Middle Tennessee State University Top Questions

MTSU has great academics when choosing a class it is best to try and get a class of 30 to 40 students. I have learned that the smaller the class size the easier it is to learn and get to know your professor and it is easier if you have a question to ask and then if you need outside help you can see the professor without have a big problem about the time your professor has to see you.

Acedemics are really good. The class sizes aren't bad, only about 30-40 students in each unless you take a class in one of the larger rooms like the LRC which holds like 300. Classes are challenging but the professors are good and get you interested in the material. Upper level classes are very hands on especially in the RIM program which I am in.

It didn't take me long to realize that college in Tennessee (and likely in other Southern states) is equivalent to high school in other parts of the country. I've never met so many stupid, vapid idiots in my life. Standards here are so low that to be an honors student, you simply have to have a 3.5 GPA coming out of high school. Gee, that's aiming high. School like this continue to lower the bar for academic performance and achievement and contribute to the decreasing value of Bachelor's degrees as well as the perception of Americans as fat bumbling idiots who devalue education. You can actually get a Bachelor's degree from this school in CONCRETE MANAGEMENT. Seriously?! Fortunately, the Recording Industry department attracts people from all over the country, and the department has some good faculty that introduce some rigor into the academic daily diet.

The academics at MTSU vary from department to department. In a small major departmant, such as the Geology Department, the student-instructor interaction is exceptional. Your instructors know you by name, usually teach you for multiple courses before graduation, serve as guides through individual research opportunities, and organize lots of extracurricular activities. The larger departments, such as Elementary Education or Music Industry, are much more impersonal. Some students go their entire college career without meeting their major advisor face to face, or interacting with them at all. Generally, it seems like the education here is geared more towards practical applications, such as getting a job, than for learning for it's own sake.

Honestly, I've been surprised by the quality of academics at MTSU; I expected much less. But that doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of stupid students or that academics are put before anything else, especially sports. I have learned a lot in my classes, but I still haven't found a job...

Yes a lot fo the professors know our names and they get to know their students. The participation is very good in a majority of classes. When it comes to the required classes a lot of the professors don't know your name, because they have too many students. I believe the requirements are good, but some are not necessary. A lot of the pre req. classes are not really going to help you with every day life, plus they don't really give you a large variety. A lot of students should also have an opportunity to take an ag class as a pre req. requirement. My favorite class was Beef Production and least favorite class has to be none with my major, but pre req requirment my least favorite was Physics II. There was no point to the class unless you were a computer major then you cared about making a circuit. Yes, my education at MTSU was geared toward getting a job in my field.

From my experience, MTSU professors seem to be very personable. They are usually available and anxious to meet with students outside of class and once they get into their upper division studies, many students develop open personal relationships with many professors. As for academic requirements, they vary. I have been challenged throughout my education at MTSU, but there are classes that carry the reputation of being an "easy A". The majority of my classes have been challenging, especially in my upper-division studies, but I have also had classes that most students viewed as "a joke".

Some people might think MTSU is easy and you would get a better education at a school such as UTK but MTSU is HARD!

Not all of my professors have known my name but I think that is more my fault for not making them know it (in a positive way). My favorite class has been Introduction to Marketing only because of the professor though. He knew almost everyone’s name and liked to know what was going on with the students. He made the information that was boring enjoyable so that everyone paid attention. Mr. Friz was liked by most if not all of his students he was voted favorite professor in the business school. He had everyone participating which is hard and not many of my class have had. But I hear stories about other school’s professors and I feel like they (the other schools) have professors that want to help you and want to see you succeed more than the professors at MTSU.

As mentioned before, you can study just about antyhing at this school. The program that seems to get the most attention is Recording Industry Management where you learn about the music industry. That program was my reason for coming here. The professors of that program are very knowledgable, fun, and some are still working hands on with the industry. But beyond that, you can be a interior design major, insurance major, accounting major, dance major, music, major, concrete management major, nursing major, or a business student.