| MSU has more than 160 student clubs - academic to recreational to community service organizations. From hockey to horticulture and marketing to mechanical engineering, opportunities exist to build relationships with other students of similar interests. Related Information |
| The Montana State University Department of Native American Studies has received accreditation from the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium, the first mainstream nonindigenous controlled institution in the world to ever receive the designation. The accreditation signifies MSU's academic and cultural standards of excellence. Related Information |
| Faculty experts mentor students through hands-on research and creative projects to prepare them for successful careers in their chosen field. MSU's Career, Internship & Student Employment Services organizes two career fairs each year to connect students with employment opportunities. Top employers of graduates include: National Park Service, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Kiewit Mayo Clinic, National Institutes of Health, The Boeing Company, Kraft Foods and RightNow Technologies. Related Information |
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MSU's residence hall system offers themed floors to connect students who share similar academic or extracurricular interests and experiences. The newest academic themed floor, Male Health Professions and Nursing, was added in fall 2009 and complements existing floors that include: Women in Science and Engineering, Honor's, Science and Engineering, Business, University Studies, Arts and Architecture, and Nursing. Related Information |
| Montana State University student-athletes recorded their 14th consecutive semester of team grade point averages above 3.0 in fall 2008. Student-athletes received 22 perfect individual GPAs for fall semester, while 60 additional student-athletes earned Dean's List recognition with a GPA or 3.5 or higher. The highest team GPA went to women's basketball, which has scored in the top 11 tier nationally in grade point average the last three years in a row. |
| Each August volunteers from MSU and the Bozeman community welcome and help students move into residence halls during the Move-In Day campaign. Move-In Day, Catapalooza and Convocation engage faculty and staff with students and their families when they arrive on campus. |
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MSU has become one of the top universities in the country graduating engineers of Native American background. This success is largely attributable to the Designing Our Community (DOC) program, which supports American Indian students pursuing engineering degrees. Funded by a Hewlett Foundation grant, DOC is part of the College of Engineering's diversity efforts under the Engineering Minority Program. Related Information |
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An expansion and renovation of the recreation and fitness building includes new equipment, a 14,000-square-foot fitness center, lobby with lounge and fireplace, skycap for 270 degrees of natural light and 24-foot-high glass walls with views of nearby mountain ranges. The $14.8 million renovation was completed in January 2008. Related Information |
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Montana State University student body president Shane Colvin was one of only 12 recipients of the 2008 George J. Mitchell Scholarship, often called the Irish Rhodes Scholarship. Colvin, a senior with three majors (biochemistry, music and cell biology), will use the one year of postgraduate study in Ireland funded by the scholarship to earn a master's in musical therapy from the University of Limerick. Related Information |
| MSU's men's cross country team ranked fourth in the nation in cumulative grade-point average among all NCAA Division I institutions. The team's collective GPA was 3.49. The women's cross country team was also recognized for its academic performance. |
| Through University College, students who want advising help with any aspect of their academic planning can drop in anytime to the Academic Advising Center (AAC) in University Studies. As a complement to departmental advising in the major, the AAC, staffed by 9 professional advisors, helps students with CORE advising, changing of majors, career exploration and much more.
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Students in the first cohort of MSU's post baccalaureate premedical certificate program achieved 100 percent acceptance to medical school compared to the national average of 42 percent. The program was created for adults who have completed a bachelor's degree and need the science courses traditionally required for application to medical schools. Related Information |
Students in MSU's academic colleges maintain high pass rates on discipline specific exams:
- MSU College of Business seniors consistently score in the 90th percentile on the Major Field Test-Business, a standard exam administered to business seniors across the country in more than 500 institutions. In fact, the spring 2009 cohort (141 students) scored in the 96th percentile
- The College of Nursing student pass rate for the national licensing exam for nurses (N-CLEX) has been better than 90 percent for the last 10 years, and the graduate level certification first-time pass rate has been 100% since the program's inception in 1957.
- MSU has a cumulative pass rate of 88.5 percent on the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam compared to the national average of 78.2% (since 2000).
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The 2009 recipient of the Montana State University Presidential Medal for Global and Visionary Leadership was entomologist Edward O. Wilson, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner known as the Father of Biodiversity. Previous recipients include renowned primatologist Jane Goodall and Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Related Information |
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MSU's Science and Natural History filmmaking program provides students with a unique set of skills that has helped seven graduates or former students gain employment at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. The program curriculum combines science and writing skills with film production, a rare combination that is increasingly valuable. Related Information |
| The College of Nursing's Caring for Our Own Program (CO-OP) is nationally recognized as a successful model for increasing the enrollment and retention of American Indian nursing students and was expanded in summer 2008 to include the "Circle of Care." The Circle of Care provides American Indians with intensive preparation for university-level studies in nursing. |
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Computer science students were able to enroll in a new interdisciplinary major in fall 2008. The new option reflects the ways computers intersect with almost every other field and gives students the chance to apply their computer educations to problems in other fields by combining computer science with their academic minors. To complete the option, students create a special interdisciplinary project during their senior years. Related Information |
| A comprehensive Web destination for families of MSU students was created though a collaborative partnership between the First Year Initiative (FYI) program and the Parent/Family Association. The site, www.montana.edu/parents can be accessed from the homepage of MSU's Web site.
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| The Women's Circle of Excellence, a College of Business program for alumnae and women who have enriched the College's educational environment, provided approximately 80 attendants the opportunity to see presentations, participate in hands-on activities, and listen to panel discussions on topics from negotiation to generation gaps. Included in the event was a graduation celebration and welcoming of 30 Business seniors and Master of Accountancy graduates into the Women's Circle of Excellence. |
| Terry Beaubois, director of the Creative Research Lab in the School of Architecture, was one of the first university educators to incorporate Second Life into his curriculum. This unique teaching technique allows him to engage with students in a virtual environment and has earned him national media attention in a variety of publications including Popular Science, Architectural Record and Newsweek International. |
| The College of Education, Health and Human Development created a program, College Quest, designed to give 8th-grade students an opportunity to visit the MSU campus, attend a variety of college courses and be exposed to a postsecondary environment. Participating students reported that college did not seem as intimidating as it did prior to the program.
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| The David B. Orser Executive Speakers Forum is a lecture series of the MSU College of Business designed to bring business executives to the campus that have a proven record of achievement so students have a chance to hear directly from leaders in their field. This program provides students with exposure and access to a wide range of successful executives who teach students not only important business lessons, but also help them gain an awareness of corporate culture. In 2007, Jonathan Howlett, director of advertising for BBC Worldwide, visited as the distinguished guest speaker. Previous speakers have included Dana Lasher, co-owner and co-founder of Race Ready Lady, David Oreck, chairman of Oreck Corporation, Joseph T. Wells, chairman and founder of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and many other well-respected executives. |
| In support of student success in the last three years, the Parent/Family Association has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to each college in addition to cash donations to the MSU library, Museum of the Rockies, Leadership Institute and more. |
Download the Fall 2009 Points of Excellence Highlights
Hands-on Learning
