state college in 1970, Francis Marion University adheres to the primary purpose of its establishment: to make available to people of all ages and origins an excellent baccalaureate education in the liberal arts and selected professional programs in business, education, and nursing. Professional graduate programs at the master's level are also offered in business, education, and psychology. The University supports scholarly pursuits by students and faculty in order to promote academic development and intellectual stimulation and strives to provide the Pee Dee region of South Carolina with a variety of educational and cultural enrichment services. In order to continue to improve both quality and efficiency, Francis Marion University engages in continuous evaluations of all its activities.

As a dynamic, interactive, public regional comprehensive teaching university, located near the growing community of Florence, Francis Marion serves students who have a wide range of abilities and preparations. We welcome and encourage students of all ethnic and racial heritages and believe that the presence of a diverse student body from throughout the state, country, and world enriches the educational experience for all. Non-traditional, out-of-state, and international students make up an increasing proportion of our student population.

Francis Marion provides a student-centered learning experience that fosters mutual respect and maintains high academic standards. We emphasize an individualized approach to education through low student-faculty ratios and personalized attention to academic advising and career development. The University community contributes to the social, cultural, moral, and physical development of students as well as to their intellectual growth through both its academic and student life programs. In addition, we offer special learning experiences, such as Freshman Seminar, the Honors program, internships, and cooperative degree programs.

At Francis Marion University, we seek to provide students with a foundation for lifelong learning and to help them develop skills for professional careers in business, industry, government, public service, and education as well as for more advanced study in professional and graduate schools. To that end, we place major emphasis on the quality of our faculty, staff, library, and educational support services.

Excellence in teaching and learning is our highest priority. The University has a faculty of outstanding quality and diversity and supports faculty development through scholarship and research, continuing professional study, and participation in a wide range of academic endeavors. Francis Marion faculty, staff, and students are building a learning community that promotes understanding of other cultures and prepares students to become successful citizens in a rapidly changing world.

Francis Marion University offers programs of study that encourage students to think critically and creatively, communicate clearly and honestly, develop appreciation of aesthetic values, and be concerned with the common good as well as their own interests. Our educational goals are sustained by the liberal arts tradition and seek to provide all baccalaureate degree students with the following: proficiency in listening, reading, speaking, and writing, proficiency in the use of quantitative skills and scientific method, the ability to access and use information, an introductory level of knowledge in a variety of disciplines in the Arts and Sciences, an understanding and appreciation of the Western heritage and cultures of the United States and the world, basic computer skills, global awareness and tolerance for a diversity of ideas, a sense of individual responsibility and ability to work cooperatively, and a lifelong love for inquiry and learning.

Requirements for the bachelor's degree provide that students also achieve expertise in a particular discipline, which includes the ability to understand and apply the core concepts, principles, and methodologies of that discipline. Students are also expected to understand the relationships between their personal and professional goals and the liberal arts.

Francis Marion University strives to be responsive to the changing needs of the region by offering master's degrees in business, education, and psychology and by providing cultural and athletic events open to the community. Moreover, the University seeks to serve as a catalyst for regional development. Faculty, staff members, and advanced students consult with local businesses, industries, and governmental agencies and render academic and practical assistance to regional schools and other organizations. They also participate in community activities, such as scientific, artistic, and literary programs and are professionally active in many other ways in building a better educated, more culturally enriched, and more prosperous region.

Francis Marion University, an institution of approximately 4,000 students, is small enough to provide individualized attention to a diverse range of traditional and non-traditional students, yet large enough to make available to students, staff, faculty, and the regional community a broad variety of academic and cultural resources. Thus, Francis Marion University combines the advantages of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a public university.


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