At the University of Missouri–St. Louis, we recognize the importance of your education, and value your decision to attend UMSL, where we provide each student with an excellent learning experience.
Our nine colleges and schools, as well as our joint engineering partnership, are anchored by our award-winning faculty and nationally-ranked programs, offering each student a high quality, invaluable and diverse educational opportunity.
UMSL’s College of Arts and Sciences creates the next poets, conservation biologists, symphony soloists, psychological scientists, historians, criminologists, chemists, sculptors, painters, communicators, space explorers and speakers of French, Japanese and Spanish. As the largest college of the University of Missouri–St. Louis, CAS provides a diverse student body access to an affordable, quality education with expert faculty. A strong focus on research and scholarship has students exploring the latest thought and theory, while giving them access to ground-breaking studies through undergraduate and graduate research opportunities. Emphasis on the arts and sciences working in communion leads to graduates with a holistic understanding of their fields, creating the best scholars for academia and professionals for the world.
UMSL’s College of Business Administration educates and graduates business leaders and entrepreneurs with unparalleled drive, business savvy and superior management skills. Our 34,000 alumni shape the global and local workforce, with 80% living in the St. Louis region and driving the advancement of local industry. Part of the largest public research university in eastern Missouri, we provide a diverse student body access to an affordable, quality education with expert faculty. Programs focus on core business principles, the latest research and teaching through real-world consulting, creating exceptional business professionals.
UMSL’s College of Education is a hub of innovation, where diverse scholars, practitioners and education-focused entrepreneurs converge to problem solve, incubate and develop ideas and modes of practice that propel the entire field of education forward. The college provides a plethora of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs that prepare and sustain culturally competent, dedicated and highly trained teachers for a variety of traditional and non-traditional educational settings. The college also prepares administrators, counselors, school psychologists, behavior analysts, educational scholars and entrepreneurs. One of the state of Missouri’s largest prepares of educators, the college is consistently recognized for its excellence in teacher preparation. Its innovative Studio School model – which has the college partnering with more than 30 local schools – allows for collaborative practicum experiences that enrich future teacher’s learning while also strengthening the St. Louis region as a whole.
Since its founding in 1981, the UMSL College of Nursing has grown exponentially and has been at the forefront of delivering quality, affordable nursing education to the St. Louis region and beyond. Born out of a desire to meet the ever-growing need for a competently trained, professional nursing workforce, today more than 800 students call the College of Nursing home. Of these, more than 20 percent are minority students and approximately 40 percent are first-generation students. The college has developed innovative partnerships with local health-care agencies to deliver state-of-the-art clinical experiences to its students and prides itself particularly on its impact on the local region, as nearly 90 percent of its alumni stay and work in St. Louis after graduation. Offering traditional BSN, RN to BSN and doctorate-level degrees in multiple formats – including online, off-campus and accelerated options – the college is a recognized leader in delivering compassionate, innovative, evidence-based care that quite literally results in a healthier St. Louis.
The only optometry program in-state and one of a handful across the country, UMSL’s College of Optometry trains the nation’s optometrists and vision experts. Graduates of the program have practiced in nearly all 50 states and have taken their optometric expertise to other countries as well. Thanks to rigorous admission standards and faculty who are award-winning scholars and practitioners in their areas of expertise, the program prepares graduates to deliver compassionate patient care while instilling a sound background in the biomedical, optical, behavioral and clinical sciences, including an understanding of the health-care delivery system. A state-of-the-art, on-campus Patient Care Center, plus more than 100 externship sites and multiple community partnerships provide students with a wide range of clinical learning experiences. The Optometry Scholars Program offers an exclusive opportunity for students to develop research experience while being paired with faculty members who share their interests. Small class sizes and a fully supportive, familial atmosphere are hallmarks of the program.
Many of St. Louis’ business leaders, influential public servants and entrepreneurs have one thing in common – an advanced degree from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. In addition to relevant, challenging courses, UMSL Graduate School students participate in guided and independent research experiences, internships and assessment exams. The Graduate School focuses on a careful balance of independent critical thinking and the ability to meet the many student requirements that vary according to background, abilities and interests. Composing a fifth of the student body, graduate students make a critical contribution to the university's mission as a public metropolitan research institution. Through 33 master’s, 15 doctoral and two education specialist offerings, the school provides evolving programs that advance careers and contribute to the region’s economy and social advancement.
Pierre Laclede Honors College students standout among their peers. Through small class sizes, discussion-based learning and extensive faculty interaction, undergraduate students find ways to complement their degree by accepting academic challenges and becoming creatively involved in the learning process. Unlike UMSL’s other colleges, the Honors College has no academic departments and grants no degrees. Instead, it brings together a cross section of students and teachers in a distinctive curriculum, designed to meet a portion of the students’ general education requirements. The Honors College provides interesting and innovative seminar courses, full-service academic advising, a First Year Experience program, a writing program and an internship program. Students also enjoy a full social calendar thanks to the student association and living and learning communities for residential students.
In St. Louis, budding engineers have their hands on the pulse of Missouri’s most populous and economically important region. By working toward energy solutions, structural design and technological developments in a metropolitan area, students have a clear advantage in employment and research opportunities. With this in mind, the UMSL/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program formed in 1993. This partnership, unique in the United States, exemplifies the continuing commitment of both public and private institutions to the St. Louis region. The pioneering collaboration allows the two universities to provide together what neither could have offered separately: The opportunity to earn a civil, electrical or mechanical engineering degree on a flexible schedule. Such flexibility allows students to co-op during the day at local engineering firms, often leading to full-time employment. The co-op program enables upper-division students to jump-start their engineering careers by working part-time (20-30 hours per week) during the day in an engineering-related position and completing their engineering course work in the evening and on Saturdays. Students are employed in engineering positions at a variety of local technology-based business and industries, including Ameren, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Boeing, among many other regional leaders.
In an era punctuated with violence, civil unrest and social injustice, the UMSL School of Social Work prepares leaders to bring about positive change, especially in St. Louis. One of the largest BSW programs in the region, it boasts a database of 400-plus practicum locations, including DOORWAYS, United Way of Greater St. Louis and Beyond Housing, providing extraordinary opportunities for community engagement. Through critical, empirical and applied aspects of social work, students gain a multicultural perspective with a strong emphasis on community and agency field work.
