History of UMW
Representatives to Montana’s Third Legislative Assembly in 1893 provided for the establishment of the State Normal School in Dillon (now the University of Montana Western). Funding for the Normal School in Dillon, which was focused on training teachers, was appropriated during the following 1895 session.
Main Hall’s cornerstone was placed on April 7, 1895, and the impressive gothic structure was completed the following year. The single building comprised the Normal School until 1907, when expanding enrollment necessitated an addition of housing, classrooms and offices.
The University of Montana Western pioneered the practice of student teaching, which is now standard practice at institutions across the nation that offer education degrees. Montana Western still represents an enduring legacy of providing excellence in education, and now offers 10 certificates, including 5 specifically designed to serve post-baccalaureate students seeking teaching credentials; 8 associate degrees; 29 bachelor degrees; and 42 minors from ten different academic departments: business and technology; biology; education; English; environmental sciences; equine studies; fine arts; health and human performance; history, philosophy, and social sciences; and mathematics.
The University has 68 full-time faculty members with 79% possessing a doctorate or other terminal degree, and 22 part-time faculty members, resulting in a student/professor ratio of 15:1. The average class size is fewer than 20 students which is ideal for providing experiential learning opportunities for students as part of the unique methodology of the university’s Experience One program where students take one course at a time for 18 days, take a short break, then move on to their next course.
To learn more about Montana Western, visit www.umwestern.edu or call our Office of Admissions at 877-683-7331 or email admissions@umwestern.edu.
Drone Photo Credit: Harv Lake