Kansas State University

Location and Contact Information

The campus is in a self-contained town.

Overview

Kansas State University, commonly called K-State, is a public, land-grant state university located in Manhattan, Kansas. The college town is nicknamed "Little Apple".

K-State got its start in 1858, when Bluemont Central College was founded. Initially established as Kansas State Agricultural College in 1863, the school was re-christened Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in 1931.

In 1959, the college was given its current name and university status. It was the first college in America to be officially designated a land-grant school.

The main campus of the University stretches over 668 acres. The College of Technology and Aviation is located in Salina, home to the Smoky Hill River Festival.

K-State was the only school in the Big 12 Conference to be featured in Kaplan Publishing's You Are Here: A Guide to Over 30 Colleges and Unlimited Paths to Your Future. It ranks nationally among state universities in the total of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater and Udall scholars since 1986.

The student body consists of individuals from all 50 states and more than 90 countries.

There are more than 450 student organizations and more than 20 club sports, including softball and water skiing, on campus.

The University sports teams are collectively called the Wildcats. They play in NCAA Division 1 and the Big 12 Conference. Willie the Wildcat is the official mascot of the sports team.

Notable alumni of Kansas State University include Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Warren Staley, chairman and CEO of Cargill, Inc., the largest privately owned corporation in the United States; Jerry Wexler, producer at Atlantic Records, inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; Milton Eisenhower, Dwights's brother and former president of K-State; Kirstie Alley, Emmy-winning Hollywood actress; Mark Schultz, musician; Steve Grogan, former quarterback for the New England Patriots; Kevin Saunders, world-champion wheelchair athlete; David Fairchild, renowned botanist and explorer; Erin Brockovich, environmental activist whose story was told in a feature movie; and Samuel Ramey, bass/bass-baritone of the Metropolitan Opera and other operatic stages.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

• Many students concentrating in nutrition and exercise therapy, landscaping and horticulture, agricultural science and management, engineering, architecture and planning, and animal science and care.
• Large number of programs of study offered.
• Large number of students.
• Numerous part-time students.
• High yield: the portion of accepted students who enroll.
• High faculty salary.
• High male/female ratio.
• Good faculty-to-student ratio.
• Number of dorm rooms for students.

School characteristics:

• The school is public.
• Academic calender: Semester.
• Carnegie classification: Doctoral/Research Universities, Extensive.

Features of note:

• The school offers a faculty tenure system.
• There are one or more libraries on-campus.
• Campus housing is available.
• Students have meal (board) plans.
• Students may study abroad.
• Distance learning is available.
• Weekend study is an option.
• Part-time classes are available.
• ROTC.
• Athlete financial aid is awarded.

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Kansas State:

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Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Students

Student enrollment was 23,520 in 2009-2010 (19,742 full-time equivalent).

About 50% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 50% of the class.

Undergrads are 77% of enrolled students and graduate students are 23%.

Students under 25 years old represent 77% of the student body. About 5% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 89% are full-time and 11% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

Room and Board

Kansas State provides on-campus housing for 6,224 of its 19,742 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Students may purchase a meal plan which includes 20 meals weekly.

Athletics

School sports include football, basketball, baseball, and track. The school is in the Big Twelve Conference for major sports.

The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 172 male students received the aid (men were 44% of those receiving aid) and 218 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 56% of students receiving such aid) .

Graduate School Focus

Kansas State offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Doctorate (Research/Scholarship & Professional Practice).

Graduate offerings include continuing professional education and medical degrees.The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Comprehensive Doctoral With Medical/Veterinary.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (220 awarded)

• Agricultural Business and Management
• Agricultural Communication/Journalism
• Agricultural Economics
• Agricultural Mechanization
• Agricultural and Food Products Processing
• Food Science

ANIMAL SCIENCE AND CARE (151 awarded)

• Animal Sciences

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING (147 awarded)

• Architecture (BArch, BA/BS, MArch, MA/MS, PhD)
• City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
• Interior Architecture
• Landscape Architecture (BS, BSLA, BLA, MSLA, MLA, PhD)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (555 awarded)

• Accounting
• Accounting and Business/Management
• Business Administration and Management
• Business/Commerce
• Finance
• Marketing/Marketing Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (126 awarded)

• Computer Engineering
• Computer Programming/Programmer
• Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst
• Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
• Computer and Information Sciences
• Information Science/Studies

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (1 awarded)

• Land Use Planning and Management/Development

CONSTRUCTION TRADES (52 awarded)

• Apparel and Textiles

DESIGN (23 awarded)

• Interior Design

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (18 awarded)

• Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (539 awarded)

• Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching
• Agricultural Teacher Education
• Art Teacher Education
• Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Educational Leadership and Administration
• Elementary Education and Teaching
• Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education
• Music Teacher Education
• Secondary Education and Teaching
• Special Education and Teaching
• Student Counseling and Personnel Services

ENGINEERING (431 awarded)

• Agricultural/Biological Engineering and Bioengineering
• Architectural Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
• Engineering/Industrial Management
• Industrial Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering
• Operations Research

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (151 awarded)

• Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
• Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engr Technology/Technician
• Engineering Technology
• Industrial Technology/Technician
• Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Technology/Technician

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (256 awarded)

• Child Development
• Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication
• Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
• Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies
• Human Development and Family Studies
• Human Nutrition
• Public Administration
• Social Work

FINE ARTS (64 awarded)

• Fine/Studio Arts

HOSPITALITY (67 awarded)

• Hospitality Administration/Management

LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE (95 awarded)

• Agronomy and Crop Science
• Horticultural Science

LIBERAL ARTS (581 awarded)

• Anthropology
• Economics
• English Language and Literature
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• Geography
• History
• Humanities/Humanistic Studies
• International Relations and Affairs
• Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
• Political Science and Government
• Social Sciences
• Sociology
• Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS (28 awarded)

• Mathematics
• Statistics

MECHANICS AND REPAIR (8 awarded)

• Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician

MEDIA (129 awarded)

• Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
• Journalism

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (2 awarded)

• Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist

MEDICINE (138 awarded)

• Gerontology
• Pre-Veterinary Studies
• Public Health, General (MPH, DPH)
• Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
• Veterinary Physiology (Cert, MS, PhD)
• Veterinary Sciences/Veterinary Clinical Sci, Gen (Cert,MS,PhD)

MUSIC (16 awarded)

• Music

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (192 awarded)

• Athletic Training/Trainer
• Dietetics/Dietitian (RD)
• Kinesiology and Exercise Science
• Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
• Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (7 awarded)

• Philosophy

SCIENCE (273 awarded)

• Biochemistry
• Biology/Biological Sciences
• Chemistry
• Entomology
• Genetics
• Geology/Earth Science
• Microbiology
• Natural Sciences
• Pathology/Experimental Pathology
• Physical Sciences
• Physics
• Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
• Wildlife Biology

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (108 awarded)

• Communication Disorders
• Psychology

TRANSPORTATION (28 awarded)

• Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew