Columbus State University

Institution Overview

Columbus State University, a four-year institution, is located in the mid-sized urban city of Columbus on the border of Georgia and Alabama, 100 miles southwest of Atlanta. The university enrolls more than 7,200 students who come to Columbus State primarily from throughout Georgia. The school also is a popular destination for students from Alabama and other states in the nation. The average age of the student body is 26.

The 132-acre campus features 18 contemporary buildings and a range of recreational and cultural facilities. The city of Columbus is home to several local museums, an outstanding symphony, the historic Springer Opera House, jazz music, minor league baseball and the Riverwalk along the Chattahoochee River. Two off-campus centers, the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and the Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center, offer enhanced educational and recreational opportunities to Columbus State University students as well as to regional school children and residents. The Schwob Department of Music is located in the River Center for Performing Arts complex in downtown Columbus.

Students may enroll in one of 45 undergraduate degree programs offered in the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Education, Science, and Business. At the master's level the university offers a MBA and degrees in education, music, public administration, applied computer science and environmental science.

In addition to co-educational intramural and recreational programs, students participate in more than 50 chartered student groups, sororities and fraternities, honor societies and special-interest clubs. The Columbus State University Cougars compete in NCAA Division II men's and women's athletics, including basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, golf and cross country. The Cougars play in the 4,500 seat arena of the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center for physical education.

The university has received national recognition for its Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP), which provides rapid-response computer technology training. And it provides training for law enforcement executives statewide through its Georgia Law Enforcement Command College.

Columbus State University was established in 1958 as a two-year institution. It became a four-year institution in 1965 and was named Columbus State University in 1996.