Mississippi State University is a comprehensive, doctoral-degree-granting university offering to a diverse and capable student body a wide range of opportunities and challenges for learning and growth; to the world of knowledge, vigorous and expanding contributions in research, discovery, and application; and to the State and its people in every region, a variety of expert services. Mississippi State University is designated as a Doctoral/Extensive institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. It is representative of the American Land-Grant tradition and distinctive in its own character and spirit, born of its Mississippi heritage and the vision and loyal perseverance of those who have labored in its development. Mississippi State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctorate degrees
Purposes
Purposes. As a Land-Grant institution, Mississippi State University is dedicated to the three broad purposes already mentioned-learning, research, and service: learning, on-campus and off-campus, to enhance the intellectual, cultural, social, and professional development of its students; research, both to extend the present limits of knowledge and to bring deeper insight, understanding, and usefulness to existing knowledge; and service, to apply knowledge and the fruits of research to the lives of people.
The University Today
Mississippi State University now comprises the following academic units: the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences including the School of Human Sciences; the College of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Business including the Adkerson School of Accountancy; the College of Education; the Bagley College of Engineering including the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering; the College of Forest Resources; the Office of the Graduate School, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, operating 16 branch stations throughout the State, conducts research in a variety of areas and assists in the University’s teaching and service functions. Finally, the Mississippi State University Extension Service offers programs and services to the people of the State through campus and county offices and personnel. Supporting the academic and educational programs of the total University are the Mitchell Memorial Library and branch libraries.
Within the framework of the University, several units perform specialized teaching, research, or service activities. Among these are the Center for Distance Education, Shackouls Honors College, the Advanced Research Projects Laboratory, the Center for Safety and Health, the Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology, the Electron Microscope Center, the High Performance Computing Collaboratory, the Institute for Digital Biology, the Institute for Neurocognitive Science and Technology, the Franklin Furniture Institute, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Sustainable Energy Research Center, the Mississippi State Chemical Lab, the Research and Curriculum Unit, the Center for Education and Training Technology, the GeoResources Institute, the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, the Social Science Research Center, the Carl Small Town Center, the Design Research and Informatics Lab, the Educational Design Institute, the Jackson Community Design Center (JCDC), the The Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, the Biological and Physical Sciences Resources Institute, the Center for Computational Sciences, the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, the Institute for the Humanities, the The John C. Stennis Institute of Government, the Center for Educational Partnerships, the Early Childhood Institute, the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute, the T. K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, the Center for Computer Security Research, the Center for DoD Programming Environment and Training, the Computational Simulation and Design Center, the Institute for Clean Energy Technology, the High Voltage Laboratory, and the Raspet Flight Laboratory.
密西西比州立大学是一所综合性、可授予博士学位的大学，为多元化且才华横溢的学生群体提供了广泛的学习与成长机遇及挑战；为知识界贡献出充满活力且不断拓展的研究、发现与应用成果；并为全州各地民众提供多种专业服务。卡内基教学促进基金会将密西西比州立大学评定为"博士/研究型大学"。该校秉承美国赠地学院传统，并因密西西比州的文化底蕴及建设者的远见卓识与忠诚坚守而独具特色。密西西比州立大学经南部院校协会学院委员会认证，有权授予学士、硕士、专家及博士学位。
办学宗旨使命。作为一所赠地大学，密西西比州立大学致力于实现三大核心目标——教学、研究和服务：通过校内外的教学活动，提升学生的智力、文化、社交及专业素养；开展科研工作，既拓展人类知识边界，又深化对现有知识的理解与应用；实施社会服务，将知识成果转化为改善民生的实际力量。
今日密西西比州立大学密西西比州立大学现由以下学术单位组成：农业与生命科学学院（含人文科学系）、建筑艺术与设计学院、文理学院、商学院（含阿德克森会计学院）、教育学院、巴格利工程学院（含斯瓦姆化学工程系）、森林资源学院、研究生院办公室以及兽医学院。此外，密西西比农业与林业实验站在全州设有16个分站，开展多领域研究并支持大学的教学与服务职能。最后，密西西比州立大学推广服务通过校园及县级办公室与人员为全州民众提供各类项目与服务。米切尔纪念图书馆及其分馆为全校的学术与教育项目提供支持。在大学架构内，多个部门承担着专业化的教学、研究或服务职能。其中包括远程教育中心、沙库尔斯荣誉学院、高级研究项目实验室、安全与健康中心、科学数学与技术中心、电子显微镜中心、高性能计算联合实验室、数字生物学研究所、神经认知科学与技术研究所、富兰克林家具研究所、森林与野生动物研究中心、可持续能源研究中心、密西西比州化学实验室以及研究与课程单元。教育与培训技术中心、地质资源研究所、生命科学与生物技术研究所、社会科学研究中心、卡尔小镇中心、设计研究与信息学实验室、教育设计研究所、杰克逊社区设计中心(JCDC)、墨西哥湾沿岸社区设计工作室、生物与物理科学资源研究所、计算科学中心、科布考古研究所、人文研究所、约翰·C·斯滕尼斯政府研究所、教育合作中心、幼儿早期教育研究所、盲人与低视力康复研究与培训中心、密西西比写作/思维研究所、T.K.马丁技术与残障中心、先进车辆系统中心、计算机安全研究中心、国防部编程环境与培训中心、计算模拟与设计中心、清洁能源技术研究所、高电压实验室，以及拉斯佩特飞行实验室。