A complex world demands sophisticated analysis.

Named after Erie native Tom Ridge, 43rd governor of Pennsylvania and first Secretary of Homeland Security, the Ridge College brings together complementary academic disciplines that stress critical thinking, data analysis and collaborative decision-making. Serving as a Center of Excellence for distance and online learning, the Ridge College takes the lead in exploring, designing and developing new ways to deliver professional education. A Ridge College education helps make sense of the complex behaviors of people, organizations and governments through the application of principles, theories and technologies in innovative and exciting ways. 

Fast Facts

• During the 2015-16 academic year, more than 70 Intelligence Studies students received contracts to conduct intelligence work for actual U.S. intelligence agencies and private companies

• The Ridge College’s Institute of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences provides research and analysis products to clients such as the Department of Defense, the European Union, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble

• Applied Forensic Sciences Professor Heather Garvin played a pivotal role in the Rising Star Expedition and the discovery of Homo naledi, a new species of human ancestor

• The Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics has earned a national reputation for the skill and professionalism of our Political Science students, as they collect and analyze political data and provide unbiased assessments of public opinion