Address: Whitehurst Hall, 74078 Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States
Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering
Oklahoma State University began as a land-grant college. Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College was established in December 1890 under the Morrill Act of 1862, and the first classes were held on 14 December 1891, when, as the university’s history notes, no buildings, books or curriculum yet existed. The first six graduates received diplomas in 1896, and the institution became Oklahoma State University in 1957.
The main campus is in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Academic colleges include agriculture, engineering and architecture, and education and human sciences, and the Stillwater campus also has a veterinary school; in addition, an osteopathic medical college in Tulsa became part of the university in 1988. Branches were added in Okmulgee in 1946 and Oklahoma City in 1961.
Its land-grant mission links the university to agriculture and the mechanical arts. Its athletic teams, the Cowboys and Cowgirls, compete in NCAA Division I in the Big 12 Conference. Alumni include the businessman T. Boone Pickens and the singer Garth Brooks.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Engineering, Life Sciences, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Land-grant university. Strong programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and aerospace engineering. Passionate athletics and alumni base.
Research:
A research university with strengths in agricultural sciences, veterinary medicine, energy research, and aerospace engineering.
Famous Alumnis:
T. Boone Pickens, Garth Brooks, Barry Sanders, Reba McEntire (attended briefly)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5000
Current students***:
25000
Foreign students***:
5%
Cumulative former students***:
200000
Pros
Leading agricultural and veterinary programs in the region, strong school spirit and athletics, good value for a public university.
Cons
Located in a smaller city in Oklahoma, some programs less nationally prominent than OU.
Best For
Students seeking strong programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, or engineering at a major land-grant university with a spirited campus environment.
Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, is a public land-grant peer with agriculture, veterinary medicine and engineering.
Iowa State University in Ames is public and combines agriculture, engineering and veterinary medicine.
Washington State University, a public university in Pullman, offers agriculture, veterinary medicine and engineering.
Colorado State University in Fort Collins is public, with agricultural sciences and veterinary medicine among its main fields.
Texas Tech University is a public institution in Lubbock where engineering and agriculture sit alongside business.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Guelph in Canada is public, with agriculture and food science and veterinary medicine.
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Sweden is a public university focused on agricultural sciences, forestry and veterinary medicine.
Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom is a public specialist school for veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing.
Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Norway is public, covering life sciences, environmental sciences and veterinary medicine.
University of Queensland in Australia is public, offering medicine, engineering, science, business and agriculture.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When was OSU established?
It was founded in December 1890 as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College and held its first classes in December 1891. It was renamed Oklahoma State University in 1957.
What does land-grant mean for this university?
It was established under the Morrill Act of 1862, which gave states federal land to found colleges focused on practical fields such as agriculture and the mechanical arts.
Where is the main campus?
It is in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The university also has branches in Okmulgee and Oklahoma City.
Which fields is the university best known for?
Agriculture and engineering are central, and the Stillwater campus also has a veterinary school.
Does the university offer medical training?
An osteopathic medical college in Tulsa joined the university in 1988. Veterinary medicine is taught at Stillwater.
What are the university's sports teams called?
The Cowboys and Cowgirls compete in NCAA Division I in the Big 12 Conference.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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