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Michigan State University

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is a co-educational public research university, located in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855. MSU has the eighth largest student body in the United States. It enrolls more than 45,000 students annually. It offers a variety of degrees and programs through the following academic divisions:

  • College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • College of Arts and Letters
  • College of Communication Arts and Sciences
  • College of Education
  • College of Engineering
  • College of Human Medicine
  • College of Law
  • College of Music
  • College of Natural Science
  • College of Nursing
  • College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • College of Social Science
  • College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Honors College
  • James Madison College
  • Lyman Briggs College
  • Residential College in the Arts and Humanities
  • The Eli Broad College of Business and The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management
  • Undergraduate University Division

MSU's sports teams are nicknamed the Spartans.

Overview of Michigan State University

Students attend Michigan State in East Lansing, MI, a rural site not far from an urban area. The school is a public institution. Michigan State degrees go up to the Doctoral degree.

Areas of Study

The school has a greater breadth of degree programs (majors) than most colleges of its size. Michigan State is known for its programs in science and media.

Michigan State Selectivity

The school is selective and does not offer open admission. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 480. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 520 and 650.

Faculty

The school has a tenure system for senior faculty. The full-time faculty at Michigan State is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

There are 46,045 students at the school (as of 2007).

Student Life

Michigan State offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. The school values student athletics, and belongs to the Big Ten Conference.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Michigan State

Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1046
General Phone: (517) 355-1855
http://www.msu.edu

Michigan State Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Business And Management1,738accounting, finance, business management, marketing, logistics, business, merchandising and buying, labor relations, ...
Liberal Arts1,486social services, English, economics, political science, history, international relations, sociology, Spanish language, ...
Science1,084biology, zoology, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, physics, biochem/biophysics/molecular biology, geology, ...
Media1,054advertising, communication studies, radio and television, journalism, mass communication, public relations, health communication
Education And Teaching808education, curriculum and instruction, educational administration, instructional media design, school counseling, education of learning disabled, special ed, adult education, ...
Therapy And Counseling612psychology, clinical social work, school psychology, educational psychology, music therapy, marriage and family therapy
Engineering540mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, engineering, materials science, bioengineering, environmental engineering, ...
Medicine382osteopathic medicine, medicine, veterinary medicine, neuroscience, pre-veterinary, veterinary biomedical sciences, large animal medicine
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy374exercise science, dietitian, nutrition sciences, parks and recreation management, vocational counseling, rehabilitation
Family And Social Work340family and community services, social work, foodservice management, child development, public administration, family systems, family and consumer science, human nutrition, ...
Agricultural Science And Management289various agricutural courses, agricultural management, food science, agricultural economics, agricultural journalism, crop production
Security And Law Enforcement257criminal justice and administration, forensic science, criminal justice and safety
Nursing And Emergency Medicine248registered nursing, nurse practitioner, nursing science
Hospitality197hospitality management, restaurant and food services management
Medical Support And Technology182audiology and speech pathology, clinical lab tech, veterinary assistant
Animal Science And Care136animal science, equine science, dairy science, animal husbandry
Computer Science And Engineering133computer and info science, computer engineering
Music132music performance, music pedagogy, conducting, music, music theory and composition, jazz
Conservation And Resource Management125wildlife management, environmental studies, forestry, natural resource economics, natural resources management, environmental science, conservation
Mathematics114mathematics, statistics, applied mathematics, computational mathematics
Landscaping And Horticulture113horticultural science, soil science, landscaping, turf management, plant sciences, pest management
Real Estate And Construction Management107construction management
Law88pre-law
Design81fashion design, interior design
Architecture And Planning61urban planning, landscape architecture
Art Studies53art studies
Religion And Philosophy23philosophy, religion
Drama And Performing Arts17drama
Construction Trades12electrician
Fine Arts11art history and criticism

Number of programs and degrees for Michigan State in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree7,930113
Master's degree1,910112
Doctor's degree49387
First-professional degree3623
Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years9010
Post-master's certificate123

Michigan State Student Body

In 2007, Michigan State had a total enrollment of 46,045 students (42,597 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men45%
Women55%
Full-Time98%
Part-Time2%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate75%
Graduate21%
First Professional4%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White74%
Black8%
Hispanic3%
Asian5%
American Indian1%
Unknown1%
(Foreign Students)8%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 182%
18-1931%
20-2131%
22-2417%
25-2910%
30-344%
35-392%
40-492%
50-641%
65+0%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Michigan84%
(International Students)5%
Illinois4%
Ohio1%
Texas1%
New York1%

Michigan State Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time91 %
Part-Time52 %

Michigan State Room and Board (2007)

Michigan State offers campus housing for 18,257 of its 42,597 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of East Lansing, Michigan for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Michigan Colleges).

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Michigan State Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total24,43618,04074%7,54142%
Men11,0417,73770%3,37844%
Women13,39510,30377%4,16340%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal480620
SAT Math520650
SAT Writing470600
ACT Verbal2127
ACT Math2227
ACT Composite2327

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrecommended
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT24%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT89%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Michigan State Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 9,690
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 23,550
Room and board$ 6,726
Room charge$ 2,756
Board (meal plan) charge$ 4,520
Books and supplies$ 906
Other expenses$ 1,436

Financial Aid:
Michigan State participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 229000)

Michigan State Faculty

Michigan State has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured1,050397
Non-tenured, but on tenure track240181
Non-tenured and not on tenure track381324

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year241$142,05257$130,277
Associate professorcalendar year85$98,53845$95,432
Assistant professorcalendar year94$72,59072$73,127
Instructorcalendar year30$35,23055$37,590
All faculty totalcalendar year450$112,202229$83,200

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year471$117,379129$114,846
Associate professoracademic year267$86,370173$79,508
Assistant professoracademic year268$68,599214$62,125
Instructoracademic year30$46,26154$47,775
All faculty totalacademic year1,036$94,709570$77,973

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Michigan State Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballBig Ten Conference
BasketballBig Ten Conference
BaseballBig Ten Conference
TrackBig Ten Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total254215469
Football75075
Track312657
Baseball34034
Basketball121527
All Other Sports102174276

Michigan State Degree Programs (2007)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
Agricultural Business and Management, General
Agricultural Communication/Journalism
Agricultural Economics
Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences, Other
Crop Production
Food Science

ANIMAL SCIENCE AND CARE
Animal Sciences, General
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production
Dairy Science
Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Landscape Architecture (BS, BSLA, BLA, MSLA, MLA, PhD)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Business/Commerce, General
Finance, General
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
Labor and Industrial Relations
Logistics and Materials Management
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Merchandising and Buying Operations
Operations Management and Supervision
Organizational Behavior Studies

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Engineering, General
Computer and Information Sciences, General

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Forestry, General
Natural Resource Economics
Natural Resources Management and Policy
Natural Resources/Conservation, General
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management

CONSTRUCTION TRADES
Electrician

DESIGN
Fashion/Apparel Design
Interior Design

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching
Agricultural Teacher Education
Art Teacher Education
Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
Curriculum and Instruction
Education, General
Education/Teaching Individuals - Hearing Impairments
Education/Teaching Individuals - Specific Learning Disabilities
Educational Evaluation and Research
Educational Leadership and Administration, General
Educational/Instructional Media Design
English/Language Arts Teacher Education
Reading Teacher Education
Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
Special Education and Teaching, General
Teaching English as Second/Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor

ENGINEERING
Agricultural/Biological Engineering and Bioengineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering, General
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
Engineering Mechanics
Engineering, General
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
Materials Science
Mechanical Engineering

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Child Development
Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management
Family Systems
Family and Community Services
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General
Foodservice Systems Administration/Management
Human Nutrition
Public Administration
Social Work

FINE ARTS
Art History, Criticism and Conservation

HOSPITALITY
Hospitality Administration/Management, General
Restaurant/Food Services Management

LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE
Horticultural Science
Landscaping and Groundskeeping
Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management
Plant Sciences, General
Soil Science and Agronomy, General
Turf and Turfgrass Management

LAW
Pre-Law Studies

LIBERAL ARTS
American/United States Studies/Civilization
Anthropology
Classical/Ancient Mediterranean/Near Eastern Studies & Archaeology
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
Geography
German Language and Literature
Hispanic-American,Puerto Rican & Mexican-American/Chicano Studies
History, General
Humanities/Humanistic Studies
International Relations and Affairs
International/Global Studies
Linguistics
Political Science and Government, General
Russian Language and Literature
Social Sciences, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Speech and Rhetorical Studies
Technical and Business Writing
Urban Studies/Affairs
Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS
Applied Mathematics
Computational Mathematics
Mathematics, General
Statistics, General

MEDIA
Advertising
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Health Communication
Journalism
Mass Communication/Media Studies
Public Relations/Image Management
Radio and Television

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist
Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician/Veterinary Assistant

MEDICINE
Large Animal/Food Animal & Equine Surgery/Medicine (Cert,MS,PhD)
Medicine (MD)
Neuroscience
Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (DO)
Pre-Veterinary Studies
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Other (Cert, MS PhD)
Veterinary Medicine (DVM)

MUSIC
Conducting
Jazz/Jazz Studies
Music Pedagogy
Music Performance, General
Music Theory and Composition
Music, General

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Family Practice Nurse/Nurse Practitioner
Nursing Science (MS, PhD)
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Dietetics/Dietitian (RD)
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Nutrition Sciences
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, Other
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor

REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Construction Management

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Astrophysics
Biochemistry
Biochemistry/Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Biological and Physical Sciences
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Botany/Plant Biology
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
Chemical Physics
Chemistry, General
Entomology
Environmental Biology
Environmental Toxicology
Epidemiology
Genetics, General
Geology/Earth Science, General
Microbiology, General
Molecular Genetics
Pathology/Experimental Pathology
Pharmacology and Toxicology
Physical Sciences
Physics, General
Physiology, General
Plant Genetics
Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
Science, Technology and Society
Zoology/Animal Biology

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
Forensic Science and Technology

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Clinical/Medical Social Work
Educational Psychology
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling
Music Therapy/Therapist
Psychology, General
School Psychology

Michigan State Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Michigan State Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 1%Michigan State Number of students
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 1%Michigan State Number of degree programs
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Michigan State Salaries of full-time faculty
% of degrees in media
(vs. all colleges)
Top 8%Michigan State % of degrees in media
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 12%Michigan State Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%Michigan State Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%Michigan State Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in science
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Michigan State % of degrees in science
% of degrees in nutrition and exercise therapy
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 18%Michigan State % of degrees in nutrition and exercise therapy
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Offers weekend classes
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
On-campus day care
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army, air force)
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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