Welcome to Louisiana State University!

Since 1860, LSU has engaged in 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
• a significant contributor to the Louisiana economy, injecting more than a half-billion dollars into the Baton Rouge economy annually
• a community of more than 34,000 faculty, staff, and students from throughout the United States and more than 120 countries

Mission-Driven

The mission of Louisiana State University 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.

Dedicated to Excellence

Our strategic plan, the National Flagship Agenda is a seven-year plan to bring LSU to a new level of excellence. It focuses on action steps that increase research and scholarly productivity and the quality and competitiveness of our graduate and undergraduate students. The outcomes are designed to place LSU in a position to compete on all levels with the finest public universities in the country. As a national flagship institution, LSU will advance knowledge and intellectual inquiry by promoting groundbreaking research; produce enlightened citizens by fostering critical thinking, ethical reflection, historical understanding, and cultural appreciation; enhance Louisiana by converting scientific and technological discoveries into new products and processes, by preparing an informed and creative labor force, and by applying university resources to solve economic, environmental, and educational challenges.

Committed to Diversity and Equity

Access to a variety of viewpoints and ideas is the key to creating a vibrant learning and working environment. In an increasingly globalized society, we believe that fostering the exploration of many perspectives is a vital part of training the next generation of leaders and problem solvers. One of our main institutional priorities is to recruit and retain students, staff, and faculty from traditionally underrepresented groups. LSU is a place where diversity meets scholarship to create the ideal educational experience.

LSU assures equal opportunity for all qualified persons without regard to race, creed, color, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, sex, age, national origin, mental or physical disability, or veteran's status in the admission to, participation in, and treatment or employment in University programs. LSU firmly supports the national policy of Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity.

A Beautiful Campus

The LSU campus has been recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects as one of the nation's most beautiful and significant landscapes. It also was called "a botanical joy" in its listing among the 20 best campuses in America in Thomas Gaines's The Campus as a Work of Art.

Part of a Culturally Rich City

The city of Baton Rouge—capital of the state of Louisiana, an inland port, and a major petrochemical center—has a metropolitan area population of more than 600,000. Geographically, Baton Rouge is the center of South Louisiana's cultural and recreational attractions. New Orleans is located about 80 miles to the southeast. Baton Rouge has a fascinating, diverse culture and is well known for its rich musical, literary, and culinary heritage.

A Leading Center of Research and Scholarship

As a Doctoral/Research-Extensive University, LSU brings in $135M annually in external funding to support projects ranging from the applied and practical to the highly theoretical. Notable facilities include

• SuperMike, one of the fastest supercomputers on an American academic campus, soon to be linked to the National LambdaRail Project
• The J. Bennett Johnston, Sr., Center for Advanced Microstructure and Devices housing a synchrotron supporting projects including protein crystallography and X-ray lithography
• The Center for Computation & Technology, with an international reputation for exploring applications of massive parallel computing, ranging from astrophysics to computer animation
• The Vincent A. Forte River & Coastal Engineering Research Laboratory, with a scale model of the lower 76 miles of the Mississippi River
• Located nearby in Livingston Parish is one of the pair of Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatories to detect gravitational waves. This is currently NSF's largest single research project and anchors outstanding research and education in our area.

LSU is the home of The Southern Review, one of the world's most prestigious literary journals, established in the 1930s by Robert Penn Warren, Cleanth Brooks, and Charles Pipkin. The School of Music makes major contributions to musical literature as well as enlivening the campus environment with performances from soloists and ensembles that annually compete for national recognition. LSU is host to the longest continuously running contemporary music festival in the country; an equity theatre company, Swine Palace Productions; and numerous lectureship series.

LSU Libraries' holdings include more than three million volumes, more than five million microform holdings, and more than 12 million manuscript leaves. Among the services provided are a regional government depository, extensive electronic journals and databases, and a U.S. Patent and Trademark Depository.

Committed to Teaching Excellence

LSU offers curricula leading to bachelor's degrees in 72 major fields, master's degrees in 72 major fields, and doctoral degrees in 54 major fields. The University's continuing commitment to educational excellence is exemplified by innovative programs such as

• CCell (Center for Community Engagement, Learning, & Leadership) involves more than 2000 students each year in service-learning activities in every college at LSU. In community projects, learning is connected to reality, and communication and critical problem solving skills are enhanced.
• LSU's Center for Academic Success was selected by the National College Learning Center Association Board to receive the 2004 NCLCA Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award among four-year colleges.
• LSU's mathematics department is an affiliate of the national Roadmap to Redesign project, with a redesign plan for pre-calculus courses making extensive use of computerized testing and a dedicated learning laboratory.
• Residential college programs enhance student engagement through living-learning experiences. There is a large residence for freshmen, as well as interdisciplinary programs for information technology and economic development. Construction is underway for a residential college "campus" that will allow expansion into modern facilities with classrooms, libraries, and faculty residences.

Built upon Foundations of Excellence

LSU has identified 12 programs as foundations of excellence—biological sciences, chemical engineering, chemistry, English, French, geography, geology and geophysics, information systems and decision sciences, mass communication, mathematics, music, and physics and astronomy. Targeted for enhanced resource allocations, these programs have been selected because each has sufficient strength to advance to levels that will command national and international attention, heightening LSU's reputation as a public research university.

A Robust Community of Learners

Enrollment peaks in the fall semester at a little over 31,000 students, including some 1,700 international students and 5,000 graduate students. About 80% of the freshman class is from Louisiana, but the student body consists of students from throughout the U.S. and more than 120 foreign countries. The overall student to faculty ratio is 21:1. Louisiana's Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) is a comprehensive program of state scholarships administered by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. TOPS provides tuition assistance and, in some cases, cash stipends to Louisiana residents who meet certain qualifications.

A Strong Tradition in Athletics

LSU's athletic program has traditionally been strong throughout all of its varsity sports, and nationally competitive teams have been fielded in most sports. In all, LSU has won a Southeastern Conference-leading 43 national titles, including three during the 2003-04 year. In addition, LSU ran its all-time SEC titles to 105 by winning conference championships in football and softball in 2003-04. In addition to its success on the field of play, the Tigers had four student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors, with another 107 being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the year.

Proud of Its Alumni

LSU's prominent alumni and former students include:

M.J. "Mike" Foster, Jr., former governor of the State of Louisiana; U.S. Senators John Breaux and Mary Landrieu; Carlos Roberto Flores, former president of Honduras; Jimmy Andrews, M.D., founder of the American Sports Medicine Institute; Shaquille O'Neal, center for the Miami Heat; Bill Conti, Academy Award-winning Hollywood composer; John Ed Bradley, novelist; James Carville, chief political strategist for former President Clinton's 1992 campaign; Harry J. Longwell, senior vice president of ExxonMobil; Elizabeth Ashley, actress; Joanne Woodward, Academy Award winning actress; Reinosuke Hara, president of the Foundation Advanced Technical Institute, a subsidiary of Seiko Instruments, Inc.; Clarence Cazelot, CEO of Marathon Oil; Julie Giroux, Emmy Award-winning composer; and Rex Reed, New York author and film critic

Nationally Accredited

Louisiana State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees.