Since 1860, LSU has served the people of Louisiana, the region, the nation, and the world through extensive, multipurpose programs encompassing instruction, research, and public service.
LSU is...
• the flagship institution of the state of Louisiana
• one of only 25 universities nationwide holding both land-grant and sea-grant status
• brings in more than $87.5 million annually in outside research grants and contracts, a significant factor for the Louisiana economy
• home of the "Fighting Tigers" and their Bengal tiger mascot, Mike V
• a community of more than 34,000 faculty, staff, and students from every state and more than 120 countries
• injects more than a half-billion dollars into the Baton Rouge economy annually
Mission
The mission of Louisiana State University and A&M College is the generation, preservation, dissemination, and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts for the benefit of the people of the state, the nation, and the global community.
Research
Research at LSU is conducted by faculty in academic departments and through institutes, offices, centers for advanced studies, and other special units. At any given time, more than 2,000 sponsored research projects are under way at the University. In addition, faculty members pursue numerous research projects that are not sponsored by outside agencies, as do many graduate students. Other research and instructional programs are undertaken through the LSU Agricultural Center's Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station.
Collaborative research at the $25 million Center for Advanced Microstructures & Devices, a pioneer in development of micro fabrication, will make possible a whole new range of electronic products and devices.
Teaching
LSU conducts two semesters, a summer term consisting of one or more sessions, and a three-week intersession each year, offering a great number and variety of courses of study. Curricula leading to bachelor's degrees are offered in 71 major fields, master's degrees are offered in 75 major fields, and doctoral degrees are offered in 54 major fields. The
D.V.M. is offered by the School of Veterinary Medicine, and the J.D.,
LL.M., and M.C.L. degrees are offered by the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, a unit of the LSU System located in Baton Rouge.
Enrollment peaks in the fall semester at more than 31,000 students and drops by about 8 percent in the spring. Summer term enrollment totals about 11,500. Despite its large enrollment, the University maintains an impressive record of small-class teaching. Two-thirds of the classes offered in any semester have fewer than 30 students and fewer than 6 percent of all classes have 100 or more students. Of the introductory survey courses (1000-level courses), just 3 percent have 100 or more students. The student-faculty ratio is 20:1.
In addition to traditional teaching programs, LSU serves nontraditional students, people whose educational needs cannot be met through full-time resident college study, through the Division of Continuing Education. Sixteen departments offer credit and noncredit courses at on- and off-campus locations to people with various backgrounds and unique learning objectives. Many programs are scheduled at night through the Evening School, a degree program for part-time adult students. Through distance-learning methods, such as correspondence study and
telelearning, the resources of the University are extended to every parish in the state.
Public Service
LSU's public service contributions encompass instruction, continuing education, research, agricultural outreach, and more. While this sense of service permeates the entire University, the primary function of some units is to extend LSU's resources to all the state's citizens.
The University also offers hundreds of cultural and entertainment events to the community each year. And its museums—the Museum of Art, Museum of Natural Science, and Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens—as well as its library collections, are available to all Louisiana citizens.
