Texas State University
-San Marcos

The university has a reputation for excellence. The Princeton Review named Texas State a “Best Western College” for 2008 and an “America’s Best Value College” for 2007. Only three other Texas universities were recognized. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Texas State in the top tier of master’s universities in the 15-state Western Region for 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Many of Texas State’s 110 bachelor’s, 88 master’s, and seven doctoral degree programs and its colleges are nationally recognized. As the home of the Aquarena Center, River Systems Institute, and Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center, the Texas State campus is one of the best places in the world to study aquatic ecosystems and species. The university’s undergraduate geography program is the largest in the country. The McCoy College of Business Administration at Texas State is among only 30 percent of business schools in the nation accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). And the Department of English’s creative writing program has been compared with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the best in the nation.

Texas State, which was founded in 1899 as a training institution for public school teachers, also continues to excel in teacher education. Texas State produces more teachers than any other Texas university, and the Association of Teacher Education recognizes the university’s education program as one of the top three in the nation.

Texas State attracts students from around the globe, and the student body is ethnically diverse. The university is ranked among the top 20 institutions in the nation for the number of Hispanic students who earn undergraduate degrees.

The number of high-achieving students who choose Texas State is on the rise. In fact, the university’s Mitte Honors Program is the fastest-growing program of its kind in the state.

The university’s professors are known for their accessibility to students and for their excellence in the classroom. Texas State ranks second in the number of faculty members who have been honored by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation as Piper Professors for their superior teaching.

Many Texas State professors are also engaged in important research. Research in nanotechnology, cancer, and many other fields is being conducted on the Texas State campus.

Located in San Marcos, a growing community of nearly 50,000 people about halfway between Austin and San Antonio, the campus enjoys a convenient location and a picturesque setting. The beauty of the crystal-clear San Marcos River and the stately cypress and pecan trees on the campus adds to the charm of the hilly campus.

Since 2005, Texas State has also offered bachelor’s and graduate-level programs in Round Rock, Texas, at the university’s Round Rock Higher Education Center (RRHEC) campus, located north of Austin. The RRHEC will be home to Texas State’s School of Nursing, scheduled to open in 2010.