Undergraduate and Graduate Options at Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City University (OCU) occupies a 110-acre campus in the Uptown district, where it functions as the city's only private research university. This guide covers what distinguishes OCU's academic structure, who benefits most from each division, and how its enrollment and cost compare to regional alternatives.

OCU organizes instruction across five colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Meinders School of Business, the School of Music, the School of Nursing, and the Petree College of Education and Leadership. The university enrolls roughly 2,300 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students, a total that positions it between community college scale and regional state university systems. This matters: class sizes tend to remain smaller than those at the University of Oklahoma's Norman campus (where introductory classes often exceed 200 students), but OCU has more institutional depth and research funding than many smaller private colleges in the region.

Undergraduate Divisions by Field

The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest undergraduate division and absorbs about 40 percent of the incoming class. Majors span biology, chemistry, mathematics, history, English, psychology, and international relations, among others. OCU awards its own degrees in these fields rather than routing students through education colleges or business schools. This matters for timing: you complete a major in four years without the prerequisite bottleneck some larger universities impose on biology and chemistry tracks. The trade-off is that OCU lacks the scale to offer graduate-level research positions in every science discipline, so undergraduates seeking lab experience in organic chemistry or microbiology typically work with faculty who teach 3 to 4 courses per semester alongside their own research.

The Meinders School of Business grants B.B.A. degrees in accounting, finance, management, marketing, and business analytics. Enrollment here runs about 500 undergraduates. Meinders requires a common core curriculum through sophomore year, then concentrates upper-level coursework. The school maintains partnerships with several Fortune 500 companies headquartered in or near Oklahoma City (energy, financial services, and healthcare sectors), which filters into internship and job placement networks. Starting salaries for accounting and finance graduates from Meinders average $55,000 to $65,000 based on the most recent graduating class data, competitive with Oklahoma State University's business program and notably higher than the average for OCU liberal arts graduates, which clusters around $40,000.

The School of Music grants B.M. degrees in performance, music education, composition, and audio production. Enrollment is selective: roughly 120 undergraduates. The audio production degree is unusual for Oklahoma and attracts students from across the region; it combines recording studio work with music theory and technology. Performance students audition during the admission process. This division operates its own ensemble schedule and performance venues on the Uptown campus, including Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center, which hosts student recitals, faculty concerts, and visiting artists. If you're evaluating music programs regionally, OCU's strength lies in applied study and performance opportunity rather than in graduate degree breadth; the university does not grant a Ph.D. in music.

The School of Nursing awards B.S.N. degrees and operates a campus-based program (not an online-only track). Enrollment is capped at roughly 200 undergraduates per cohort, with selective admission based on prerequisite GPA and TEAS exam scores. Clinical rotations occur at partner hospitals including Oklahoma Health and Integris Health facilities across the metro area. Tuition for nursing runs $37,650 annually, aligned with OCU's general undergraduate cost of living and instruction; however, nursing students incur additional fees for clinical placements and certifications. Graduates pass the NCLEX at rates consistent with national benchmarks, and entry-level salaries for new RNs in Oklahoma City currently range from $52,000 to $62,000, depending on facility and shift.

The Petree College of Education and Leadership grants B.S. degrees for secondary and elementary teacher certification. Oklahoma requires that teacher candidates pass the appropriate Praxis exams, which Petree embeds into its coursework sequence. The program enrolls roughly 150 undergraduates and emphasizes clinical teaching partnerships with Oklahoma City Public Schools and surrounding districts. One distinguishing feature: Petree maintains a Master of Teaching degree, allowing some undergraduates to move directly into graduate-level coursework if they maintain high academic standing, effectively earning both a bachelor's and a master's in five years rather than six.

Graduate Programs

OCU's graduate enrollment of approximately 1,000 students concentrates in education, business, nursing, and music. The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program accepts cohort-based and evening tracks; the cohort model (full-time, two years) enrolls about 60 students per cycle, while evening sessions accommodate working professionals over three years. Tuition for the two-year full-time MBA is $52,800 per year. Graduates from the program predominantly secure positions in Oklahoma City firms and regional offices of national companies. Median GMAT scores for admitted students run 520 to 560, below the 600-plus range at Oklahoma State's Spears School, making OCU's MBA relatively accessible compared to top-tier regional programs.

The Master of Education degree is the university's largest graduate offering, with enrollment around 300. Specializations include curriculum and instruction, educational leadership, and special education. The program serves primarily in-service teachers; most students work full-time while completing a part-time schedule. Evening and weekend classes are the norm. Completion typically takes two to three years. Tuition is $660 per credit hour, and a typical load is 36 credit hours total, putting the cost at roughly $23,760 for the entire degree.

The Master of Science in Nursing builds on the undergraduate B.S.N. and awards degrees in clinical nurse leadership and education. Enrollment is smaller (roughly 80 graduate nursing students) and programs are structured for working nurses. A Master of Music in performance and conducting enroll smaller cohorts; the program is selective and emphasizes applied study and thesis recitals.

Cost, Financial Aid, and Comparison

OCU's total cost of attendance for undergraduates is approximately $56,000 annually (tuition, fees, room, and board). Merit scholarships range from $8,000 to $20,000 per year depending on academic profile and test scores; the university reports that over 90 percent of undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, though that figure includes loans. Need-based aid is available, but OCU's endowment is smaller than that of Tulsa University or Baylor, so aid packages tend to involve larger loan components. For comparison, Oklahoma State University's in-state tuition is roughly $10,000 per year, while out-of-state tuition runs $28,000; OCU's private status means the same charge applies to all students regardless of residency.

Graduate tuition varies by program: MBA programs run $52,000 to $56,000 annually; Master of Education costs approximately $24,000 total; nursing graduate programs fall between $28,000 and $36,000 total. Graduate students receive fewer automatic merit scholarships than undergraduates, though teaching and research assistantships are available, particularly in education and music divisions.

Who Chooses OCU and Why

OCU works best for students seeking a small private campus with direct faculty contact and who can absorb the higher tuition relative to state schools. Its location in Uptown Oklahoma City—walkable to galleries, restaurants, and theaters in the Midtown district—differentiates it from rural Oklahoma State or OU's Norman campus. Students majoring in music, nursing, or education often select OCU for program specificity rather than comparing it strictly on cost. Graduate students in education tend to value the evening and weekend scheduling alongside accreditation and Oklahoma teaching certification alignment.

The university does not function as a research powerhouse in the manner of OU or Oklahoma State; faculty publish and conduct research, but undergraduate and graduate students should expect more teaching-focused curricula than intensive lab or thesis-based work, particularly outside doctoral programs (which OCU does not offer in most fields).

Moving Forward

If you're weighing OCU against Oklahoma State, OU, Tulsa, or community college transfer routes, clarify your major first. OCU excels in music, nursing, and education; it competes adequately but without distinctive advantage in liberal arts or business relative to larger state institutions. Request a campus visit, sit in on a class, and request estimated financial aid packages before deciding. The Uptown campus itself is worth seeing; it shapes the undergraduate experience in ways that don't translate to rankings or brochures.