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One feature of Mercyhurst that has always brought new students through the gates is the prospect of gaining hands-on experience in their field of choice. Now, Mercyhurst is taking this aspect of our university and creating a whole ad campaign around it.

Whether it be from the music students performing on campus and the surrounding communities, archaeology students excavating sites and studying real artifacts, forensics students studying suspected crime scenes or psychology students conducting research experiments using their classmates as subjects, hands-on education has been the focus of higher education in recent years and Mercyhurst has been on the top of the charts.

To further its initiative, Mercyhurst is committing to a $646,000 ad campaign called “Get the Experience. Guaranteed.” This is a vague yet effective way to say that students in every major will have the opportunities to gain real-world experience which takes place outside of the classroom during their time at Mercyhurst.

The campaign comes in the wake of a drop in student enrollment that prompted pay freezes for the university’s staff and faculty.

This new strategy focuses on the vital combination of classroom knowledge and practical experience to help every student succeed in their field of study.

This guarantee from the university intends to take this, usually, voluntary aspect of higher education and incorporate it into all 57 majors, 26 associate degree and 10 graduate degree programs in order to give Mercyhurst students the edge they need to succeed in today’s business market.

Each of these hands-on opportunities, or “capstone experiences,” have been designed by university professors and are tailored for the students at Mercyhurst. They will play an essential role in the education of students at Mercyhurst’s Erie, North East and Corry campuses—the Mercyhurst experience will no longer be complete without applied learning in each field of study.

Keeping to their promise of a guaranteed hands-on learning experience, Mercyhurst is issuing an unprecedented offer to all students. If any student has gone through their four years here without having the opportunity to experience a hands-on learning course, Mercyhurst will provide one to be taken during either the January term or the pre-summer term free of charge.

To further its dedication to this new initiative, our university intends to expand its internship opportunities, which is more crucial than ever in today’s job market.

In the words of President Thomas Gamble, Ph.D., “We believe that providing our students with practical, professional experience will better equip them to secure jobs in today’s highly competitive market, make progress in their careers or continue their education after graduation.”