Augustana College

What is the history of Augustana College?

Augustana College was founded in 1860 by Swedish Lutheran immigrants and has been based in Rock Island, Illinois, since the 19th century. Its origins help explain both its continuing Lutheran affiliation and its emphasis on a broad undergraduate education.

The institution began as Augustana College and Theological Seminary in Chicago before moving to Illinois communities including Paxton and, eventually, Rock Island. The college and seminary later became separate institutions. Today, Augustana is a private liberal arts college rather than a seminary, although its religious heritage remains part of its institutional identity.

What are the faculties and departments at Augustana College?

Augustana College organizes its academics around a liberal arts curriculum, with programs spanning the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, arts, business, education, and health-related fields. Prospective students should think in terms of majors and academic departments rather than separate undergraduate colleges or professional schools.

Examples of available fields include biology, computer science, engineering, English, history, psychology, business administration, accounting, music, and communication sciences and disorders. Students can also pursue pre-professional preparation alongside a major. Requirements differ: an education pathway, for example, may involve admission standards and fieldwork tied to teacher licensure, while a science major may have a substantial laboratory sequence.

The liberal arts structure gives students room to combine subjects through majors, minors, and electives, but it does not make every combination feasible on the same timeline. Applicants considering a tightly sequenced program should review its current catalog requirements, especially if they expect to transfer credits or study abroad.

What is the location of Augustana College?

Augustana College is in Rock Island, Illinois, part of the Quad Cities metropolitan area along the Mississippi River. Its campus sits within an established city rather than in an isolated rural setting.

Students can reach businesses, cultural venues, and internship sites across the Illinois and Iowa sides of the Quad Cities. Off-campus travel may still require planning: regional destinations are spread across several cities, and a student without a car should check transit routes for a particular job or placement. The nearby commercial airport is Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, Illinois.

Campus housing is available, while a substantial minority of students commute. That combination makes the college's location relevant both to residential students seeking local opportunities and to applicants weighing transportation costs against living on campus.

What is the mission and vision of Augustana College?

Augustana describes its purpose as providing an education in the liberal arts that prepares students for responsible citizenship and meaningful professional and personal lives. Its stated approach connects intellectual inquiry with practical experience, reflection, and engagement beyond the classroom.

The college has roots in the Swedish Lutheran tradition and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This is an institutional affiliation, not a statement that students must share a particular faith. Applicants who want to understand how the affiliation affects campus programming or academic requirements should examine the current catalog and student-life policies rather than assume that the historical connection determines every aspect of campus life.