Missouri Southern State University

Missouri Southern State University is a state-supported, comprehensive university offering programs leading to the bachelor's degree and to selective master's degrees in collaboration with other universities. The University has a statewide mission in international education granted to MSSU by special legislation.

The University's primary goal is to offer a baccalaureate program that fosters the total education of each student. Central to that mission is the strong commitment to international education, to the liberal arts, to professional and preprofessional programs, and to the complementary relationship that must exist between liberal and professional education in order to prepare individuals for success in careers and lifelong learning.

Inherent in its international approach to undergraduate education is the University's desire to prepare its students to understand world affairs, international issues and other cultures as seen through their history, geography, language, literature, philosophy, economics and politics. Knowledge and understanding of other cultures of the world also promote better understanding of our own valuable cultural diversity.

Missouri Southern State University's commitment to the liberal arts is reflected in a comprehensive program of general education requirements for all students to ensure that they have a breadth of educational experiences which will enable them to develop communication and critical thinking skills and to acquire and apply aesthetic, contemporary, civic, international, historical, mathematical, scientific and value-oriented perspectives.

The faculty and staff of Missouri Southern State University emphasize quality teaching and learning as the most important attributes of the institution, complemented by scholarly and creative expression and dedicated community service. Community service involves responsiveness to the Southwest Missouri region as well as serving as the intellectual, creative and cultural center of the area.

In order to remain loyal to the trust given to the University by the people of the State of Missouri, Missouri Southern State University will:
fulfill its mission and objectives in an honorable and ethical manner;
periodically review its mission in light of contemporary changes in society and in the needs of the people of Missouri;
continually assess the effectiveness of its programs in order to ensure their quality and integrity.

Institutional goals that reflect our institutional mission:

To provide and maintain a culture of student success throughout the university experience in an academically challenging and supportive environment with a particular focus on the first year of college as the foundation for that success.

To implement the international mission by providing and maintaining instruction, programming, and institutional systems designed to help students succeed in the multicultural-global communities in which they will live and work.

To provide and maintain a quality curriculum that balances the liberal arts with professional and pre-professional education to meet the needs of students and employers.

To provide and maintain quality teaching and learning experiences enriched by scholarly and creative expression.

To enhance access to higher education by providing and maintaining the technology and support services that advance best practices for distance learning programs.

To respond to the needs of the Southwest Missouri region through educational and cultural programming.

To provide for continuous improvement by implementing the full cycle assessment of academic and support programs and the ongoing evaluation of operational efficiency and effectiveness.

To fulfill the University's Mission in an honorable manner that fosters and enhances the institutions integrity.