2024-2025 General Bulletin

Montana State University Billings

1500 University Drive
Billings, Montana 59101-0298
(406) 657-2011
www.msubillings.edu

Student Learning Outcomes

MSU Billings understands that student success and student learning take place inside and outside the classroom.  The ability to assess and measure that success is imperative.  To assure that the University’s programs continue to meet the needs of both the students and the community, MSU Billings engages in ongoing review and revision of its assessment processes.  This regular review process has resulted in the revision of the university’s academic programs, including the general education program, as articulated in this catalog.

Degree Levels

Montana State University Billings offers pre-professional and certification programs and awards degrees at the associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree levels.  MSU Billings also offers post-master’s (non-degree) supervisor endorsement programs in Reading K-12 and Special Education K-12.

Accreditation

Montana State University Billings is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).  It is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for preparing elementary and secondary teachers and school counselors through the Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees and the Master of Science in Special Education degree.  Programs in the College of Business are accredited through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).  MSU Billings is also accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).  The City College nursing program is accredited and approved by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) and the Montana Board of Nursing. Additional programs at City College are also accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), and the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP).  Please see the City College Catalog for additional accreditation information about the City College programs.

Faculty

MSU Billings faculty have expertise in many areas and approximately ninety-one percent hold the highest degrees in their fields.  They contribute a number of articles each year to academic and professional journals in their fields and participate with their peers regionally, nationally, and internationally at conferences and seminars.  Each year they receive grants ranging from Fulbrights for study abroad to those for the investigation of human and scientific information.  Because the faculty is involved in research, students may also become involved in research including the presentation of findings at conferences and the publication of papers in journals.  Because the faculty is involved with their peers, students are exposed to the latest information in each discipline.  Because the faculty is involved in communicating with their colleagues around the country, they also continue being involved in expressing those ideas to students.

Diversity

MSU Billings supports all members of the University community in their individual growth toward confidence, individual sense of purpose, and acceptance of civic responsibilities.  MSU Billings’ actions are ethical and principled to assure dignity and equity for all.  MSU Billings seeks to increase staff, faculty, and student awareness, understanding, and involvement in the international community.  MSU Billings is committed to providing an intellectual and social environment that supports and nurtures diversity awareness and cultural consciousness.

Location and Campus

The Yellowstone Region and the City of Billings

America’s “last, best place” is undoubtedly an appropriate way to describe the region of the Yellowstone.  Stretching from Yellowstone Park to where it joins the Missouri River, the Yellowstone River is the longest un-dammed river in the United States.  Montana State University Billings shares the history, traditions, and quality of life that characterize the Yellowstone Region.

Montana State University Billings is located in the expanding city of Billings in the valley of the Yellowstone between rugged mountains and sweeping plains with a population base of approximately 100,000.  The city, the largest in Montana, offers all the conveniences of modern urban life but has retained its cultural and historical Western tradition of friendliness.

Billings, the “Magic City,” serves as a center for agriculture, finance, trade, medical care, education, tourism and energy-related industries for the people of central and eastern Montana and northern Wyoming.  A downtown business district, well-planned shopping centers and malls, and a variety of smaller specialty stores provide ample opportunity for browsing and shopping.

MetraPark, Montana’s major indoor arena, provides a number of entertainment opportunities such as major concert productions, trade shows and sporting events.

Historical sites, trout fishing streams, mountain trails and downhill ski runs are within easy driving distance from Billings.  World-famous Yellowstone National Park is nearby.

Billings has a number of churches, radio and television stations, movie theaters, a performing arts center, a symphony and a community theater.  Parks, tennis courts and golf courses offer recreational opportunities.  The city is served by excellent transportation facilities.

Among other assets are excellent hotels, motels, restaurants, and residential districts.

The MSU Billings Campus

Montana State University Billings is comprised of two campuses:  the University campus, and the City College campus.  The  University campus rests on ninety-two acres nestled at the foot of majestic sandstone cliffs overlooking the city.  The eighteen buildings are within a short walking distance across campus.  Two residence halls connected to the Student Union Building and one family housing apartment complex provide housing to students.  Rimrock has 148 rooms and Petro has 362 rooms available for occupancy.  The Student Union Building (SUB) houses the Campus Store, Campus Dining Services, Stingers Coffee Shop, and administrative offices.  Home of the Yellowjackets, Alterowitz Gymnasium and the P.E. building offer a variety of recreational and instructional opportunities.  The facility houses a 4,000 seat arena, a practice gymnasium, a collegiate-size swimming pool, an enclosed running track, and racquetball courts.

Although physically separated from the University campus, the City College campus, located seven miles from the  university campus on the west side of Billings, is an integral part of the University.  The campus consists of two buildings:  the Tech building and Health Sciences building.  The facilities provide ample classrooms, laboratories, and other instructional areas.  A large central commons is a popular student gathering and dining area.  At the front of the City College campus is the MSU Billings soccer field, used by both the women’s and men’s soccer teams for practice and games.

Academic Calendar

The academic year consists of Fall and Spring semesters.  The summer term has its own calendar.  Classes are also available between the fall and spring semesters in an Intersession format.