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Northern State University

Northern State University

Northern State University, also known as NSU, is situated in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. It was founded in the year 1901 and known as the Northern Normal and Industrial School. The university offers a wide range of degree programs through the following academic divisions:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • School of Business
  • School of Education
  • School of Fine Arts

Northern State University's athletic teams are known as the Wolves. The athletics department fields men's teams in basketball, baseball, track and field, cross country, golf, football, and wrestling, and women's teams in cross country, basketball, soccer, golf, swimming, track and field, softball, tennis, and volleyball.

Overview of Northern State University

The main campus of Northern State is in Aberdeen, SD (a self-contained town). The school is a public school. Northern State offers degrees up to the Master's degree.

Areas of Study

The school offers a wide array of programs of study, compared to other schools of its size. Northern State students most commonly major in a field related to education and teaching and computer science and engineering.

Northern State Selectivity

The school does not accept everyone who applies.

Faculty

Northern State offers tenure to reward and retain some professors.

Student Body

In 2007-2008, the school had 2,578 enrolled students.

Student Life

Northern State makes available a lot of student housing. Meal plans are available. Student athletes at Northern State belong to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for major sports.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Northern State

Northern State University
1200 S Jay St
Aberdeen, SD 57401-7198
General Phone: (605) 626-3011
http://www.northern.edu

Northern State Programs and Degrees (2008-2009)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Education and Teaching140curriculum and instruction, elementary school teaching, school counseling, elementary/middle school admin, music teaching, secondary school administration, special ed, social science teaching, ...
Business and Management77business management, finance, accounting, marketing, international business, banking, MIS
Liberal Arts67sociology, history, political science, English, general studies, economics, Spanish language, German language, ...
Computer Science and Engineering49computer and info science courses, computer services management, database administration, web design, computer support, webmastering, computer programming courses, computer and media applications
Science17biology, ecology, chemistry
Nutrition and Exercise Therapy17health and physical education, sports and fitness management
Art Studies13art studies
Therapy and Counseling9psychology
Mathematics2mathematics
Medical Support and Technology1clinical lab tech
Music1music
Medicine1gerontology
Family and Social Work1social work, community organization
Photography and Commercial Art0commercial art
Media0desktop publishing and imaging
Drama and Performing Arts0drama

Number of programs and degrees for Northern State in 2008-2009:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree25341
Master's degree816
Award of less than 1 academic year4711
Associate's degree147
Postbaccalaureate certificate02

Northern State Student Body

In 2007-2008, Northern State had a total enrollment of 2,578 students (1,921 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Full-Time98%
Part-Time2%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate78%
Graduate22%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White75%
Black1%
Hispanic1%
Asian1%
American Indian3%
Unknown15%
(Foreign Students)5%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 184%
18-1922%
20-2124%
22-2420%
25-2911%
30-345%
35-393%
40-497%
50-645%
65+0%

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

ResidencePercent
South Dakota74%
Minnesota9%
North Dakota8%
Wisconsin2%
Wyoming1%
Nebraska1%
California1%
Oregon1%
Florida1%
Iowa1%

Northern State Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time64 %
Part-Time40 %

Northern State Room and Board (2007)

Northern State offers campus housing for 819 of its 1,921 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Aberdeen, South Dakota for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other South Dakota Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 21 meals per week.

Northern State Admissions and Selectivity

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total91584192%40648%
Men41637991%0%
Women49946293%0%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
ACT Verbal1724
ACT Math1824
ACT Composite1924

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrequired
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsnot required
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT94%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Northern State Expenses and Financial Aid (2008-2009)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 5,712
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 11,470
Room and board$ 4,664
Room charge$ 2,483
Board (meal plan) charge$ 2,181
Books and supplies$ 900
Other expenses$ 3,200

Financial Aid:
Northern State participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 346600)

Northern State Faculty

Northern State has a tenure system for faculty.

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Associate professorcalendar year0*1*
Assistant professorcalendar year1*0*
Instructorcalendar year1*0*
All faculty totalcalendar year2*1*

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

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year19$68,6345$75,438
Associate professoracademic year17$61,2609$48,481
Assistant professoracademic year18$49,80312$45,124
Instructoracademic year4$44,7204$46,339
All faculty totalacademic year58$58,97930$51,346

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

Northern State Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
BasketballNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
BaseballNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
TrackNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total7968147
Football38038
Basketball171734
Track111526
Baseball404
All Other Sports93645

Northern State Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Banking and Financial Support Services
Business Administration and Management, General
Finance, General
International Business/Trade/Commerce
Management Information Systems, General
Marketing/Marketing Management, General

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Programming, Other
Computer Software and Media Applications, Other
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other
Computer and Information Sciences, Other
Computer/Info Tech Services Administration & Management, Other
Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration
Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster

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

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Art Teacher Education
Business Teacher Education
Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
Curriculum and Instruction
Educational Administration and Supervision, Other
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Other
Educational/Instructional Media Design
Elementary Education and Teaching
Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship
English/Language Arts Teacher Education
Foreign Language Teacher Education
History Teacher Education
Mathematics Teacher Education
Music Teacher Education
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
Secondary School Administration/Principalship
Social Science Teacher Education
Special Education and Teaching, General
Speech Teacher Education
Teacher Assistant/Aide

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Community Organization and Advocacy
Social Work

LIBERAL ARTS
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
General Studies
German Language and Literature
History, General
Political Science and Government, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Speech and Rhetorical Studies

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General

MEDIA
Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist

MEDICINE
Gerontology

MUSIC
Music, General

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Health and Physical Education, General
Sport and Fitness Administration/Management

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Commercial and Advertising Art

SCIENCE
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Ecology

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

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Northern State Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Northern State Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
% of full-time faculty on tenure track
(vs. all colleges)
Top 10%Northern State % of full-time faculty on tenure track
% of degrees in education and teaching
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%Northern State % of degrees in education and teaching
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%Northern State Number of degree programs
% students on athletic fin. aid
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 13%Northern State % students on athletic fin. aid
% of degrees in computer science and engineering
(vs. all colleges)
Top 15%Northern State % of degrees in computer science and engineering
Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 17%Northern State Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
% of degrees in music
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 17%Northern State % of degrees in music
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Northern State Dorm rooms per full-time student
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
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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