Office of Academic Affairs

Office: 3501 Lee Hall
662-325-3742
P.O. Box BQ; Mississippi State, MS 39762

Center for Academic Excellence

Executive Director: Dr. Clay Armstrong

YMCA 1st Floor
Mailstop 9711 
Web site http://cae.msstate.edu
Telephone: (662) 325-2957
195 Lee Blvd.
Mississippi State, MS 39762

Mission

The Center for Academic Excellence works with all MSU students – especially incoming freshmen – to help assure their smooth transition to the university and success on their road to graduation. The Center promotes student learning and an enriched MSU student experience by providing services, programs, and resources that:

- assist the student with his or her transition into university life;

- aid the student's decision-making, especially during the freshman year; and

- help achieve personal and academic progress and growth, targeted toward graduation.
The Center's strategic goals are to:

- offer services, programs, and classes that assist the student's transition to MSU;

- support student academic planning and progress through high-quality academic advising and timely feedback;

- provide informative and engaging first-year classes and programs;

- provide academic support for all students;

- develop programs and take actions that are informed by analyses of relevant data; and

- engage the university in the support of students in their progress toward graduation.

The Center for Academic Excellence operates the College Ready program, a summer program through which an incoming freshman can take two college classes prior to their first fall semester at discounted cost. The primary goal of College Ready is to smooth the student’s transition to their new living and learning environment. The Center also includes the Freshman Year Navigator program, hiring 30 or more students each year to work as Navigators and help their assigned freshmen throughout their first year at MSU. 

The Center also provides Supplemental Instruction and tutoring in 80 or more challenging classes each semester. It also works closely with the University Academic Advising Center, which provides all advising for the freshman class’s largest major, Undeclared. Finally, the Center works with the Pathfinders program to emphasize the importance of class attendance – class attendance is the #1 predictor of student success.

University Academic Advising Center (UAAC)

Undeclared (UND)

Director: Lynda K. Moore
Professional Academic Coordinators: Bailey Berry, Wendy Dandass, Jermaine Jackson, Katy Richey, and Jaiki Shumpert

252 Famous Maroon Band Street.; Mail Stop 9729
Web site at http://www.uaac.msstate.edu/
Telephone (662) 325-4052; Fax (662) 325-4026
P.O. Box 6117, Mississippi State, MS 39762

UAAC Mission to Undeclared Students

The University Academic Advising Center was established to meet the needs of those students who have competing interests in more than one major area, as well as those who are uncertain of their career and educational goals. The professional staff at the center offer one-on-one advising services to traditional and non-traditional undergraduate students and provide accurate information concerning general curriculum requirements, university policies and procedures, campus resources and various programs of study. The center is committed to assisting students with the development of educational plans consistent with their life goals, objectives and abilities. Students normally remain Undeclared for no more than three semesters during which time advisors recommend courses that meet basic core requirements in relation to “majors of interest” for each individual student. Students must declare a major before completing 75 hours.

UAAC advisors traditionally recommend that Undeclared students enroll in 15-18 hours each fall and spring semester with careful considerations given to courses required in each student’s majors of interest. It is the goal of the center to assist each Undeclared student in enrolling in courses that satisfy the minimum core requirements for any major the student may later choose with respect to each department’s right to specify more stringent requirements than the University as a whole. However, ultimate responsibility for taking the UAAC staff’s advice rests with the student.

UAAC urges students to make appointments with advisors at the center to establish a plan of action. The University Academic Advising Center staff encourages all Undeclared majors to utilize services offered by the Career Center, the Counseling Center, the Learning Center, Center for Student Success, Student Support Services and other support programs offered by various units at MSU.

The UAAC advises for the University Studies degree, the Complete to Compete Program, and Applied Science.

Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS)

Major Advisors: Kali Dunlap, Kristi Dearing, and Jaiki Shumpert

The applied baccalaureate degree is specifically intended to serve the needs of adult learners, military, and community college transfers who have completed a technical associate degree program, such as an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) from a SACSCOC accredited community college in the state of Mississippi or comparable regionally-accredited community college. The Bachelor of Applied Science is a flexible pathway design that allows learners to customize their education to advance in their career paths. Building upon the AAS or other technical associate degree program, the BAS degree prepares adult learners, military, and community college transfers to assume leadership roles and make an elevated contribution in the workplace.

The minimum number of hours required in the BAS degree is 120 hours, which may include 60 hours of credit with a 2.0 GPA earned as a part of the AAS degree. No more than 25 percent of the 120 credits may be earned through prior learning assessment and/or competency-based learning. Of the 120 credit hours, 30 shall be completed in residency at Mississippi State University and 30 shall be upper division (3/4000-level) courses. The delivery format of courses for the program may be offered face-to-face or online. In addition, up to 45 hours of approved technical or military credit may be used to fulfill the required elective hours. See advisor for information.

Degree Requirements

University Studies - Complete to Compete Program (C2C)

Major C2C Coaches: Kristi Dearing, Kali Dunlap, Lynda Moore, and Jaiki Shumpert

The Bachelor of Science in University Studies is housed in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President (Academic Affairs).  A student who wishes to pursue the major in University Studies must enroll in the Complete to Compete (C2C) program and be eligible for admission to the degree program.  To be eligible, the student must meet the criteria of an adult learner, i.e. must be at least 21 years old, have earned at least 90 semester credit hours, have not earned a baccalaureate degree, and must not have attended a postsecondary institution within the last twenty-four months.

The University Studies degree is designed to provide eligible adult learners who have not completed a baccalaureate degree a pathway to return to Mississippi State University to complete a degree.  The curriculum is individualized to meet the needs and career goals of the returning adult learner. An eligible student will meet with a C2C Coach and work with faculty to develop the best degree plan possible.

Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Data Science 

The Bachelor of Science in Data Science is an interdisciplinary program that draws upon disciplines from multiple colleges. It is a 123-hour inter-college program designed to include three general areas of coursework: general education, program core, and applications of the data science fundamentals in specific body of knowledge such as geoinformatics, computational intelligence and cybersecurity, marketing, management information systems, statistical modeling, social science analytics, architectural design and built environment, and smart agriculture. The overall curriculum is designed to provide students with an ideal educational experience necessary to become effective professional data science experts. Under the proposed undergraduate curriculum, general education coursework will help data science students develop intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and ethical and aesthetic awareness. The coursework for the core program will provide students with the opportunity to build a strong foundation in the key fields of data science that include computer science, mathematics and statistics, management information systems, communication, management/leadership, design, and ethics. The course sequences for several distinct areas of academic concentration will provide students with the opportunity to become data science experts in a specific area.