Murray State University

Location and Contact Information

The campus is in a rural site not far from an urban area.

Overview

Murray State University, or MSU, is a four-year, public university located in the town of Murray, Kentucky, United States. It was established in 1922. The university offers more than 10 associate, over 60 bachelor, and over 40 master and specialist programs. MSU is organized into the following academic divisions:

• Clark College
• Elizabeth College
• Hart College
• Hester College
• Regents College
• Richmond College
• Springer-Franklin College
• White College

Murray State has an active Greek life and is home to chapters of several social Greek organizations. The oldest fraternities on campus are Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota. The fraternities and sororities are governed by North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), Panhellenic Conference, and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).

MUS's men's and women's sports teams are known as the Racers. They compete in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

• Many students concentrating in music, media, engineering technician, education and teaching, and agricultural science and management.
• Unusually high availability of athletic financial aid.
• Large number of programs of study offered.
• Large number of students.
• Affordable tuition & fees.
• Number of dorm rooms for students.
• High percentage of students are from out-of-state.
• High female/male ratio.

School characteristics:

• The school is public.
• Academic calender: Semester.
• Carnegie classification: Masters Colleges and Universities I.

Features of note:

• The school offers a faculty tenure system.
• There are one or more libraries on-campus.
• Campus housing is available.
• 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 Murray State:

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Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Students

Student enrollment was 10,014 in 2009-2010 (8,644 full-time equivalent).

About 41% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 59% of the class.

Undergrads are 79% of enrolled students and graduate students are 21%.

Students under 25 years old represent 65% of the student body. About 8% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 99% are full-time and 1% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

Room and Board

Murray State provides on-campus housing for 3,055 of its 8,644 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010). The school requires freshmen to live on campus.

Athletics

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

The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 133 male students received the aid (men were 53% of those receiving aid) and 119 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 47% of students receiving such aid) .

Graduate School Focus

Murray State offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Master.

The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Postbaccalaureate Comprehensive.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (81 awarded)

• Agriculture

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (298 awarded)

• Accounting
• Business Administration and Management
• Business/Commerce
• Finance
• International Business/Trade/Commerce
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing/Marketing Management

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (50 awarded)

• Computer and Information Sciences
• Information Science/Studies

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (15 awarded)

• Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (7 awarded)

• Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (483 awarded)

• Art Teacher Education
• Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
• Early Childhood Education and Teaching
• Educational Administration and Supervision
• Elementary Education and Teaching
• Health Teacher Education
• Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
• Music Teacher Education
• Reading Teacher Education
• Secondary Education and Teaching
• Special Education and Teaching
• Teacher Education/Profess Development, Subject Areas
• Teaching English as Second/Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor
• Technology Teacher Education/Industrial Arts Teacher Education
• Trade and Industrial Teacher Education

ENGINEERING (19 awarded)

• Engineering Physics

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (166 awarded)

• Civil Engineering Technology/Technician
• Electromechanical Technology/Electromechanical Engineering Tech
• Engineering Technology
• Manufacturing Technology/Technician
• Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician
• Water Quality & Wastewater Treatment Mgmt & Recycling Tech

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (101 awarded)

• Child Care Provider/Assistant
• Community Organization and Advocacy
• Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies
• Public Administration
• Social Work

FINE ARTS (17 awarded)

• Fine/Studio Arts

LIBERAL ARTS (283 awarded)

• Economics
• English Language and Literature
• French Language and Literature
• General Studies
• German Language and Literature
• History
• International Relations and Affairs
• Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
• Political Science and Government
• Sociology
• Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS (14 awarded)

• Mathematics

MEDIA (205 awarded)

• Advertising
• Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
• Journalism
• Organizational Communication
• Printing Management
• Public Relations/Image Management
• Radio and Television

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (96 awarded)

• Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
• Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician/Veterinary Assistant

MUSIC (35 awarded)

• Music

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (117 awarded)

• Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (50 awarded)

• Kinesiology and Exercise Science
• Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION (1 awarded)

• Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (0 awarded)

• Philosophy

SCIENCE (88 awarded)

• Aquatic Biology/Limnology
• Biology/Biological Sciences
• Chemistry
• Geology/Earth Science
• Physics

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (27 awarded)

• Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (37 awarded)

• Clinical Psychology
• Psychology