Metropolitan State University
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This article is about a university in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota. For information on the college in Denver, Colorado, see Metropolitan State College of Denver
| Metropolitan State University | |
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| Established: | 1971 |
| Type: | Public |
| President: | William Lowe (interim) |
| Faculty: | 132 full-time 552 part-time |
| Students: | 8,868 |
| Location: | Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Nickname: | Metro State |
| Affiliations: | MnSCU |
| Website: | www.metrostate.edu |
Metropolitan State University is a four-year public university located in the Twin Cities metropolitan region with two campuses in Saint Paul and one in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.[1] It is a member of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU).[2]
Founded in 1971, with David E. Sweet, as its first president[3], the university initially followed a quite non-traditional course: Students could design their own degree plans, evaluations took the form of written essays rather than letter grades, and much of the teaching was done by community faculty with practical knowledge in the field. While the university has recently moved towards a more traditional format, it retains the "First College" which allows students to design individualized degree plans.[4]
Metro State has an enrollment of about 9,500 students per semester, only about 4,700 of which are full-time students (about 49%). It offers the standard spectrum of undergraduate Bachelor's degrees through its four colleges and two schools: The College of Arts and Sciences, The College of Management, The College of Professional Studies, The School of Nursing, The School of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice and First College (Individualized and Interdisciplinary Degree Programs). Master's degrees are offered in Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Technical Communication, Nursing and Psychology. A Master's program in Computer Science was started in Spring 2004.
Metropolitan State University accommodates the needs of working adults by scheduling most classes in the evening and on weekends. The number of daytime course offerings have been increasing in recent years because of increasing demands of students. It is possible for recent graduates of Minneapolis and St. Paul public high schools to attend Metro State tuition free.[5]
In 2002, the Minnesota legislature approved funding for the construction of a library building at the campus in Saint Paul, and the building opened in Spring 2004. The new Library and Learning Center also houses a branch of the Saint Paul Public Library. This is the only university/public library partnership in the state of Minnesota and one of only a few nationwide.
Notable alumni include Minnesota State Senators Leo Foley and Sandra Pappas, Minnesota State Representative Char Samuelson, and Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Bell.
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| Universities of the MnSCU System | ||
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| Bemidji State • Metro State • MSU Mankato • MSU Moorhead • Southwest Minnesota State • St. Cloud State • Winona State | ||
