Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science

Motto	Learning, Service, Research
Type	Public University Land-Grant Sea-Grant Space-Grant
Established	1878
Endowment	US$456,609,736 (2014)
President	Mark E. Keenum
Academic staff	1,359
Administrative staff	3,361
Students	21,622 systemwide
Location	Mississippi State, Starkville, Mississippi, U.S. 33°27′14″N 88°47′20″W / 33.454°N 88.789°W / 33.454; -88.789Coordinates: 33°27′14″N 88°47′20″W / 33.454°N 88.789°W / 33.454; -88.789
Campus	Rural 4200 acres
Colors	Maroon and White
Athletics	NCAA Division I – SEC
Nickname	Bulldogs
Mascot	Bully
Affiliations	APLU
Website	msstate.edu

The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a land-grant university in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and mostly in an unincorporated area.Mississippi State, Mississippi is the official designation for the area that encompasses the university.

It is classified in the category of "R2: Doctoral Universities – Higher Research Activity" by the Carnegie Foundation. The university has campuses in Starkville (main), Meridian, Biloxi, and Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The university began as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi (or Mississippi A&M), one of the national land-grant colleges established after Congress passed the Morrill Act in 1862. It was created by the Mississippi Legislature on February 28, 1878, to fulfill the mission of offering training in "agriculture, horticulture and the mechanical arts . . . without excluding other scientific and classical studies, including military tactics." The university received its first students in the fall of 1880 in the presidency of General Stephen D. Lee.

In 1887 Congress passed the Hatch Act, which provided for the establishment of the Agricultural Experiment Station in 1888. The Cooperative Extension Service was established in 1914 by the Smith-Lever Act. The university has since had its mission expanded and redefined by the Legislature. In 1932, the Legislature renamed the university as Mississippi State College.