Drexel University is a global research university located in Philadelphia’s downtown area.

Catering for roughly 26,000 students, Drexel offers around 200 degree programmes. These include over 80 undergraduate majors, more than a dozen accelerated degree programmes, and around 120 degrees and certificates for graduates and professionals.

The university’s history dates back to 1891 when it was founded by the notable banker Anthony Drexel. It was originally known as the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry, renamed as the Drexel Institute of Technology in 1936 before taking the name Drexel University in 1970, which it goes by today.

With 15 schools and colleges, it is one of America’s top 15 largest private universities.

Maintaining much of its original character and focus, Drexel’s Academy of Natural Sciences, over 200 years old, is the oldest major natural science museum and research organisation in America.

As part of its mission to prepare students for work outside of the lecture theatre, Drexel offers a co-operative education programme that most undergraduates participate in. Introduced in 1919 as one of the first of its kind, it allows students to combine their studies with paid, professional work experience.

The university has three campuses in Philadelphia: University City campus and Centre City campus are situated in lively, central areas, while the Queen Lane campus is slightly further out in a more residential district.

Other university locations include the historic Academy of Natural Sciences and the Business College, located on the Malvern campus and catering for accelerated and part-time graduate studies. There is also a Drexel campus at the University of the Pacific in Sacramento, California.

Drexel was the first major university in America to offer a fully wireless campus in 2000 and many of the courses offered by Drexel can be taken online.