- 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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| Motto | Where life and learning meet |
| Established | 1971 |
| Type | Public |
| President | Sue K. Hammersmith |
| Faculty | 132 full-time 579 part-time |
| Students | 8,943 |
| 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 of Minnesota, United States. It is a member of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU).[1]
Founded in 1971, with David E. Sweet as its first president[2], the university initially followed a quite non-traditional course: Students could design their own degree plans, instructors wrote "narrative evaluations" instead of using traditional 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. When Metro State began, it was a college for working adults. It was strictly an upper-division college, so students could only complete their junior and senior years there. The university didn't begin admitting freshmen and sophomores until 1994. [3]
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).[4]
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. In 2008, Metro State received approval to begin offering a doctorate of nursing practice. The university plans to offer a doctorate of business administration starting in January of 2010.
Metropolitan State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Commission on College Nursing Education and the Council on Social Work Education.[5]
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.[1]
Each student attending Metropolitan State University pays a .43 cent per credit fee to fund the Minnesota State University Student Association, a student lead non-profit that advocates on behalf of all Minnesota state university students.
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, Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Bell and current Sierra Leone's Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana and Carl Eller, Pro-Football Hall of Famer and former defensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings.
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