In 2010 the newest school was founded: The College of Health and Human Sciences, combining the School of Nursing, the School of Health Sciences, the College of Consumer and Family Sciences and psychology and hearing and speech pathology majors from the College of Liberal Arts. Twenty-three Purdue alumni have become astronauts, including Neil Armstrong – the first person to walk on the moon – and Eugene Cernan – the last person to walk on the moon. In 1934 Purdue University Airport was established as the first university-owned airport in the country. The very first college credit in flight training and the first four-year bachelor programme in aviation were offered by Purdue. The first Bachelor of Arts degree was not offered until 1959.Įven today, the engineering programme is still the most reputed and competitive, and the university has been influential on the history of aviation in the United States over the years. The very first PhD awarded by the university in 1897 was in agricultural, in line with the college’s long tradition in agricultural science and engineering. There are 13 academic colleges and schools offering more than 200 different undergraduate majors, 70 postgraduate programmes and vocational degrees. The campus is located in the small city of West Lafayette – the most densely populated city in the state of Indiana. Purdue University is the flagship institution of the Purdue University system, founded in 1869.