Oregon State University - Overview
Oregon State University Overview
Students choose Oregon State University for many reasons. Located in Corvallis, Oregon, OSU is the state's largest public research university, and it offers research opportunities in every area. More than 2,000 undergraduate students make real contributions in faculty research, as well as pursuing their own research grants and projects.
Oregon State University is one of only two land, sea, space, and sun grant universities in the country, attracting $275 million in research funding this year. OSU's bachelor's degree programs, which are nationally recognized for their quality, include agricultural sciences, accounting, conservation biology, engineering, environmental sciences, forestry, pharmacy, wildlife and fisheries science, and zoology.
The majority of undergraduate classes at OSU are taught by top professors with national reputations for research and teaching. The University Honors College is one of only a handful of degree-granting honors programs in the United States, offering a small college environment with the resources and opportunities of a leading research university.
Oregon State University Student Life
Oregon State University offers students a welcoming, close-knit community of more than 20,000 students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. Students can choose from over 300 clubs and organizations and have the added benefit of partaking in the excitement of Pac-10 athletics.
Oregon State and Corvallis are known for sustainability, and its students are one of the reasons why. In 2007, they voted overwhelmingly to assess themselves a green energy fee that allows the university to buy electricity from renewable, more environmentally friendly sources. Oregon State University is one of the top universities in the country for using clean power -- even some of the treadmills at Dixon Recreation Center are connected to the grid.
Oregon State University Career Development
When students graduate from Oregon State University, they have the ability to join a network of more than 140,000 Oregon State alumni who are making the world healthier, more sustainable, and more prosperous. OSU students have won Olympic medals; invented breakthrough products like the computer mouse and the Leatherman tool; and made important discoveries in health, engineering, natural resources, and science. One such highly decorated Oregon State alumnus is Linus Pauling, the only two-time recipient of an unshared Nobel Prize.
Oregon State University Campus
The OSU main campus in Corvallis is consistently ranked as one of the safest university communities on the West Coast. Farmers Insurance named Corvallis the "Most Secure" city in the U.S. for 2007 and 2008. With about 55,000 residents, OSU's Corvallis campus offers a friendly, university-oriented atmosphere. In fact, students rated OSU as the fifth friendliest campus in the United States, according to CampusDirt.com. Forbes magazine also rated Corvallis as one of the top five smartest cities.
Miles of bike lanes and free city bus service make it easy for students to get around town. Within a couple hours of Corvallis are the Oregon Coast; the Cascade Mountains, with skiing, hiking, camping, and snowboarding; and Portland, Oregon's largest city.
Oregon State University Study Abroad
Through the international degree, study abroad, and international internship programs, OSU students can study, work, or conduct research almost anywhere in the world. Programs, which range from a term to a full year, are offered in Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, and Vietnam.
Oregon State University Research Facilities
Special research facilities include OSU's Mark O. Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology, Forest Research Laboratory, Radiation Center, and Hinsdale Wave Research Lab.
Oregon State University Financial Aid
OSU offers the full range of scholarships, grants, work-study, and loans from federal, state, and university sources, investing more than $130 million in student aid annually. Some form of financial assistance is received by 70 percent of the students at Oregon State.
Oregon State University Faculty
Undergraduate education is a priority at Oregon State University, and nationally prominent scholars and scientists regularly teach undergraduate courses at all levels. Students receive individual attention and the chance to know their professors both in and out of the classroom. Faculty members consistently receive awards for teaching and research, and many of them are nationally and internationally renowned.
For example, Jane Lubchenco, marine biology professor, was chosen by President Obama to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Kelly Benoit-Bird, a pioneering young oceanographer from Oregon State University, was recently selected as one of 23 recipients nationwide of prestigious MacArthur Fellowships, otherwise known as the `Genius Awards'. The more than $206 million in external research funds received annually by OSU faculty exceeds that of all other Oregon public universities combined.