Dakota State University

Dakota State University’s mission is to prepare cyber-savvy graduates who are lifelong learners, problem solvers, innovators, and leaders to live lives of positive purpose and consequence.

The institution does this by offering cyber-centric degrees in a variety of majors in the fields of education, business, arts & sciences, and our signature degrees in computer and cyber sciences. Students may earn associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees, as well as a certificates and endorsements.

Dakota State has a long tradition of innovation, leadership, and service. Founded in 1881 as the first teacher education institution in the Dakota Territory, DSU soon added business and fine arts programs. In 1984, the mission was changed to include technology in all majors, as an effort to educate leaders for the information age. Faculty embraced this directive, and pioneered the application of computer technology into all fields of academic endeavors. They also created new degree programs for computer and information systems programs.

These innovative programs were quick to receive national recognition. In the 1990s, DSU was included on Yahoo Magazine’s list of the 100 most wired universities in the U.S. and was named the best public baccalaureate college in the Midwest according to U.S. News & World Report magazine for two consecutive years. Since the early 2000s, Dakota State cyber programs have been recognized by the National Security Agency as Centers of Academic Excellence in cyber defense, cyber research, and cyber operations. We are one of 10 institutions in the country that hold all three of these distinctions. Research initiatives developed in recent years are growing and moving forward. These promise to transform Dakota State not only into a cyber powerhouse of the plains, but the best cyber anywhere.

As Dakota State makes these big ideas a reality, the institution maintains the small-school persona it is known for, with small class sizes, personal attention from staff and faculty, affordable tuition, and a 99% placement rate.

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