Colorado State University's roots go back to 1870, when the institution was founded as the Agricultural College of Colorado. The school first opened its doors to students in 1879 with President Elijah Edwards and two faculty members. Today, Colorado State University has more than 22,000 students and is a Carnegie Class I research institution with annual research expenditures topping $138 million. The university has approximately 1,400 faculty in eight colleges and 55 academic departments.
CSU Campus
The Department of Journalism and Technical Communication is one of 13 units in the College of Liberal Arts, the largest of eight colleges on campus. Graduate students represent 15% of Colorado State’s 25,000 students. Students come from every state and 85 nations. In 2005, the university’s 57 departments conferred 1,090 master's degrees in 61 fields and 186 doctoral degrees in 34 fields.
Morgan Library and three branch libraries maintain a collection of more than 2 million volumes and 20,000 journals. The library is committed to growing its collection related to communication technology to serve students in the program. Colorado State maintains more than 250 library database services and boasts one of the most extensive inter-library loan programs in the nation. Electronic services are available around the clock from on and off campus.
Fort Collins (population 135,000) is the largest community in the booming northern Colorado region and is situated only 60 miles north of Denver (population 2.5 million) – a major economic and transportation hub for the Rocky Mountain region. Denver International Airport is served by two dozen airlines and offers daily nonstop service to and from 130 domestic and international destinations.
Fort Collins routinely appears on lists of the “Best Places to Live” published by magazines such as U.S. News and World Report and Money. Situated in the foothills of the Rockies (nearly 5,000 feet above sea level), the city is close to numerous outdoor recreation areas for mountain biking, camping, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, rafting, rock climbing, fishing and water-skiing. More than 300 days of sunshine a year result in temperate winters and an arid climate.
Fort Collins blends many big-city advantages with small town friendliness. The city features several shopping malls, virtually all major national retailers, hundreds of restaurants, movie complexes, a regional cultural center, eclectic music venues and clubs, parks and natural areas, and miles of bike trails within town.
Fort Collins is home to several major high-technology firms (including Hewlett-Packard and Intel), biotechnology firms and federal natural resources agencies. Denver is a vibrant media market that serves as headquarters for industry leaders such as MediaNews Group, Liberty Media, StarzEncore and Jones Intercable.
In addition to campus housing designed for graduate students, a plentiful variety of affordable apartments, condominiums and single-family homes are available for rent or purchase. The Poudre School District comprises a network of excellent elementary, junior and senior high schools. The district’s students consistently outperform students from other districts on statewide standardized achievement tests.
CSU's Campus & Community
The Community of Fort Collins
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