Louisiana State University

Overview

Louisiana State University (LSU) is a public research university situated in the capital city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Opened in 1860, LSU is Louisiana’s top university and offers the most comprehensive academic programs in the state. As the flagship state university, LSU’s vision is to be a leading research university that encourages its students to aim for the “highest levels of intellectual and personal development.” Its mission is “the generation, preservation, dissemination, and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts.”

LSU offers more than 300 undergraduate programs, including Accounting to Data Science and Analytics, Creative Writing, Food Industry Management, Geographic Environmental Studies, and Landscape Architecture. Moreover, LSU is one of only eight universities in the country that houses colleges for law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and graduate programs for Business Administration. Its School of Veterinary Medicine is the only one in Louisiana.

Aside from its wide range of bachelor’s programs, LSU also offers an equally varied list of graduate certificate programs. These include Materials Science and Engineering, Climatology and Climate Change, Early Childhood, and Records and Information Management.

Online degree programs are available in LSU under different levels of studies, from associate to undergraduate, graduate degree, graduate certificate, and even micro-credentials. LSU is rated as an “R1: Doctoral Universities–Very high research activity,” and maintains cutting-edge research facilities for the research activities of its faculty and students. It’s involved in about 800 research projects supported by renowned research agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The university’s athletics department is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference. It has 21 teams in varsity sports, including tennis, football, track and field, and gymnastics.

Louisiana State University traces its origins to several land-grants by the U.S. government between 1806 and 1827. It was originally known as Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy and was established in 1853 by the Louisiana General Assembly. The academy was officially opened in 1860. LSU is one of only 30 universities in the U.S. that holds a land-grant, space-grant, and sea-grant status.

LSU has produced alumni who have gone to excel in politics, athletics, academia, and the arts. Former presidential adviser to Bill Clinton, James Carville, and Hubert Humphrey, 38th Vice President of the U.S. are among LSU graduates who brought their expertise to politics. Meanwhile, in sports, the most well-known LSU alumnus is four-time NBA Championship winner, Shaquille O’Neal.