Kennesaw State University

What is the history of Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State University is a public university whose present form reflects both decades of growth and a major institutional consolidation. It began as Kennesaw Junior College, established in 1963 to expand access to higher education in the Atlanta area. The college opened to students in 1966.

As its degree offerings expanded, it became Kennesaw College in 1976, Kennesaw State College in 1988, and Kennesaw State University in 1996. In 2015, Kennesaw State consolidated with Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta. That merger helps explain why today's university has two principal campuses and a particularly broad selection of engineering, computing, architecture, and construction programs alongside its other academic fields.

What are the faculties and departments at Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State organizes its academic programs across colleges covering business, education, engineering, computing, health, the arts, sciences, and the humanities. Its two-campus structure matters academically: students may need to take classes or use facilities on both the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses, depending on their programs.

Academic units include the Coles College of Business; Bagwell College of Education; College of the Arts; College of Computing and Software Engineering; College of Science and Mathematics; Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology; College of Architecture and Construction Management; and Wellstar College of Health and Human Services. The university also offers graduate study through its graduate academic structure.

Representative undergraduate fields include accounting, nursing, computer science, mechanical engineering, architecture, psychology, and teacher education. Graduate offerings extend into professional and research-oriented fields. Prospective students should check the catalog for the exact degree, campus, admission standards, and course sequence they want: admission to the university does not necessarily mean admission to a selective major such as nursing.

What is the location of Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State's main campuses are in Kennesaw and Marietta, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta. Both are in suburban Cobb County, giving students access to the Atlanta employment region without placing either campus in downtown Atlanta.

The Kennesaw campus is the larger center of general university activity; the Marietta campus has a substantial concentration of engineering, technology, architecture, and related programs. Students comparing schedules should check where each required class meets and allow time for travel between campuses. Parking and commuting are significant considerations at a university where most students live off campus. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport serves the wider region, but routine travel to campus generally requires planning around local roads, parking, and available transit connections.

What is the mission and vision of Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State describes its purpose in terms of access to public higher education, student learning, research, and service. Its stated priorities include connecting teaching and scholarship with the needs of students and the broader Georgia community.

Those are institutional aims, not guarantees about an individual student's experience. Applicants can assess how the mission translates into practice by looking at their intended department's curriculum, undergraduate research options, advising arrangements, and opportunities for applied learning. Kennesaw State is a public university, not a religiously affiliated institution.