Everything you need to know about Michigan State University

Michigan State University | An overview

Founded in 1855, Michigan State University is the nation’s first land-grant institution dedicated to pushing the boundaries of discovery and forging long-term partnerships to address the world’s most pressing challenges. MSU is one of the world’s top research universities, with nationally ranked and recognized academic undergraduate research, residential college, and service-learning programs, and a public university leader in education abroad.

MSU is a diverse and inclusive academic community that enrolls over 50,000 students from all 50 states and over 130 countries, employs over 2,000 tenure-track faculty members, and offers over 200 programs in 17 degree-granting colleges.

History

Michigan State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1855, the university was known as the State Agricultural College of Michigan, the first in the United States.

The state designated the college as a land-grant institution in 1863 following the passage of the Morrill Act in 1862, making it the country’s first land-grant college.

In 1870, the college became coeducational. The state officially designated the college as a university in 1955, and the Michigan State University got its current name in 1964. Today, Michigan State has the highest undergraduate enrollment of any Michigan college or university, with approximately 634,300 living alumni worldwide.

The university belongs to the Association of American Universities. It has the category ‘R1: Doctoral Universities-Very High Research Activity.’

The National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, the Abrams Planetarium, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, and the largest residence hall system in the country are all located on the university’s campus.

Established in Detroit in 1891, The College of Law, formerly the Detroit College of Law, got relocated to East Lansing in 1995. Eli Broad College of Business, College of Nursing, College of Osteopathic Medicine (the world’s first state-funded osteopathic college), College of Human Medicine, and College of Veterinary Medicine are among the university’s six professional schools.

The university is a pioneer in music therapy, packaging, hospitality business, supply chain management, and communication sciences.

The Michigan State official football team, the Spartans, competed in the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA Division I. Michigan State Spartans football team won the Rose Bowl Game four times, in 1954, 1956, 1988, and 2014. The university has also won six national football championships.

The Spartans achieved the NCAA National Championship in 1979 and again in 2000 and have reached the Final Four level eight times since the 1998-1999 season. The Spartans won NCAA national championships in ice hockey three times in 1966, 1986, and 2007.

Campus

The campus is located on the Red Cedar River’s banks. Founded in 1856, The campus has three buildings- a multipurpose College Hall building, a dormitory which later became known as ‘Saints’ Rest,’ and a barn.

MSU’s contiguous campus now spans 5,300 acres (2,100 ha), with 2,000 acres (810 ha) developed. There are 563 structures, which include 107 for academics, 131 for agriculture, 166 for housing and food service, and 42 for athletics. The university’s total indoor space is 22,763,025 square feet.

There are 26 miles (42 km) of roads and 100 miles (160 km) of sidewalks connecting it all. MSU owns 44 non-campus properties in 28 counties, totaling 22,000 acres. Construction on a $22.5 million solar project at five campus parking lots began in early 2017. MSU’s solar carport array covers 5,000 parking spaces and is built on five of the university’s largest commuter parking lots. The solar carports are designed to provide 10.5 Megawatts of peak power and 15 million kilowatt-hours of annual energy, which is enough to power approximately 1,800 Michigan homes.

The solar carport project received the Onsite Renewable Energy award for ‘The Largest Carport Solar Array in North America’ at the Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Summit 2018.

North Campus of Michigan State University

The oldest part of the campus is located on the north bank of the Red Cedar River. It has Collegiate Gothic architecture, many trees, and curving roads with very few straight lines. The college constructed its first three buildings here, that doesn’t exist anymore.

Other historic structures north of the river include Cowles House, the president’s official residence, Beaumont Tower, a carillon clock tower that marks the site of College Hall, and the original classroom building. Eustace-Cole Hall, America’s first freestanding horticulture laboratory.

Other significant landmarks include the bronze statue of former President John A. Hannah, the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, and ‘The Rock,’ a painted boulder popular for theatre, tailgating, and candlelight vigils.

The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center is on the campus’s northwest corner. Founded in 1857, the university also has a museum. MSU Museum is one of the oldest museums in the Midwest, USA, and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

South Campus of Michigan State University

The campus south of the river mostly includes post-World War II International Style buildings, with sparser foliage, straighter roadways, and plenty of parking lots.

The ‘2020 Vision’ Master Plan proposes replacing these parking lots with parking ramps and green space, but implementation will take many years.

In 2005, the university erected a new bronze statue of The Spartan as part of the master plan, located at the intersection of Chestnut and Kalamazoo, just south of the Red Cedar River.

A replica stands where the original modernist terra cotta statue was, which can still be seen inside Spartan Stadium. The Cyclotron, the College of Law, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building, and the Broad College of Business are notable academic and research buildings on the South Campus.

Courses

Michigan State University has been spreading knowledge and changing lives for over 150 years through teaching, research, and outreach. Michigan State University has become one of the largest universities in the United States. MSU’s academic excellence has resulted in developing a diverse community of students from all 50 states and more than 125 countries. Many of MSU’s 150 undergraduate majors rank on a national level, and students quickly find their place on the 5,200-acre Big Ten campus. The students discover the benefits of living in academic, residential communities and receiving personalized guidance through individualized academic advice, available to all students beginning in their freshman year.

MSU graduate courses at Michigan State University

Arts and Humanities 

• Bachelor of Arts in Apparel and Textile
• Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Visual Culture
• Bachelor of Arts in Chinese
• Bachelor of Arts in English
• Bachelor of Arts in Experience Architecture
• Bachelor of Arts in French

Business & Management at Michigan State University

• Bachelor of Arts in Advertising
• Bachelor of Arts in Communication
• Bachelor of Arts in Management
• Bachelor of Arts in Marketing
• Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science

Engineering and Technology 

• Bachelor of Arts in Arts and Humanities
• Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities
• Bachelor of Science in Applied Engineering Sciences
• Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Life Sciences and Medicine at Michigan State University

• Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• Bachelor of Arts in Zoology
• Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
• Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management
• Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Education

Natural Sciences 

• Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry
• Bachelor of Arts in Computational Mathematics
• Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics
• Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics – Advanced
• Bachelor of Arts in Physics
• Bachelor of Arts in Statistics

Others 

• Bachelor of Arts in Accounting
• Bachelor of Arts in Finance

Social Sciences and Management 

• Bachelor of Arts in Arabic
• Bachelor of Arts in Child Development
• Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Cultures and Politics Major
• Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
• Bachelor of Arts in Early Care and Education
• Bachelor of Arts in Economics

Rankings

• QS World University Rankings- 159

• QS WUR Ranking by Subject- 141

• US UNI (universities)- 55

Alumni of Michigan State University

Notable alumni are

• Stanley Cohen (Nobel Prize in Physiology)
• Robert Shiller (Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences)
• Wyc Grousebeck (CEO and Governor of NBA)
• Tom Harmon (Heisman Trophy winner)
• Claudia Alexander (NASA Geophysicist)
• Edgar Ted Codd (Turing Award winner) 

Key takeaways

• Established in 1855, Michigan State University is the first land-grant institution in the USA. It dedicates itself to pushing the boundaries of discovery and forging long-term partnerships to face the world’s most pressing challenges.
• Michigan State University campus is located in East Lansing, Michigan. The campus lies on Red Cedar Riverbank. Founded in 1856, the campus consists of three buildings- a multipurpose College Hall building, a dormitory which later came to be known as ‘Saints’ Rest,’ and a barn.
• The academic community at MSU is diverse and inclusive that enrolls over 50,000 students from all 50 states and over 130 countries. The university employs over 2,000 tenure-track faculty members and offers over 200 programs in 17 degree-granting colleges.

Did you find this blog informative? If so, please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Click here to contact us for more information on Michigan State University. We would be happy to assist you with your queries.

Liked this blog? Read next: A complete guide to the Technical University of Munich

FAQs

Q1. Is it hard to get into Michigan State school?

Ans- Admission to Michigan State University is competitive, with an acceptance rate of 83%.

Q2. Does Michigan State have a good Computer Science program?

Ans- Michigan State is ranked in the country’s top 10% of computer and information sciences programs. More specifically, College Factual ranked it #82 out of 841 schools. It is also the second-best in Michigan.

Q3. Are Michigan State University courses expensive?

Ans- The total cost at Michigan State University is $29,184 for in-state students and $54,490 for out-of-state students.