About MSU

Meeting the educational needs of East Kentucky while striving to constantly improve the quality of its public service, economic development and applied research programs are the primary objectives of Morehead State University.

Academically, the University offers 78 undergraduate degree programs, including 8 associate level degrees and 12 preprofessional programs in four colleges -- Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, College of Business and Public Affairs, College of Education, and College of Science and Technology -- and 20 academic departments. There are 51 graduate degree programs plus 42 graduate level nondegree programs designed especially for professional educators. The education specialist in five specialty areas also is offered. A master’s degree for physician assistants, social workers and a cooperative doctoral program, all with the University of Kentucky, are available on the MSU campus.  A doctoral degree in education is being proposed for the spring of 2010.

Morehead State has been recognized for the sixth consecutive year as one of the top public universities in the South in the 2010 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S.News & World Report. MSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (SACS). 

Classes are offered at regional campuses in Ashland, Jackson, Maysville, Mt. Sterling, Pikeville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty and other locations. Additionally, the University offers a number of distance learning courses throughout the region via the Internet and interactive compressed video.

Morehead State was the first institution in Kentucky to offer a complete degree program, the Master of Business Administration (MBA), online. The University has erected a space tracking system in partnership with NASA as the first component of the Space Science Center. Opened in 2009 was a $16.6 million instruction and research support facility.  MSU is among five institutions in the U.S. with a bachelor's degree in space science.

Construction is well under way on the new, $30 million Center for Health, Education and Research, through a partnership with St. Claire Regional Medical Center and the University of Kentucky; the CHER facility will improve access to health care in the Morehead and surrounding counties, as well as improve rural health care training and education.

MSU constructed the Equine Health Education Center at the Derrickson Agricultural Complex on KY 377 north of Morehead. Built at a cost of $881,000 and finished in 2008, the facility was financed with a grant from the Kentucky Equine Trust and additional funds from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and MSU. 

Ground was broken in August on a new, $24 million Recreation and Wellness Center on the site of two former residence facilities, Wilson and Regents halls.  Students voted a few years ago to fund the center through student fees.

Physically, the University is located in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County. The nearly 500-acre main campus within the city limits of Morehead includes more than 50 major structures with a total replacement value of more than $144 million. Beyond the city, the University's real estate holdings include the 320-acre Derrickson Agricultural Complex and Eagle Trace, a par-72, 6,902-yard public golf course. The instructional plant includes 120 classrooms and 112 laboratories. Housing facilities include space for approximately 2,600 students in a variety of housing styles including traditional residence halls, suites and apartments.

Fiscally, the University currently operates on an annual budget of $122.5 million with about $46.6 million provided by the state and $52.8 million coming from tuition and fees. Additionally, grants and contracts from external sources for research, service and academic/student support projects generate more than $15 million each year. Annual private gifts to the University, through the MSU Foundation, Inc., average $3 million annually.

Statistically, the University has awarded more than 55,000 degrees and currently has more than 1,100 full-time employees. Enrollment for fall 2008 was 8,981, with the student body representing 100 Kentucky counties, 45 states and 36 foreign countries. The University attracts more than 50,000 visitors annually and its economic impact, directly and indirectly, on the Morehead area is estimated at more than $80 million yearly.

Administratively, an 11-member Board of Regents governs the University with eight citizens appointed by the governor and three seats held by elected faculty, staff and student representatives. Management of the institution is vested primarily in five divisions -- Academic Affairs, Administration and Fiscal Services, Planning and Budgets, Student Life, and University Advancement -- with each headed by a vice president.

Athletically, the University sponsors 16 intercollegiate sports for men and women in accordance with the regulations of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Pioneer Football League and Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. MSU also supports an intramural program involving more than 25 team and individual sports. Our coed cheerleading squad has won 18 national championships and the all-girl squad has six national titles. >> www.msueagles.com

MSU established East Kentucky's first public radio station, WMKY, in 1965 and today provides this region of the state with a 24-hour network of three FM transmitters identified as Morehead State Public Radio. Preserving the region's cultural heritage is the primary responsibility of MSU's Kentucky Folk Art Center and Kentucky Center for Traditional Music, both of which are located in downtown Morehead.

Dr. Wayne D. Andrews took office Jan. 1, 2005, as the 13th president of the University. He came to MSU after serving as vice president for administration and chief operating officer at East Tennessee State University. President Andrews and his wife, Sue, live on campus in the President's Home which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

>> View ASPIRE Strategic Plan and Mission Statement