Founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River, the University of Missouri in Columbia is a member of the most prestigious group of 61 U.S. public and private institutions: the Association of American Universities. Today MU is a $2 billion enterprise with more than 34,000 students and 260,000 alumni worldwide.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies MU among American universities that provide the most educational opportunities and the highest level of instruction. MU offers more than 300 degree programs through 19 colleges and schools and has the largest research operation of any public university in Missouri. In fact, the National Science Foundation has recognized Mizzou as one of the top 10 universities in the country for integrating research into undergraduate education; MU offers undergraduate research to some students as early as their freshman year.
Home to the world’s first School of Journalism, Mizz (more ... )
Founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River, the University of Missouri in Columbia is a member of the most prestigious group of 61 U.S. public and private institutions: the Association of American Universities. Today MU is a $2 billion enterprise with more than 34,000 students and 260,000 alumni worldwide.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies MU among American universities that provide the most educational opportunities and the highest level of instruction. MU offers more than 300 degree programs through 19 colleges and schools and has the largest research operation of any public university in Missouri. In fact, the National Science Foundation has recognized Mizzou as one of the top 10 universities in the country for integrating research into undergraduate education; MU offers undergraduate research to some students as early as their freshman year.
Home to the world’s first School of Journalism, Mizzou offers many strong, unique programs on its 1,262-acre campus. Some in the sciences are taught in collaboration with MU’s medical school, and humanities classes include such areas as music composition and creative writing where students frequently win national awards.
One of only six public universities nationwide with medicine, veterinary medicine and law on one campus, MU also has great strengths in agriculture, engineering and the basic sciences. Four competitive areas are especially strong and growing at Mizzou: Food for the Future, Media of the Future, One Health/One Medicine, and Sustainable Energy.
More than 30 percent of MU students come from another state or another country, and a strong international community thrives in Columbia. At the same time, Mizzou has a growing Study Abroad program, with nearly 400 programs in more than 60 countries. Twenty-two percent of graduating seniors earn credit abroad.
A member of the Southeastern Conference, Mizzou features a division I-A athletic program, where student-athletes in 20 sports compete at the highest level.
National media consistently list Columbia, Mo., among the top U.S. cities for its excellent quality of life.
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