Over the past decade, MTSU has aggressively transitioned from a primarily undergraduate institution to a doctoral research university with significant research activity. 

MTSU’s College of Graduate Studies is one of the fastest- growing graduate schools in Tennessee. We offer 100-plus diverse graduate programs at the certificate, master’s, specialist, and doctoral levels so that almost anyone can find their right fit. Our programs are designed to help students develop the skills and knowledge to be successful in their careers. 

Meanwhile, buoyed by graduate students’ working hand in hand with top faculty, MTSU is producing relevant, measurable research on a daily basis on the campus. 

Graduate Studies: 

• MTSU graduate student Rachel Booher was selected as a 2024 Marcus L. Urann Fellow by the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Booher is one of only six students nationwide who will be awarded $20,000 to use toward a graduate degree, and she is the first student from MTSU to receive this award.
• A new application portal is now available for future MTSU graduate students. Applying to graduate programs just got easier with this streamlined process.

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs 

• More than 200 new proposals were submitted this year— more than a 75% increase from last year.
• This represents more than $22 million in sponsored project funding—also more than a 75% increase from last year (and a total of 128 unique principal investigators submitting proposals).
• The Undergraduate Research Center (URC) will launch in fall 2024. By offering opportunities for engagement to students and faculty, the URC will provide leadership for innovation, demonstration, and transfer of knowledge and methods in both research and development.

Spotlight on the Center for Health and Human Services (CHHS) 

The CHHS has had a productive spring and summer and continues to grow as we work to shape a healthier future and advance the health and well-being of Tennesseans through innovation and collaboration on evidence-based research and projects addressing Tennessee’s most pressing public health priorities. 

Highlights include: 

• CHHS has received $13,559,340 from federal and state sources to address opioid and substance use disorder throughout all 95 Tennessee counties over the last four years, facilitating nine individual research and outreach projects.
• After 4 1⁄2 years, CHHS is nearing the completion of two Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) grants totaling $1.2 million. Research on stigma and substance use disorder facilitated through these grants, and in partnership with Health and Human Performance faculty, has been selected for presentation at the upcoming annual meetings of the American Public Health Association, the Tennessee Public Health Association, and the Rural Health Association of Tennessee, along with webinar presentations for multiple community organizations and partners. A manuscript has also been submitted to peer-review journals and is awaiting review.
• CHHS is currently in the second year of a four-year mental health awareness training grant funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Through this grant, the center offers Mental Health First Aid training, which teaches individuals how to identify, understand, and respond to someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use problem or who is in crisis. This training is offered to members of our campus community and other higher education institutions.