KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Manhattan, Kansas
The University
Founded in 1863, Kansas State University (K-State) is a nationally recognized comprehensive university with more than 200 undergraduate programs and options, sixty-five master's degree programs, and forty-three doctoral programs.
K-State ranks first nationally among state universities in its total of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall Scholars since 1986. K-State scholars have been awarded seven Rhodes, nine Marshall, twenty Truman, twelve Udall, twenty-seven Fulbright, forty-nine Goldwater, and seventeen Phi Kappa Phi scholarships.
Approximately 3,600 students live in the nine residence halls, and more than 3,200 students are members of eleven national sororities and twenty-four national fraternities. Six national African-American and two Latino fraternities and sororities have K-State chapters. Almost 400 student organizations are available, and 88 percent of K-State students participate in recreational activities. K-State is a member of the NCAA (Division I) and the Big Twelve Conference.
K-State's campus and students have ranked high in everything from best student government to best research project. Top rankings in 200304 included yearbook and newspaper, Gold Crown (Columbia Scholastic Press Association); number one, landscape design (American Society of Landscape Architects contest): Big 12 championships in football, volleyball, and womens basketball; and crops judging team, national champion.
K-State is listed in the 2003 Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges guide as a school where students can make the most of their education. K-State was ranked number five on the best bargain in public colleges list in the 2005 The Best 357 Colleges and number sixteen best value among public colleges in 2004 by Consumers Digest. The University was ranked fifteenth on the Princeton Review's annual "most connected campuses" list.
The College of Arts and Sciences offers competitive programs in the natural sciences, communications, humanities, fine arts, social sciences, and the health professions. College of Engineering students have a high pass rate on the engineering licensing exam. The College of Business Administration is accredited by the AACSB InternationalThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, an honor shared by about 25 percent of the nation's business schools. The College of Agriculture offers the only programs worldwide in bakery, feed, and milling science and management, and the College of Education offers the most comprehensive teacher education program in the state. The College of Human Ecology is the seventh largest comprehensive human sciences unit in the nation. Every undergraduate program in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design is nationally ranked in the top ten. The College of Veterinary Medicine is internationally recognized for the study of livestock diseases. The College of Technology and Aviation has the only FAA-approved bachelor's degree in aviation in the state and more than approximately forty aircraft for training.
Location
The 668-acre campus is located in Manhattan, Kansas, a city with a population of approximately 45,000. A satellite campus, Kansas State University at Salina, is located 60 miles west in Salina and is the home of the College of Technology and Aviation. Nicknamed The Little Apple, Manhattan is 125 miles from Kansas City. Local attractions include Aggieville, one of the oldest campus shopping areas in the nation.
Majors and Degrees
The College of Arts and Sciences offers majors in anthropology, applied music (composition, instrumental performance, music theater, vocal performance), art (ceramics, digital arts, drawing, graphic design, illustration, metalsmithing and jewelry, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography), biochemistry, biology, chemistry, clinical laboratory science, economics, English (creative writing, literature, literature with a teaching certificate), fisheries and wildlife biology (natural history), geography, geology, history, kinesiology, mass communications (advertising, electronic journalism, print journalism, public relations, radio-television), mathematics, microbiology, modern languages (French, German, Spanish), music, music education, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, social work, sociology (criminology), speech, statistics, theater (dance), and women's studies. Interdisciplinary majors are humanities, life sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. Secondary majors, which can be taken only in addition to a primary major, are American ethnic studies, international studies, Latin American studies, and natural resources and environmental sciences. Preprofessional programs are law and options in the health professions that include dentistry, health information management, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, respiratory care, and veterinary medicine.
The College of Business Administration confers a B.S. with majors in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing. Management options available are general management, human resource management, and operations management. Marketing offers an agribusiness option. Finance options include financial services, financial management, and controllership. Also offered are a distance education major in general business and a certificate in international business.
The College of Engineering offers degree programs in architectural engineering, biological and agricultural engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, construction science and management, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, information systems, mechanical engineering, and nuclear reactor technology. Options and concentrations are available in aerospace engineering, bioengineering, biomaterials processing, construction engineering, engineering materials, environmental engineering, nuclear engineering, and power systems.
The College of Agriculture offers degree programs in agribusiness, agricultural economics, agricultural education, agricultural communications and journalism, agricultural technology management, agronomy, animal sciences and industry, bakery science and management, feed science and management, food science and industry, horticultural therapy, horticulture, milling science and management, and park management and conservation. The College also has a preprofessional program in veterinary medicine, a specialization in golf course management, a secondary major in natural resources and environmental sciences, and certificate programs in equine science and in food science and industry.
The College of Education administers programs in elementary, secondary, and special education. Secondary education programs are agriculture, art, biological sciences, business, chemistry, earth/space science, English, English/journalism, family and consumer sciences, journalism, mathematics, modern languages, music, physics, social studies, and speech. An additional endorsement in English as a second language is also available. Areas for K12 licensure are art, foreign language (French, German, or Spanish), and music.
The College of Human Ecology offers majors in apparel and textiles, athletic training, communication sciences and disorders, a coordinated program and a didactic program in dietetics, early childhood education, family life and community services, general family studies and human services, general human ecology, hotel and restaurant management, interior design, life span human development, nutritional sciences (premedical), personal financial planning, and public health nutrition. A dual degree is offered in nutrition and exercise sciences. Family and consumer sciences education and early childhood education certification programs and a secondary major in gerontology are offered.
The College of Architecture, Planning, and Design offers nationally accredited five-year professional degree programs in architecture, interior architecture and product design, and landscape architecture. Before entering one of the three professional programs, the student completes a one-year common environmental design studies program.
The College of Technology and Aviation offers the bachelor's degree in aeronautical technology (aviation maintenance, professional pilot), computer systems technology, electronic and computer engineering technology, mechanical engineering technology, and technology management and associate degrees in applied business, applied technologies, aviation maintenance, computer systems technology, construction engineering technology, electronic and computer engineering technology, mechanical engineering technology, professional pilot studies, and Web development technology. The College also offers a certificate in airframe and power plant.
Academic Programs
The common requirements for all curricula leading to an undergraduate degree are English composition and public speaking. To graduate, a student must complete a prescribed curriculum and 18 hours of approved general education courses. The total credit requirement for a bachelor's degree ranges from 120 to 167 hours, according to the curriculum taken.
Academic Facilities
The University's library system contains more than 1.8 million volumes, 11,371 journals and serials, more than 3.1 million government publications, and computerized information retrieval for all academic curricula. There are branch libraries for architecture and design, chemistry, math/physics, veterinary medicine, and technology (at Salina). Computing and Network Services provides four general computing labs that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The residence halls offer fourteen labs. The J.R. Macdonald Laboratory is one of the nation's leading laboratories in research in heavy-ion and atomic physics. Among K-State's research and laboratory facilities are the 8,616-acre Konza Prairie Biological Station, the Center for Basic Cancer Research, a NASA Center for Gravitational Studies in Cellular and Developmental Biology, the Center for Science Education, and an Environmental Protection Agency center for hazardous substance research.
Costs
Tuition for 200405 was approximately $4390 for Kansas residents and $12,566 for nonresidents. Books and supplies averaged $1000, and room and board averaged $5136. All figures are subject to change.
Financial Aid
Approximately 70 percent of the University's students receive some form of financial assistance. During 200405, K-State students received more than $120 million through federal, state, and institutional student aid programs, including scholarships and veterans' benefits. About 80 percent of all scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit; in 200405, K-State awarded approximately $6.4 million in scholarships. K-State recognizes the importance of high-quality leadership by awarding a Leadership Scholarship for students with an ACT composite score of 26 or higher. National Merit Semifinalists and Finalists are considered for Presidential Scholarships, and other top scholars may receive the Putnam, Foundation, Honors, or Medallion scholarships. All federal need-based programs are available at K-State, and application for them should be made by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid prior to March1 preceding fall enrollment. The freshman priority deadline for scholarship applications is November1.
Faculty
K-State has 1,191 full-time instructional, research, and extension faculty members, of whom 84 percent have doctorates or comparable advanced degrees. A K-State professor was named the 1996 national Professor of the Year for research/doctoral universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Student Government
In 1994, 1996, and 1998, the National Association for Campus Activities honored K-State for having the nation's best large-school student government.
Admission Requirements
Students graduating from high school in 2001 or later are eligible for admission if they meet one of the following three academic criteria: an ACT composite score of 21 or higher or an SAT I score of 980 or higher, ranking in the upper third of the high school class, or a GPA of 2.0 or higher (Kansas residents) or 2.5 or higher (out-of-state students), on a 4.0 scale, in a set of prescribed core courses. All students are required to take either the ACT or SAT I regardless of the criteria used for admission, since the test results are also used for academic advising purposes. Up to 10 percent of the freshman class may be admitted based on academic criteria determined by the University.
Transfer students with 24 or more credit hours must have a 2.0 or higher GPA on their transfer work. Students with less than 24 credit hours are required to have a minimum GPA of 2.0 on their transfer work plus meet one of the three requirements for high school graduates.
International students must submit a $55 application fee and all required credentials before their academic records are reviewed. Students applying directly from their home country are encouraged to use the services of a reputable transcript evaluation service. Priority processing is provided to files with evaluated transcripts. International students applying after attending other U.S. institutions must demonstrate comparable academic potential.
Application and Information
Entering freshmen are encouraged to apply early in their senior year of high school. High school graduates must complete the application form and submit official ACT results. Transfer students should begin the application process at least one semester prior to their anticipated date of entry; they must submit a completed application form and official transcript from each institution previously attended. Only transcripts received directly from credit-granting institutions are considered official and acceptable for admission purposes. There is a $30 application fee for freshman and transfer students. All credentials are evaluated as they are received on a rolling basis. Students are notified in writing of their admission status generally within five working days of the receipt of all required documents.
For application forms and information, students should contact:
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