Truman State was founded in 1867 as North Missouri Normal School and Commercial College. The School went through a number of name changes and changes in scope over the following century. In 1972 the institution was renamed Northeast Missouri State University. Nearly 120 years later, in 1985, the governor formally recognized Truman as Missouri’s only public liberal arts and sciences university. Ten years later, the institution’s name was changed to honor Harry Truman, the only Missourian ever to be President.
Truman State University was founded as the North Missouri Normal School and Commercial College. It received university status in 1972, and was designated Missouri’s “statewide public liberal arts and sciences university” in 1985. It was known as Northeast Missouri State University until 1995, when it received its present name. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Its mission statement says in part that the university “is committed to the advancement of knowledge, to freedom of thought and inquiry, and to the personal, social, and intellectual growth of its students.” It is classed as a Master’s College and University I by the Carnegie Institute.
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Truman State University
Academics
Truman State offers majors in a number of “academic divisions,” including fine arts, business, language & literature, math & computer science, natural science, social science, and human potential & performance. There is a pre-medical concentration offered through biology, chemistry, health, and exercise science. The pre-law concentration is offered through English, history, and political science. In addition, there are pre-professional programs in dental, education, engineering, medical technology, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physician’s assistant, physical therapy, special education, and veterinary medicine. The General Honors Program encourages in-depth exploration of a list of topics and encourages a well-developed viewpoint of these topics. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, with the average class size of 22 students. Classes in a particular major may have as few as 8 to 10 students.
Truman State University has academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. There are 13 divisions: Business and Accountancy; Education; Fine Arts; Human Potential and Performance; Interdisciplinary Studies; Languages and Literature; Libraries and Museums; Mathematics and Computer Science; Military Science; the Residential College Program; Science; Social Science; and Study Abroad.
Bachelor’s degrees are offered in a variety of fields within the various academic colleges; however, the Division of Education offers only graduate programs. Degrees at the bachelor’s level can be received in such areas as accountancy, art history, music, communication disorders, exercise science, nursing, classics, English, Russian, computer science, mathematics, agricultural science, physics, economics, justice systems, sociology and anthropology, and interdisciplinary studies.
Graduate programs are offered in 6 fields at the master’s level: accountancy, biology, communication disorders, education, English, and music.
Both graduate and undergraduate students are invited to participate in the annual Student Research Conference.
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Most Popular Fields of Study
The top 5 fields of study completed at Truman State University.
The Human Potential & Performance division offers concentrations in Communication Disorders, Health & Exercise Science, and Nursing. The Speech & Hearing Clinic houses therapy rooms and materials for improvement of communicative disorders, and is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The Health & Exercise Science concentration encourages students to improve the health of the people around them. And the Nursing Program prepares beginning practitioners to care for patients of all ages in a variety of environments.
The Child Development Center, previously a part of the Human Potential & Performance division, is now housed in the Education division. The Center focuses on the importance of play, and aids development by integrating academic subjects into play throughout the day. The goal is to give children the freedom to interact with one another, which is the environment in which they learn best.
Truman State University has an undergraduate Honors Program. All students who meet the highly selective admissions criteria to the university are eligible to take part in the Honors Program. Students who choose to participate must take 5 General Honors Courses distributed through 4 areas.
Truman State has a required undergraduate portfolio program. Students are to include in their senior portfolio samples of their work which reflect areas such as critical thinking, interdisciplinary thinking, historical analysis, scientific reasoning, and aesthetic analysis. Students also write a letter reflecting on their educational experience at Truman. There may be additional requirements.
The Study Abroad program allows students to take part in semester or summer-long learning in over 30 countries. Students can also take part in unpaid internships for companies or institutions in 11 countries.
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Truman State University
Admissions
The Admissions department at Truman State uses “combined ability” to determine admissions eligibility, which is a kind of score based on high school class rank percentage to the applicant’s percentile on either the ACT or the SAT entrance exam. To determine a “combined ability” score, the high school rank percentile and testing percentile are added. Students with a combined ability score of 140 or greater have the best chance of gaining admission to Truman State. The majority of admitted freshman have a composite ACT score between 26 and 29 (or the SAT equivalent). While this gives admissions personnel a criterion for assessing all students, admissions decisions are still determined using multiple criteria, including high school curriculum, special interests and abilities, extracurricular activities, and a personal essay. Truman State requires that incoming freshman have completed four years of English, three years each of mathematics, social studies, and science, two years of foreign language, and one year of fine arts. Admission to the Nursing Program is highly competitive and there are a select number of “slots” available each year. Students interested in the Nursing Program should contact that department for any special instructions or to determine the availability of admissions slots.
Truman State University has an undergraduate early admissions deadline of November 15; applications are accepted afterwards, but students who apply earlier receive priority. The final deadline for the nursing program is January 31; the recommended final deadline for other programs is March 1. There is no application fee. Applications can be submitted on-line. Students who are enrolled in high school at the time of application will need to have their official final high school transcripts sent after graduation to the Admissions Office. Students usually hear on their application within 2-3 weeks of submitting all materials.
As part of their application, students should submit an essay, high school transcripts and ACT or SAT test scores. Students should have completed high school courses as follows: 4 units of English, 3 units of mathematics (4 strongly recommended), 3 units of history and social studies, 3 units of science, 2 units of a foreign language, and 1 unit of fine arts. Students are admitted on a combination of high school class rank and percentile score on the ACT or SAT; grade point average and the essay are also considered.
Transfer students and international students will have varying requirements depending upon their prior educational background.
Students applying to the graduate programs at Truman State University should consult the individual department and/or school to which they are applying for deadlines and specific application requirement. Applications can be submitted on-line. General requirements include the GRE or other appropriate test scores (such as the GMAT) and a bachelor’s degree. Most programs require a 3.0 undergraduate GPA for admission.
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Financial Aid
Truman State offers three kinds of scholarship awards: automatic scholarships, competitive scholarships, and talent-based awards. Automatic scholarships require no additional application and students are considered for them upon review of the student’s admission paperwork. Competitive scholarships are available to those students how demonstrate the greatest aptitude and skill in a particular area or subject. And talent-based scholarships are available to students in the fine arts or student-athletes who possess outstanding abilities in a sport or in an artistic discipline. Talent-based awards are the responsibility of their respective departments and applicants must contact those departments to inquire about scholarship opportunities.
Tuition at Truman State University is $5,740 per year for the 2005-2006 academic year for in-state, undergraduate students attending full-time. Students applying from out of state and graduate students have higher costs.
Financial aid is available in the form of grants, scholarships, and loans. Work-study programs are also available for eligible students. Students who seek financial aid will need to fill out the Federal Student Financial Aid Form, available on-line. There are several special loan programs offered by the university, including “cultural loans” for students in the Study Abroad Programs.
Graduate students may also receive financial aid in the form of teaching or research assistantships, including a stipend and a waiver of some or all of the tuition and other fees. Graduate students should consult with their individual department about what sort of assistantships or fellowships are available and about the details of the application process.
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Student Financial Aid Details
How many students use Financial Aid, and how much do they use?
Truman State University 4077th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best Missouri scholarships and financial aid
Truman State is home to more than 200 student clubs and organizations, including academic and social clubs. There are eight residence halls available for on-campus living, and the Student Recreation Center offers games, food, and entertainment programs nearly every night of the week. Truman State considers academic research to be an important part of a student’s life outside the classroom. While classroom instruction results in the acquisition of knowledge, students learn to apply that knowledge in the laboratory. But students can initiate research projects outside of particular coursework they are enrolled in, making undergraduate research an important extracurricular activity.
Student life at Truman State University includes opportunities in a diverse range of activities and organizations. There are fraternities and sororities, academic and professional groups, religious organizations, cultural organizations, political groups, and special interest groups such as the Rock Climbing Club, the Art of Living (a yoga group), the Herpetology Club, and two a capella choirs. Intramural sports include table tennis, basketball, and a 3K run. There is a student newspaper, a yearbook, a radio station, a television station, and a literary magazine.
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Student Enrollment Demographics
How many students are enrolled at Truman State University?
The Truman State Bulldogs compete in the NCAA’s Division II and in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA). Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, and wrestling. Women’s sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball. Truman State is home to a first-class natatorium that includes a six-lane, 25-yard swimming pool for competition and practice in the winter and spring. Truman State’s swimmers compete nationally, and the women’s swim team won national championships in 2001 and 2002. Students are invited to use the natatorium for general recreation throughout the week. Stokes stadium is home to the football team and includes Gardner Track for the track and field teams. The soccer field is located near the stadium, as are the tennis and baseball/softball facilities. Pershing Arena houses three basketball courts, with separate courts reserved for volleyball and for men’s and women’s basketball. There are also student-use handball and racquetball courts located in Pershing Arena. In the last seven years, Truman State’s athletics program has finished in the top 10 of the United States Sports Academy’s Directors’ Cup, which honors broad-based athletics programs at select institutions. In five of the last seven years, Truman State has been the top-ranked MIAA school in Directors’ Cup finishing.
Truman State University is an NCAA Division II School. Teams compete in the Midwest Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, and wrestling. Women’s sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. The team nick-name is the Bulldogs.
Athletic facilities at Truman State University include a natatorium, a gymnasium, a stadium and track, softball and baseball fields, soccer fields, and tennis courts.
Among the championships and awards that Truman State University has received are several conference and tournament titles, and five consecutive national championships in women’s swimming. A number of athletes have also been honored for their academic success.
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Truman State University
Traditions
The bulldog became Truman State’s official mascot in 1915. Today, two mascots, Spike and Simeon, represent this strong and tenacious symbol of the University’s resilience.
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Local Community
The population of Kirksville is approximately 17,000. It is the county seat of Adair County, and classified as a “micropolitan area.” In addition to being the home of Truman State, Kirksville is also home to the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Thousand Hills State Park, and the region’s ABC affiliate station. The surrounding environment is rural. There is a nearby state park with an artificial lake for water activities.
This site is not sponsored by, affiliated with, nor endorsed by Truman State University
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