Founded in 1925, Mesa State College is a comprehensive regional public higher education institution offering liberal arts, professional, and technical programs at the master's, bachelor's, associate, and certificate levels.
At Mesa State, we take great pride in providing educational opportunities and tools that help students succeed in today's complex and interconnected world. Our focus is on providing quality academic programs, built on a strong liberal arts core that support students' interests and regional employment needs, as well as technical programs that respond to vocational workforce demands.
Mesa State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Mesa State College enrolls more than 6,000 students with ten percent of the College's student body coming from outside Colorado. The student population is 59% female, 41% male, and 15% from traditionally underrepresented groups. The vast majority of students--72 percent--are traditional-aged students and enrolled in full-time study. Many students attend college while also working and caring for families, and Mesa State is proud to offer evening, online, and distance education offerings that allow non-traditional and working students the opportunity to further their educational attainment and advance in their professions.
225 full-time academic and technical faculty from 13 departments form the core of our College. Additionally, a team of more than 160 carefully selected scholars and professionals serve as part-time instructors. Our faculty create an environment designed to foster a dynamic exchange of ideas. In addition to teaching, professors serve as academic advisors and collaborate with hundreds of students each year in challenging undergraduate research programs -- an experience often found only in graduate programs.
Mesa State's main campus encompasses 78 acres in the heart of Grand Junction, Colorado. Nestled between mountains and high-desert canyons, the area is home to some of the best outdoor recreation in the country and enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year.
The Tilman M. Bishop Campus is the result of a partnership of the College, Mesa County Valley School District 51, and area businesses and is the main site of Mesa State's two-year division: Western Colorado Community College Programs at the Bishop Campus serve the technical education needs of both college and area high school students.
Located at the base of the beautiful San Juan mountains, the Montrose Campus of Mesa State College provides access to a variety of associate and bachelor degree programs in a scenic, smaller community campus setting.
"There is hereby established a College at Grand Junction, Colorado, to be known as Mesa State College, which shall be a general baccalaureate and specialized graduate institution with moderately selective admissions. Mesa State College shall offer liberal arts and sciences programs and a limited number of professional, technical, and graduate programs. Mesa State College shall also maintain a community college role and mission, including vocational and technical programs. Mesa State College shall receive resident credit for two-year course offerings in its commission-approved service area."
In accomplishing its mission, the commission-approved (CDHE) service areas are:
