Montana State University - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Eccentricities abound with MSU’s professors, making their classes a great source of entertainment along with education. Though not all professors share their oddities with their class, all professors do seem dedicated to their teaching. While MSU is gaining a (some say, bad) reputation as a research school, many professors still choose to put their students before personal glory. Beyond the classroom, most teachers are generally accessible and are willing to meet with students in a local coffeeshop or in their office to discuss class material or grading policies. This willingness to work with students, mixed with the fact that nearly all classes are taught by professors rather than TAs, makes the classroom a welcoming place at MSU.

For students who thrive in smaller, more intense settings, the Honors College may be an appropriate option. The best professors throughout the school come together to teach honors seminars. Anyone interested in the Honors College must take two semesters of seminars called Texts and Critics. The classes focus on reading classic and modern works of literature, then delving into their themes through discussion and papers. Each seminar has a class enrollment of 15, maximum. Many incoming students find their classes require little of their time, but once they reach the 200-levels, the workload increases significantly, and they are forced to develop good study habits in a short amount of time.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

As a photography major in the MTA... As a photography major in the MTA department, I’ve found that all my teachers are pretty laid-back. This semester, one of them is an old hippie, one is a flighty painter, one is a recent MSU graduate, and one is hardly in class, choosing to leave most of the work up to his adjuncts. The classes I have are very interesting, with the exception of one film class that is required for photo majors that I find to be the biggest waste of time. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Now that I’m a sophomore in the... Now that I’m a sophomore in the film program, classes have become very focused in my department, so it seems necessary to get to know the teachers really well in order to be successful. Most of the teachers are helpful about getting us (the students) the kind of equipment and attention that we need to complete our film projects. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

For the most part, I have found... For the most part, I have found teachers who really enjoy teaching, and they put a lot of effort into teaching undergraduates. They are always very pleasant to talk to, and they go out of their way to make themselves available when necessary. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

The professors here are fine, for... The professors here are fine, for the most part. Like any school, there are fantastic teachers and those that are not so fantastic. In my experience, they have been good. They know their subjects and teach effectively. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

My professors are all so... My professors are all so well-versed in the fields of engineering or math, now that I’m in the third year of the programs. No question pertaining to their subject matter ever escapes them, and they’re completely knowledgeable and respectable. My classes are very interesting, and by this point, if you don’t enjoy your major or you’ve made a mistake in your field of choice. 12345 Academics Report

Facts

Did You Know?

The Media & Theatre Arts department at MSU has the only degree program in the world for Science and Natural History Filmmaking.

Paleontologist Jack Horner is the campus’s Museum of the Rockies curator and is responsible for finding the first dinosaur egg clutches in America, as well as advising the creators of Jurassic Park, among other accomplishments.

Having a hard time refining your thesis statement for your research paper on free trade agreements? Just can’t figure
out how to apply the fundamental theorem of calculus? Wilson Hall offers both a math center and writing center where students meet with tutors who will help with the learning process.

Students who prefer smaller class sizes that apply Socratic learning methods may be interested in the University Honors College. With class sizes capped at 15 students and curriculum revolving around discussion, many students take advantage of the small-college atmosphere.

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