Mississippi State University's (MSU) main campus is located in Starkville, Mississippi, with branches in Meridian, Mississippi and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Mississippi State hosts 8 colleges and schools, 52 academic departments, 146 majors, and awards over 3,000 degrees a year. Mississippi State is a part of the South Eastern Conference (SEC), and is currently a NCAA Division I university.
History
The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi, part of the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862, and was founded on February 28, 1878 by Mississippi legislature. The college was created to be a learning center for agriculture, mechanical arts, and horticulture. The first president was Stephen D. Lee. Fall 1880 was the first full term enrolling 354 men. These men were required to be enrolled in an R.O.T.C. program. The college flourished adding new colleges and school including the College of Engineering (1902), Agriculture (1903), Business and Industry (1915), Arts and Sciences (1954), College of Veterinary Medicine (1977), and the newest, College of Accountancy (1979). By 1932, Mississippi state legislature had changed the name to Mississippi State college, and later in 1958 changed the name again to Mississippi State University. By this time, Mississippi State offered masters and doctorial degrees in a variety of areas.
Facts and Figures
- School colors: Maroon and White
- School mascot: a Bulldog named "Bully"
- School song: "Hail State"
- Total Enrollment: 16,561
- Student/faculty ratio: 15:1
- ACT average of incoming freshmen: 23.14
- 75% of students are from Mississippi
- 54% male/46% female
- 5.1% of students are international
- 70% of students recieve some form of fiancial aid
- There are more than 325 buildings on the main campus.
- Those buildings make up a net worth of 450 million.
- Mississippi State owns 18,000 acres of land around the state of MS.
- There are 340 student athletes 240 of which are on scholarship.
- There are almost 300 student organizations.
Tuition and Residency
- Instate tuition per semester: $1,937.00
- Out-of-State tuition per semester: $4,390.00
- Residence Hall per semester: $1,115.00
Fraternities
Sororities
The Legend of the Cowbell
The cowbell is a longstanding legend on the MSU campus. Nobody is quite sure how it came about being what it is today. Most believe that one day in the early 1900's at a Mississippi State/Ole Miss football game a jersey cow walked into the football field during gameplay. Due to the cow Mississippi State defeated Ole Miss that day. After the win, they brought the cow to all the MSU games. Later they decided to just bring the cowbell. In 1974, the SEC prohibited use of "artificial noisemakers" at all SEC conference games. This didn't stop the fans though. Many still bring their cowbells, no matter what, to every MSU football game.
www.msstate.edu
www.mississippitalking.com