VISITORS GUIDE
2023–24
MTSU is the only locally governed institution in Tennessee named to The Princeton Review’s annual list of the nation’s best colleges.
The honor by the highly regarded educational services company is extended to about 13% of the nation’s roughly 3,000 four-year institutions.
MTSU is a powerful economic engine for the region and the entire state of Tennessee. According to a study from the Business and Economic Research Center in the Jones College of Business:
- MTSU had an economic impact of over $1.42 billion in 2021—up 26.8% from 2017.
- The University was responsible for almost 11,500 jobs statewide—up 36.8%.
As Murfreesboro’s second-largest employer (2,270 jobs), MTSU generated $143.6 million in local, state, and federal tax revenue—a jump from $88 million.
MTSU is also a research powerhouse. In 2022, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education elevated MTSU to R2 status—doctoral university with high research activity— joining a select group of just a few hundred institutions to carry the R1 or R2 designation nationwide.
MTSU takes great pride in our overall impact on this community, region, and state as we fulfill our mission of preparing the next generations of community leaders.
President Sidney A. McPhee
MTSU is working to develop a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. The University holds these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them: “I am True Blue.”
TRUE BLUE PLEDGE
As a member of this diverse community,
I am a valuable contributor to its progress and success.
I am engaged in the life of this community.
I am a recipient and a giver.
I am a listener and a speaker.
I am honest in word and deed.
I am committed to reason, not violence.
I am a learner, now and forever.
I am a Blue Raider.
I am TRUE BLUE.
TAKE A
CLOSER LOOK
The School of Concrete and Construction Management’s new building (fall 2022) includes exposed structural elements that will be used as teaching tools. It follows the Academic Classroom Building (2020), home to Criminal Justice Administration, Psychology, and Social Work. Next up: the Applied Engineering Building, which will go next door to CCM.
A new master’s program in Physician Assistant Studies is MTSU’s second pathway for primary care providers. The School of Nursing also trains nurse practitioners to provide family and mental health care.
MTSU is home to WMOT 89.5 FM Roots Radio, the region’s only station devoted to the burgeoning, singer/songwriter-friendly Americana format.
There are three Nobel Prize winners associated with MTSU. The actual Nobel medal awarded to 1940 graduate James M. Buchanan, a pioneering economist, is on permanent loan to the University.
Founded in 1911 as a teacher-training school, MTSU is still one of the finest teacher preparation institutions in the Southeast. The newest doctoral program—and the first of its kind in Tennessee—is the Doctor of Education in Assessment, Learning, and Student Success.