Mississippi State University is a comprehensive, doctoral-degree-granting university offering to a diverse and capable student body a wide range of opportunities and challenges for learning and growth; to the world of knowledge, vigorous and expanding contributions in research, discovery, and application; and to the State and its people in every region, a variety of expert services. Mississippi State University is designated as a Doctoral/Extensive institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. It is representative of the American Land-Grant tradition and distinctive in its own character and spirit, born of its Mississippi heritage and the vision and loyal perseverance of those who have labored in its development. Mississippi State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctorate degrees Purposes Purposes. As a Land-Grant institution, Mississippi State University is dedicated to the three broad purposes already mentioned-learning, research, and service: learning, on-campus and off-campus, to enhance the intellectual, cultural, social, and professional development of its students; research, both to extend the present limits of knowledge and to bring deeper insight, understanding, and usefulness to existing knowledge; and service, to apply knowledge and the fruits of research to the lives of people. The University Today Mississippi State University now comprises the following academic units: the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences including the School of Human Sciences; the College of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Business including the Adkerson School of Accountancy; the College of Education; the Bagley College of Engineering including the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering; the College of Forest Resources; the Office of the Graduate School, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, operating 16 branch stations throughout the State, conducts research in a variety of areas and assists in the University's teaching and service functions. Finally, the Mississippi State University Extension Service offers programs and services to the people of the State through campus and county offices and personnel. Supporting the academic and educational programs of the total University are the Mitchell Memorial Library and branch libraries. Within the framework of the University, several units perform specialized teaching, research, or service activities. Among these are the Center for Distance Education, Shackouls Honors College, the Advanced Research Projects Laboratory, the Center for Safety and Health, the Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology, the Electron Microscope Center, the High Performance Computing Collaboratory, the Institute for Digital Biology, the Institute for Neurocognitive Science and Technology, the Franklin Furniture Institute, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Sustainable Energy Research Center, the Mississippi State Chemical Lab, the Research and Curriculum Unit, the Center for Education and Training Technology, the GeoResources Institute, the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, the Social Science Research Center, the Carl Small Town Center, the Design Research and Informatics Lab, the Educational Design Institute, the Jackson Community Design Center (JCDC), the The Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, the Biological and Physical Sciences Resources Institute, the Center for Computational Sciences, the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, the Institute for the Humanities, the The John C. Stennis Institute of Government, the Center for Educational Partnerships, the Early Childhood Institute, the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute, the T. K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, the Center for Computer Security Research, the Center for DoD Programming Environment and Training, the Computational Simulation and Design Center, the Institute for Clean Energy Technology, the High Voltage Laboratory, and the Raspet Flight Laboratory. From the President’s Office It is my pleasure to welcome you to Mississippi State University, the state's largest university and its flagship research institution. I invite you to learn more about all that MSU offers by exploring our Web site and—more importantly—visiting our beautiful campus. You'll find that this is a place where you never meet a stranger. Mississippi State was my institution of choice for earning three degrees, including a doctorate in agricultural economics. That educational foundation opened a world of opportunities for me. Whether your interest is architecture, business, engineering, humanities, arts, veterinary medicine, or one of the more than 80 majors that Mississippi State offers, there's something for everyone at "the people's university." Our outstanding academics are complemented by many opportunities for leadership through our student newspaper, student government, or more than 300 organizations available at Mississippi State. We're proud that Mississippi State students are actively engaged in helping improve the world around them through projects such as MSU's Service Dawgs, which last year contributed more than 1,900 volunteer hours in the community. There's not a better place to grow, learn, and prepare yourself for an outstanding future. Please get to know us—we think you'll want to come back.