College of Magic

The College of Magic is the oldest college at the University of the Straye.

## History

The College of Magic was founded in 771 BE, or what would be -110 CE. It began as a small enclave of academics collecting, preserving, and researching known runes. The campus, located on the south side of Hudde Pond, was chosen for its relative proximity to the Straye's city center (the present day Old Town) and the arcane significance of the adjacent natural rock formations, upon which the college's first buildings were erected.

By 265 CE, the college was a destination for scholars, and the Straye had expanded to include the campus in its limits. With the population of the city growing, the College of Arts & Sciences was founded for non-magical academics. The College of Magic and the College of Arts & Sciences were combined under the single banner of a university, the confederation's first.

## Admissions

Acceptance rates are in the single digits, requiring potential students to pass both a written evaluation and a magical aptitude exam. It's typical to apply to the CoM and another school within the university with the assumption you won't get in.

### The Role of Legacy Admissions

Legacy is not a consideration for the College, a continual point of ire for some of the older arcane-affiliated families in the city. However, students who come from long lines of CoM graduates usually have access to better preparation and advanced resources for the various evaluations, and admission rates are higher, even up to 100%, coming from legacy families.

## Programs

The undergraduate program is 6 years, and graduate work for those interested in professorship lasts another 3-6 years. Unlike the other colleges, CoM students are required to live in university housing for the first three years of their tutelage.

## Cost & Funding

Paradoxically, the tuition for the CoM is the lowest in the university, partly because the admissions are so selective and partly because of the college's enormous trust.

## Alumni

Graduates of the CoM are the only authorized magic users in the confederation. Any actual use of magic must come from an accredited mage, which makes the CoM's graduates highly sought after in many lines of work. Medical arcanists are influential in the world of medicine. The University hires many of its own CoM graduates to work in its East Campus research annex. Alumni can also easily obtain jobs as assessors, teaching admissions prep in the public or private school systems, or they may pursue a career in academia at the College itself.

Private sector careers where magic usage is considered an advantage include Research & Design, Manufacturing, and Architecture. The types of magic permitted in these areas are limited, but objects and homes can be designed with rune-fortified foundations, and even small applications of magic can dramatically change how an assembly line functions. See: The Private Sector & Regulated Magic Use.

## Fellowships & Professorships

The College has a number of fellowships available to recent graduates. These are research, archival, tutoring, and adjunct positions within the College and are considered faculty-track positions. When a fellow is offered a professorship, they join the faculty in earnest and begin teaching, lecturing, or researching full time.

Both fellows and professors are offered free accommodations in the University District, near to campus.