Missouri Southern State University is a state-supported, comprehensive university offering programs leading to the bachelor's degree and to selective master's degrees in collaboration with other universities. The University has a statewide mission in international education granted to MSSU by special legislation.
The University's primary goal is to offer a baccalaureate program that fosters the total education of each student. Central to that mission is the strong commitment to international education, to the liberal arts, to professional and preprofessional programs, and to the complementary relationship that must exist between liberal and professional education in order to prepare individuals for success in careers and lifelong learning.
Inherent in its international approach to undergraduate education is the University's desire to prepare its students to understand world affairs, international issues and other cultures as seen through their history, geography, language, literature, philosophy, economics and politics. Knowledge and understanding of other cultures of the world also promote better understanding of our own valuable cultural diversity.
Missouri Southern State University's commitment to the liberal arts is reflected in a comprehensive program of general education requirements for all students to ensure that they have a breadth of educational experiences which will enable them to develop communication and critical thinking skills and to acquire and apply aesthetic, contemporary, civic, international, historical, mathematical, scientific and value-oriented perspectives.
The faculty and staff of Missouri Southern State University emphasize quality teaching and learning as the most important attributes of the institution, complemented by scholarly and creative expression and dedicated community service. Community service involves responsiveness to the Southwest Missouri region as well as serving as the intellectual, creative and cultural center of the area.
In order to remain loyal to the trust given to the University by the people of the State of Missouri, Missouri Southern State University will:
* fulfill its mission and objectives in an honorable and ethical manner;
* periodically review its mission in light of contemporary changes in society and in the needs of the people of Missouri;
* continually assess the effectiveness of its programs in order to ensure their quality and integrity.
Missouri Southern State University is a public, state university located at 3950 E. Newman Road, Joplin, Missouri. MSSU was formerly Missouri Southern State College and is also known as Missouri Southern or MoSo for short. Established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College, Missouri Southern became a four-year college in 1968. In 2003, the Missouri General Assembly authorized the renaming of the college to Missouri Southern State University - Joplin, and in 2005 the university dropped Joplin from its name.
MSSU's mission is to provide an international education, defined by the state of Missouri as, "develop1 such academic support programs and public service activities it deems necessary and appropriate to establish international or global education as a distinctive theme of its mission." The international mission was strongly promoted by the school's longtime president, Dr. Julio León, who served from 1982 to August 17, 2007. The international mission is supported by the selection of a country to serve as a Fall semester theme (e.g., Fall 2005 - Mexico; Fall 2006 - France; Fall 2007 - China). During the themed semesters, lectures and programs dedicated to the selected country are held on campus. The university also hosts a biennial piano competition , which was held April 21-26, 2008.
MSSU has also established a distance learning program to allow individuals to take courses with few or no campus visits. The university has sought to offer the most affordable education of the state universities with low per-credit costs and a textbook rental program that lowers the costs of class materials.
Missouri Southern State University was founded in 1937 as Joplin Junior College. At its conception, Joplin Junior College has 114 students and only 9 faculty members. In 1964, residents of Jasper County, MO approved a 2.5 million dollar bond issue to begin construction on a new campus, where the University is currently located. The new campus opened in the fall of 1967 with 2,399 students and 95 faculty members. In 1977, the school was renamed Missouri Southern State College and officially became a state assisted four-year college and part of the State of Missouri's higher education system. In 2003, the Missouri General Assembly authorized the renaming of the college to Missouri Southern State University - Joplin, and in 2005 the university dropped Joplin from its name. In 1967, the campus was home to only six buildings, the Taylor Performing Arts center was completed in 1973 and the Richard M. Webster Communications and Social Science Building opened in August of 1992.
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| Percent of Students International: | 2% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 16% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Mid-America Intercollegiate Ath Assoc) Basketball (Mid-America Intercollegiate Ath Assoc) Baseball (Mid-America Intercollegiate Ath Assoc) Track (Mid-America Intercollegiate Ath Assoc) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | In-State | Out-of-State | |
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 3,916 | $ 7,666 | |
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 3,750 | $ 7,500 | |
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 166 | $ 166 | |
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,917 | 48% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 1,918 | 4% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 2,049 | 70% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,376 | 79% | |
Any Aid: |
92% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 99% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 86% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 19, Verbal: 18, Math: 17 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 24, Verbal: 25, Math: 24 |
| Application Fee: | $ 15.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
