Kansas State University - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Academics at Kansas State are a decidedly ominous grab bag. Depending on your major, the academic experience can prove either top-of-the-line or bottom-of-the-barrel. Though the years have dimmed its identity as a cow college considerably, K-State continues to preen its technical disciplines with far greater care than its liberal arts programs. Devotees of the humanities need not throw in the towel but must cling to it with inflexible resolve. There is no shortage of standout faculty, but students sharing similar interests are in short supply, and class offerings can be anorexically slim.

As for instructors, it’s your classic tripartisanship: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Faculty here enjoy a reputation for no-sweat accessibility, and it’s a distinction that’s almost universally deserved. Professors (and, for that matter, teaching assistants) are exceptionally accommodating when it comes to out-of-class assistance. The number of upper-level courses taught by teaching assistants is respectably low—which is more than can be said of other institutions—but the absence of a full professor is virtually guaranteed in lab or lower-level foreign-language courses. The bottom line: Consider before you commit.

Free Profile Tools

Do I Stand A Chance?

Calculate YOUR chances of admission at every school CP covers!

__%

Personality Match

Calculate YOUR personality match with every school CP covers!

__%

What'll It Cost Me?

Estimate your out-of-pocket costs at every school CP covers!

$__,___

Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

In the English department, I have... In the English department, I have loved all but one of my professors. They are extremely qualified and yet take a great interest in the personal success of their students. Outside of the English department, I’ve mainly taken gen-ed type courses, but any honors teacher I’ve had has been amazing. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Generally speaking, the teachers... Generally speaking, the teachers are really good, finding the fine balance between pushing students and overloading them. I’m always challenged, and I learn a lot in most of my classes, especially those further into the curriculum of my major. There are those gen-eds out there that are deathly boring and ridiculous, but even in many of those classes, I had great graduate teaching assistants that made them lots of fun. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

The professors that I have had at... The professors that I have had at Kansas State University have all been very willing to help their students. Most do their best to keep the material they are teaching interesting and understandable. The only complaint I might have is that quite a number of professors have very strong accents and diverse teaching styles. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

In my course of study, I do find... In my course of study, I do find the teachers to be interesting. As a student in the modern languages department of the College of Arts and Sciences, I feel very close to my professors, and in the lower-level classes, I felt I knew and could connect to the graduate teaching assistants. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

My teachers have been very good so... My teachers have been very good so far. I have found them to be passionate about the subjects they teach and very willing to help me. 12345 Academics Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Kansas State ranks first in the nation among public universities in its total of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall scholars since 1986. It ranks seventh in the nation overall—behind Harvard and Princeton, but ahead of Dartmouth and MIT.

Too cool for a state school? In 2000, K-State broke into Kaplan Enterprise’s “Top Ten Trendiest Universities” in the country, elbowing Stanford off the list. Seventeen magazine seconded the motion in 2002, tagging KSU as one of “America’s 100 Coolest Colleges.”

Mens sana in corpore sano? Muscle & Fitness magazine ranked K-State among the 20 fittest colleges of 2005.

From gas to gin, Rusty’s Last Chance Saloon, which began life as a gas station in the late 1920s, is aging gracefully. In 2000, it was designated as one of the top 100 college bars in the nation.

K-Straight no more. Despite a long-standing reputation as the more sexually orthodox of Kansas’s two major public schools, KSU found itself featured in Out magazine’s “2005 Gay College Guide.” Its appearance was due to the college’s recently established chapter of Delta Lambda Phi, a nationally recognized fraternity for “gay, bisexual, and progressive gentlemen.”

Nuclear winter (and summer, spring, and fall)? Kansas State is one of only 25 universities in the country to boast a fully-functional nuclear reactor on campus.

Write for Us!

College Prowler is actively seeking talented students to be "Contributing Authors," and assist with updating the College Prowler guide to their school. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain internship experience, be a part of a nationally recognized company, gain tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college. Read more >