Minnesota State University

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Degree Programs Offered at the Minnesota State University Mankato

Minnesota State University Mankato appears in our ranking of the 50 Great Value Colleges for Urban Studies.

Minnesota State University Mankato offers a number of undergraduate degree programs through its multiple colleges and departments. It offers one of the only bachelor’s programs in alcohol and drug studies in the state, which prepares students for working as addiction counselors. American indigenous studies is another major available for undergrads. They learn about the variety of Native Americans who once lived in Minnesota and how they can help the remaining members of those tribes today. Other majors for undergrads include urban and regional studies, art teaching, creative writing, psychology, sociology, political science, and social work.

The Master of Social Work program offered by the Minnesota State University Mankato allows students to do fieldwork and take classes that prepare them for jobs as social workers. They have the option of working with children and adults as they focus on social work for government agencies, hospitals and other employers. The university also offers an athletic training program that includes fieldwork. Students learn the skills they will need to work with athletes in rehab and health care centers and in the field.

Some programs are also available under the name of extended education programs. Designed for those who have more practical experience but less classroom experience, the programs are available online and through the university’s regional centers. Students can choose majors in undergraduate and graduate programs such as applied organizational studies, technical communication, elementary education, communication studies, public health education and teaching writing.

About the Minnesota State University Mankato

The Minnesota State University Mankato is the main branch of Minnesota State University, which is why many simply call it Minnesota State. It also uses nicknames that include MNSU and MSU. Established in 1858, it opened as one of the state’s first normal schools and used the name Second State Normal School. A curriculum change led to the school offering bachelor’s and four-year degree programs, which coincided with the school becoming the Mankato State Teachers College in the 1920s. Though World War II led to an enrollment drop, the college saw its enrollment increase significantly after the war ended as students used the GI Bill to go to school. The college served as Mankato State University from 1975 to 1998 before becoming the Minnesota State University Mankato.

MSU now offers classes through eight colleges, including the College of Allied Health and Nursing and the College of Extended Learning. The College of Extended Learning offers classes to nontraditional learners and gives them the choice of taking classes through regional centers or online. Forbes included MNSU on a list of the best national colleges, and U.S. News and World Report ranks it as the 111th best university in the Midwest. Washington Monthly also recognized the university as being one of the nation’s top graduate schools.

Minnesota State University Mankato Accreditation Details

The degree programs offered by MNSU that have accreditation include its dental, nursing, art, design, teaching and music programs. Some of the organizations that granted the university program accreditation include the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and American Dental Association (ADA). MNSU is also one of the schools that have regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This gives students the right to transfer credits to and from the Minnesota university and to use the FAFSA when they need financial aid.

Minnesota State University Mankato Application Requirements

Any student who has a high school diploma or GED can apply to an undergraduate degree program at MNSU. The university offers guaranteed admission to those who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, an ACT score or at least 21 or a ranking within the top 50% of their classes. It also requires that students take at least three years of college prep courses in high school and that they follow the curriculum established by Minnesota, including one year or world culture or arts and three years of mathematics classes. Students should take both Geometry and Algebra in high school. Incoming students can use the MNSU application and pay an application fee on the site. They’ll then send the school their transcripts and official scores from the ACT.

Graduate students need to meet some of the same requirements, though it will depend on the programs of study that interest them. All graduate programs require that students fill out an application, pay an application fee and supply their transcripts. Those transcripts must show that they have a bachelor’s degree and a cumulative GPA of between 2.5 to 3.0 or higher. Some programs ask for more information from students such as a resume to see if the student has any practical experience in the field or references who can talk about the applicant. The MNSU graduate programs may ask for a standardized test score too.

Tuition and Financial Aid

MNSU charges the same rates for undergrads who are Minnesota residents and those who live in Manitoba. Those students pay $322 per credit hour for part-time enrollment, which is when a student takes 11 or fewer credits. Full-time students take 12 to 18 credits and pay $3,589 per semester in tuition and fees of around $500 a semester. Residents of Wisconsin and North Dakota pay the same rate, while those from South Dakota and parts of the Midwest qualify for a reduced tuition discount. All other nonresidents pay $604 per credit hour to take traditional classes and $281 per credit hour to take online classes.

Most graduate students attending MNSU pay $412 per credit hour plus fees, but some programs charge rates as high as $664 per credit hour. Graduate students enrolled in online programs and the programs offered at regional study centers pay less. MNSU has a student portal that allows students to log in and view all their scholarship and financial aid opportunities. Their accounts also make it easy for them to apply for those scholarships and to see if they met all financial aid requirements. Undergrads get federal loans and grants, state grants, university scholarships and jobs for MNSU. Graduate students may qualify for government loans and have the option of working for the university as teaching or research assistants. Financial aid packages go to all students in any of the degree programs offered by the Minnesota State University Mankato.