Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University is a national doctoral degree-granting, land-grant university offering a wide range of educational experiences for learning and growth to a diverse student body of approximately 23,000 students. Among the National Science Foundation’s Top 100 research universities, MSU provides access and opportunity to students from all 50 states and 86 countries. MSU is committed to its comprehensive research university mission, addressing complex local and global issues with innovative ideas and solutions.
Mississippi State strategically extends its expertise throughout the state, region, nation—and globally—offering educational access not only on the main Starkville campus, but on its Meridian campus, through the MSU Extension Service, a Center for Distance Education, and numerous other centers and institutes.
The university equips students with the experiences and problem-solving skills they need for success in their careers and beyond. The university provides a dynamic student experience within an inviting campus and the college town of Starkville, where students of diverse interests and backgrounds can explore what excites them in and outside the classroom.
Every student is unique, and MSU’s campus resources reflect this individualized perspective by offering a comprehensive range of programs and services that help students successfully navigate their college careers and attain personal growth and development.
From counseling services and health and wellness programs to student leadership and community engagement resources to a robust veterans’ assistance network and a cultural diversity center, the MSU community is focused on ensuring that all students achieve their full potential.
College of Business
Mississippi State University’s College of Business, founded in 1915, is the institution’s fourth-largest college with nearly 3,700 students enrolled. Of these, over 2,900 are enrolled in undergraduate programs, 670 in master’s programs, and 30 in doctoral programs. The college employs 85 full-time faculty, including 25 tenured professors and 10 associate professors. There are also 26 assistant professors in the tenure track process, six clinical faculty and 18 instructors. Part-time lecturers augment full-time faculty and 36 staff members are employed in such areas as student support, recruiting, marketing and promotion. For fiscal year 2023, the college’s budget is $14.8 million and the endowment is over $55 million.
College Mission
The Mississippi State University College of Business promotes societal impact benefitting the people and businesses of Mississippi and beyond through an enriched learning community. Students are prepared to think, communicate, and collaborate ethically in today’s diverse, technology-driven, global business environment. The college provides a collegial academic atmosphere that nurtures students and encourages faculty to be innovative and to integrate teaching, research, and service.
College Accreditation
The undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral business programs are accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). The Adkerson School of Accountancy is separately accredited at the undergraduate and master’s levels by AACSB International
Academics
MSU’s College of Business is organized into one school, three departments, and one division. The Starkville campus is home to the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy, Department of Finance and Economics, Department of Management and Information Systems, and the Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis, and Business Law.
The college offers two undergraduate degrees: the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Bachelor of Accountancy (BACC). The BBA degree includes majors in business administration, economics, finance, information systems, management, and marketing. A variety of concentrations are also available: risk management and insurance, supply chain management, PGA Golf Management, integrated digital marketing, and health care administration, available only in MSU-Meridian’s Division of Business. Along with health care administration, MSU-Meridian’s Division of Business offers junior and senior level courses in accounting, finance, information systems, management, marketing and quantitative analysis, as well as MBA courses.
An interdisciplinary international business concentration is available to add to any of the undergraduate majors as part of a five-year dual degree program with the College of Arts and Sciences. These students jointly earn a BBA or BACC and a BA in a foreign language. MSU-Meridian offers the BBA-business administration major and BACC degree. The BBA business administration major additionally is offered online utilizing faculty from both campuses.
At the graduate level, the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS), Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA), and Master of Taxation (MTAX) are offered. The MBA is offered in a one-year, full-time program on the Starkville campus, and on a part-time basis through the Meridian and online campuses. The MSIS and both the MPA and MTAX are offered on the Starkville campus and online. At the doctoral level, the Ph.D. in Business Administration is offered on the Starkville campus with concentrations in finance, information systems, management, and marketing.
Points of Pride
The Journal of Small Business Management ranks MSU’s College of Business among the best in the world for the impact of its entrepreneurship research. The college boasts a highly regarded Center of Entrepreneurship and Outreach, which assists more than 100 student startups annually, has a startup portfolio valued at more than $30 million, and federal and state earmarked dollars to expand entrepreneurship across the state. Also housed in the college is the regional Small Business Development Center, covering the northcentral counties, and the Veterans Business Outreach Center, serving three states and reaching hundreds of veterans annually. The Boots to Business Revenue program, a highly competitive SBA cooperative agreement is also housed in the college and annually serves hundreds of veterans and their spouses worldwide.
The 30-hour online and highly ranked MBA program offers students an affordable and flexible opportunity to participate in useful, well-designed courses emphasizing accounting, management, marketing, and finance. Rated the Best Online MBA Program of 2020 in the Best Value Schools rankings, this MSU degree option also has been among those listed as “best” by U.S. News & World Report.
The Business Information Systems program has a rich history and impeccable reputation as one of the oldest degree options of its type in the world. In addition, the PGA Golf Management program is the second oldest in the nation, is sanctioned by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, and has partnered with more than 1,200 golf courses for student internships.
Businesses worldwide look to MSU’s Adkerson School of Accountancy, which consistently places 100 percent of its graduates in full-time jobs. Recognized as a nationally competitive accounting program, the school offers both undergraduate and master’s degrees that place graduates in some of the most competitive firms in the U.S.
Recent Achievements
The college has opened the state-of-the-art Market Innovation Lab and Observatory, or MILO, fully outfitted with hardware and software for eye tracking, facial recognition and the collection of biometric data. MILO allows students and faculty to look beyond insights gained from surveys and focus groups to gain in-depth, detailed feedback from market consumers.
A partnership between the College of Business and the College of Engineering has created a new Engineering Leadership Excellence program. Students can earn dual, collaborative degrees—the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and the Bachelor of Business Administration—with only one additional semester of coursework.
A new Supply Chain Logistics program—the only one of its kind in the state—is preparing students to help solve current issues affecting local, state, regional, national, and worldwide economies. With industries today searching more than ever for solutions to supply chain-related challenges, this program focuses on such areas as distribution management, forecasting and predictive analytics; consumer behavior; and commercial transaction law.