Montana State University
Montana State University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Montana State University Featured Rankings
- #2 Best Colleges in Montana
- #2 Best Research Universities in Montana
- #2 Montana's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #2 Best Graduate Schools in Montana
- #2 Best Public Colleges in Montana 2026
- #2 Most Affordable Colleges in Montana
- #2 Montana's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #2 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #8 Online Master's in Agribusiness
- #14 Online Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and Humanities
About Montana State University
According to Wikipedia, Montana State University is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fields through its nine colleges. More than 16,700 students attended MSU in the fall 2019, taught by 796 full-time and 547 part-time faculty.
Montana State University's Online Degrees
Graduate Certificate in Science Teaching
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Superintendent
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
MS in Science Education
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MAT in Teaching
Degree Concentrations
- Initial Teaching Licensure
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 1-2 years
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Native American Studies
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
MS in Land Resources And Environmental Sciences
- Required Credits: 30
- Format: Fully online
BA in Liberal Studies
Degree Concentrations
- Quaternity
- Required Credits: 120
- Format: Fully online
MSN in Clinical Nurse Leader
Degree Concentrations
- Bs To Mn
- Adrn To Msn
- Required Credits: 42
- Format: Fully online
DNP in Nursing
Degree Concentrations
- Ms To Dnp
- Required Credits: 43
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Addiction Counseling
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
Montana State University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21,975 | 82% | 79% | 59% | 1175 | 24 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Montana State University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $8,948 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $19,322 |
| 30K - 48K | $19,557 |
| 48K - 75K | $21,133 |
| 75K - 110K | $24,666 |
| 110K+ | $26,850 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Montana State University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Montana State University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $59,536 a year, and 91% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Montana State University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 18,998 | 16,436 | 2,562 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Montana State University?
Montana State University is located at Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717.
How Safe is Montana State University?
Relative to its enrollment, Montana State University has a violent crime rate of 0.06% and a property crime rate of 0.02%. Bozeman has a violent crime rate of 0.45% and a property crime rate of 1.81%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Montana State University Known For?
Montana State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Biology
- Earth Sciences
- Social Work
- Anthropology
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Philosophy
- Engineering
- History
- Economics
- Political Science
- Business
- Education
- Literature
- Computer Science
- Medical
- Sociology
- Mathematics
- Psychology
- Criminal Justice
- Nursing
Montana State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Montana State University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Montana State University ranks #122 in the U.S. and #400 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesMontana State University ranks #166 in the U.S. and #672 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesMontana State University ranks #217 in the U.S. and #509 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesMontana State University ranks #218 in the U.S. and #682 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesMontana State University ranks #227 in the U.S. and #973 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesMontana State University ranks #232 in the U.S. and #1116 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesMontana State University ranks #236 in the U.S. and #774 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesMontana State University ranks #262 in the U.S. and #1550 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesMontana State University ranks #264 in the U.S. and #751 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesMontana State University ranks #296 in the U.S. and #1625 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesMontana State University ranks #300 in the U.S. and #1183 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesMontana State University ranks #327 in the U.S. and #1132 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesMontana State University ranks #337 in the U.S. and #1426 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesMontana State University ranks #411 in the U.S. and #1233 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesMontana State University ranks #468 in the U.S. and #2200 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesMontana State University ranks #476 in the U.S. and #1784 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesMontana State University ranks #491 in the U.S. and #1692 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesMontana State University ranks #526 in the U.S. and #2160 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesMontana State University ranks #596 in the U.S. and #1549 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesMontana State University ranks #668 in the U.S. and #1245 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesMontana State University ranks #813 in the U.S. and #2117 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesWho Are Montana State University's Most Influential Alumni?
Montana State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Biology, Social Work, and Anthropology. Here are some of Montana State University's most famous alumni:
- Maurice Hilleman
- An American vaccinologist.
- Mary Higby Schweitzer
- An American paleontologist.
- Sarah Vowell
- An American author, journalist, singing songs and social commentator.
- Irving Weissman
- An American scientist.
- Chet Huntley
- An American broadcaster .
- Peter Voulkos
- An American artist .
- Lester Hogan
- An American physicist.
- Mike Mansfield
- An American politician and diplomat.
- John Barnes
- An American science fiction writer.
- Jill Mikucki
- An American microbiologist, educator and Antarctic researcher.
- James R. Browning
- An American judge.
- Dennis Erickson
- An American football coach.
