The University of Minnesota is one of the largest public institutions in the United States. In addition to the two campuses in the Twin Cities, it includes campuses at Crookston, Duluth, and Morris. It ranks among the top 10 universities in federal research grants and contracts, with over 200 million per year.
The Twin Cities campus enrolls about 46,000 students—one of the largest single-campus enrollments in the United States. Students come from all 50 states and from 100 countries. Approximately 8,200 students take advantage of the University’s 160 graduate programs. Both the size and diversity of the student body contribute to the University’s cosmopolitan character.
The University’s Twin Cities campus is itself two campuses—one in Minneapolis and one St. Paul. The Mississippi River divides the Minneapolis campus into East and West Banks, each with its own special character. Learning facilities and student resources are available at every location.
On the East Bank are the older buildings and the grassy tree-lined mall of a traditional college campus. Located here are the Institute of Technology and many departments of the College of Liberal Arts, the Health Sciences Complex, as well as the Science and Engineering and the Biomedical libraries.
The West Bank features several high-rise structures and most of the University's newest buildings, housing the Law School, the School of Music, and the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Also on the West Bank are Walter Library, the Carlson School of Management, studio arts and theater buildings and the remainder of the Liberal Arts departments.
The St. Paul campus is situated in the heart of a pleasant residential neighborhood, lending it more of a small town than urban feeling. Located here are the Colleges of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Natural Resources, Human Ecology, and Veterinary Medicine. To support study and research in these areas, the St. Paul campus houses animal barns, veterinary hospitals, fields for experimental crops, and four libraries. A free shuttle bus provides regular, convenient service to the Minneapolis campus.
The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul provide a prime location for graduate study in food science. They are the economic, cultural, and educational center of the upper Midwest. In addition to the excellent education resources of the University of Minnesota, the Twin Cities house the headquarters of several major corporations and councils in the food and health industries including General Mills, Cargill Inc., Novartis, Land O'Lakes, 3M, and more.
