Overview

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Overview

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Missouri State University (MSU) is located in the southwest region of the state in the city of Springfield, about 215 miles from St. Louis. Students at Missouri State can explore nearly 100 bachelor’s degrees and more than 40 master’s degrees, including in the fields of business, health, and political science. The university offers much to do outside the classroom as well. Students can join more than 300 campus organizations, pledge with numerous fraternities and sororities, and help others through the school’s community service programs, such as Bears Bringing Hope, which fund-raises to help natural disaster victims, among other activities.

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MSU also offers many campus events throughout the year for students to attend, such as poetry slams, concerts, and free bowling nights. Student athletes can play at the intramural level or try out for one of the many Missouri State Bears varsity teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. Notable Missouri State alumni include actor John Goodman, who entered the school on a football scholarship and walked out with a theater degree. He went on to star in the television show Roseanne and has appeared in movies such as The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Raising Arizona.

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Programs:

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Missouri State University's academic divisions include:

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• College of Arts and Letters – Art & Design; Communication; English; Media, Journalism & Film; Modern & Classical Languages; Music; Theatre & Dance
   

• College of Business (COB) – School of Accountancy; Computer Information Systems; Fashion & Interior Design; Finance & General Business; Management; Marketing; Technology & Construction Management
   

• College of Education – Childhood Education & Family Studies; Counseling, Leadership, & Special Education; Greenwood Laboratory School; Reading, Foundations, & Technology
   

• College of Health and Human Services – Biomedical Sciences; Communication Sciences & Disorders; Health, Physical Education & Recreation; Nursing; Physical Therapy; Physician Assistant Studies; Psychology; School of Social Work; Sports Medicine & Athletic Training
   

• College of Humanities and Public Affairs – Defense & Strategic Studies; Economics; History; Military Science; Philosophy; Political Science; Religious Studies; Sociology, Anthropology, & Criminology
   

• College of Natural and Applied Sciences – Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Geography, Geology, & Planning; Hospitality & Restaurant Administration; Mathematics; Physics, Astronomy, & Materials Science
   

• Missouri State Outreach
   

• Missouri State Online
   

• William H. Darr College of Agriculture
   

• Graduate School

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The University offers more than 150 undergraduate majors and over 45 graduate programs. For the 2009 fiscal year, the University awarded 4,093 degrees. The Springfield campus had 721 full-time instructional faculties in fall 2009, of which 46 percent were female and 60 percent were tenured. The student-faculty ratio is 20-to-1. Nearly 90 percent of full-time ranked faculty members have the most advanced degree available in their field. During its 2009 fiscal year, MSU received 196 grants totalling $20,901,035. Freshmen entering for the fall 2010 semester had an average ACT score of 24.1 (well above both the state and national averages) and a high school grade point average of 3.60.

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History

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Missouri State University was formed as the Fourth District Normal School, by legislative action on March 17, 1905. Like other normal schools of the day, the school's primary purpose was the preparation of teachers for the public school system.

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Classes began on June 11, 1906 with the first class totalling 543 students in an off-campus facility. The first permanent campus building was Academic Hall. Its cornerstone was laid on August 10, 1907, and construction were completed in January 1909. The building is now known as Carrington Hall, named after William T. Carrington, the first president of the State Normal School. It serves as the University's administrative centre.

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The university had been changed its name for several times. Finally, in 2005, the institution becomes Missouri State University, reflecting its enrollment of tens of thousands of students, as well as higher admissions standards and increased graduate programs.

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Campus

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Missouri State University’s main campus, containing over 40 buildings, is located on 225 acres (91.1 ha) in central Springfield. National Avenue forms the eastern boundary, with South Holland and Kimbrough Avenues to the west, Cherry and Elm Streets to the north, and Grand Street to the south. John Q. Hammons Parkway bisects the campus, running north and south. The campus contains a variety of architectural styles, with the oldest buildings exhibiting a Neoclassical style and newer buildings displaying a mix of Modern styles including International, Brutalist, Bauhaus and High-tech, unified through the use of light-coloured stone and concrete exterior materials.

 

 

The Missouri State University system has four physical campuses:

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• Springfield: The main campus in Springfield, Mo.

• West Plains: Offering two-year associate's degrees

• Mountain Grove: Focusing on fruit science and agriculture research

• Dalian, China: In partnership with Liaoning Normal University

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Scholarship

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Scholarship

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MSU institutionally funded scholarships
A variety of scholarships are offered through Missouri State University. Some of our scholarships are automatic, but others require a separate application. Institutionally funded scholarships are available for:
+ Incoming freshmen transfer students
+ Currently enrolled students, graduate students

MSU donor-funded scholarships
Privately donated funds are given each year to Missouri State students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, leadership and/or financial need. The funds come from private gifts to the University by individuals, groups or companies. To apply for these scholarships, you must be admitted to the University and complete the online General and Departmental Scholarship Application.

Outside scholarships
Many organizations outside the University award scholarships each year. The list below is a sampling of reputable online scholarship search engines:
Fastweb
+ ScholarshipExperts
+ Super College Scholarship Search
+ Sallie Mae's Scholarship Search

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Rankings​

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•  #106 in Regional Universities Midwest

•  #31 in Top Public Schools

•  #290 in Business Programs